Multi-week courses take place once per week for four or six weeks. Each weekly session should be either 1.5 or 2 hours.

Workshops for the St Catharines Studio should be between 2 and 4 hours of instruction time per workshop day.

Workshops for the Summer Season in Niagara Falls should be no longer than 2 hours.

Registered courses require participants to commit to attend all 4 or 6 sessions. This format is best when the course is introducing skills and techniques that build week after week. It is also the appropriate format for courses where the participants are making artworks that require multiple sessions to complete.

Drop-in courses are weekly activities that do not require participants to commit to attend every week of the program. These courses are typically a series of art-making activities with a common theme where each week’s activity does not require knowledge of the previous week’s activity. For example, a music class where the group learns and explores a different song each week or a visual arts class where each week is a different, unconnected drawing activity.

The Willow Arts Community Studio is located within Silver Spire United Church 366 St. Paul St. St. Catharines, ON L2R 3N2.

The Summer Season (July and August) will take place in the Community Room at the Niagara Falls Community Health Centre located at 4790 Victoria Avenue.

The main Fort Erie program site is the Fort Erie Public Library Centennial Branch Community Room located at 136 Gilmore Road.

The main Welland program site is the Welland Public Library Seaway Mall Branch 800 Niagara Street.

Other Fort Erie and Welland locations may be used, depending on course content. This would be set up in consultation with the course instructor.

Class sizes can range anywhere from 10 participants to 21. If you are selected to instruct, you will work with Willow staff to determine what class size is best for your particular course or workshop.

We have a modest budget for purchasing art supplies for courses and workshops. If you are selected to instruct, Willow staff will work with you to source specialized equipment and/or art supplies.

Willow Arts Community instructors are independent contractors and are paid professional rates as a result of the support of grants, donations, and sponsorships. Fees vary by program length and location, and we ensure that all fees paid are above the Living Wage. Fees are inclusive of preparation time, teaching time, and travel.

Yes, please do apply. Willow staff are here to support all our instructors with program planning and delivery, and we work with several first-time instructors every year. We will be offering free workshops in December 2026 and early 2027 for artists who are interested in teaching, so please watch our social media for more information about those.

If you would like to discuss your ideas before submitting an application, please email Program Coordinator Kate at office@thewillowcommunity.com to set up a time to talk.