Inspired by Art Workshops

The New Jersey State Museum is are excited to launch our adult and teen (16+) fine art workshop series Inspired By. Each workshop will be two-hours long and focus on inspiration from the museum’s vast and varied collection. Workshops occur from 2:00 - 4:00 pm the last Saturday of each month starting September 2026. This program is free and includes all supplies, although you are welcome to bring some of your own. These sessions are open to all skill levels, from beginner to advanced. 

Attendance for specific sessions will be limited due to supplies. Space in the STEAM center is limited by the room size. Registration for sessions after the initial one open at the conclusion of each current session.

Please consider a donation to the New Jersey State Museum Foundation of any amount to support the collections, exhibitions, programs, and research of the New Jersey State Museum. Your donation today plays a vital role in the future of the Museum and Foundation, and we couldn’t be more grateful. 

Thank you! 

Inspired by Printmaking

Linocut is a relief block printmaking technique that begins with drawn or found images or text that are then transferred, carved and hand printed onto paper. This type of printmaking is effective for creating simple and bold images. The session is inspired by the varied collection of prints displayed in The Spirit of 76: The Bicentennial exhibition.

The class session will run from 2:00 - 4:00 pm. You will carve a 4x6” design and create a one color print. This workshop will be taught by Teen & Adult Program Specialist Amy Stevens. All skill levels invited and all supplies will be included.

Free. Advance registration is required; class size is limited to 12 students. Please email amy.stevens@sos.nj.gov with any questions.

Inspired by Skulls and Bones

This year for Halloween we are going to make observational drawings based on bones and skulls. Choosing from our natural history collection, Trenton Artworks teaching artist John Gummere will instruct and guide students on how to draw from observation. All skill levels invited and all supplies will be included.

Class is from 2 - 4 pm. Free. Advance registration required; class limited to 20 students. Please email amy.stevens@sos.nj.gov with any questions.

Inspired by Basket Weaving

Try your hand at weaving a small bowl with raffia. Modeled after a contemporary design, you will experience the art, craft and technique of basket weaving. Project is inspired by baskets in A Much Moved People gallery. This workshop will be taught by New Jersey State Museum’s Adult and Teen Program Specialist and artist Amy Stevens. All skill levels invited and all supplies will be included.

Class is from 2 - 4 pm. Free. Class size is limited to 12 students; advance registration required. Please email amy.stevens@sos.nj.gov with any questions.

Inspired by Fossils

Create natural imprints on air dry clay while crafting your very own trinket dish. Instructed by Trenton Artworks teaching artist Ashauntee Silver, you will learn some pottery basics and experiment with textures. This workshop is inspired by fossils in our natural history exhibition, Written in the Rocks. All skill levels welcome and air dry clay is included.

Class is from 2 - 4 pm. Free. Advance registration required; class size is limited to 12 students. Please email amy.stevens@sos.nj.gov with any questions.

Inspired by Embroidery

Learn some basic stitches and embroider a simple design. Inspired by a realistic embroidery depiction of a visit from George Washington in Trenton from our Cultural History collection. Embroidery can be used to make an assortment of gifts, heirloom pieces, as well as visible mending. This workshop will be taught by Teen & Adult Program Specialist Amy Stevens. Supplies are included, but if you would like to bring in your own item to do visible mending, you are welcome.

Class is from 2 - 4 pm. Free. Advance registration required; class size is limited to 12 students. Please email amy.stevens@sos.nj.gov with any questions.

Inspired by Black Artists

Celebrate Black History month with inspiration from Black Artists in the American Perspectives collection. Trenton Artworks teaching artist Jeremy Malabuyoc will be instructing this workshop based off of two artworks in the collection by Abstract Expressionist painter Al Loving (1935-2005.) Learn to pay attention to pure color and form. All skill levels welcome for this fun painting workshop. Supplies are included.

Class is from 2 - 4 pm. Free. Advance registration required; class size is limited to 20 students. Please email amy.stevens@sos.nj.gov with any questions.

Inspired by Birds

Inspired by the wall of birds in the Written in the Rocks exhibition, this workshop will pay homage to the closest living relative to the dinosaur. Gathered from our collection, Trenton Artworks Teaching Artist Raven George will facilitate a workshop using pen and ink with watercolor to render some birds from direct observation. All skill levels welcome and supplies are included.

Class is from 2 - 4 pm. Free. Advance registration required; class size is limited to 20 students. Please email amy.stevens@sos.nj.gov with any questions.

Inspired by Animals

Inspired by the many taxidermy mammals in the Written in the Rocks exhibition, Trenton Artworks Teaching Artist John Gummere will teach students how to draw animals from direct observation, taking note of proportion and shading. All skill levels welcome and supplies are included.

Class is from 2 - 4 pm. Free. Advance registration required; class size is limited to 20 students. Please email amy.stevens@sos.nj.gov with any questions.

Inspired by Weaving

Inspired by the 19th Century Jacquard loom bedspread by John Stiff in the Pretty Big Things exhibition, we will learn some simple weaving techniques to create a contemporary woven wall hanging. Trenton Artworks teaching artist Jeremy Malabuyoc will guide you to make a masterpiece with a handmade loom. All supplies included.

Class is from 2 - 4 pm. Free. Advance registration required; class size is limited to 12 students. Please email amy.stevens@sos.nj.gov with any questions.

Inspired by Landscapes

Trenton Artworks Teaching Artist Raven George will be leading this workshop inspired by landscape artworks inside the museum, as well as the landscape outside the museum. Whether you are interested in an urban landscape or a picturesque view of the Delaware River, there is a little bit of everything around the museum. We will be using pastels to create landscapes en plein air. Supplies and equipment will be provided. Please note, that we have drawing boards and chairs. Please feel free to bring your own easel if that suits your working practice. For inspiration, we will view the landscape artworks in the American Perspectives exhibition at the beginning of the session.

Class is from 2 - 4 pm. Free. Advance registration required; class size is limited to 20 students. Please email amy.stevens@sos.nj.gov with any questions.

Inspired by Paleo Art

Have you ever wondered how Paleo artists figure out what a dinosaur looked like just from bones and fossils? Join Museum staff member Tia Block to learn about this art form and making a rendering of your own Paleo Art. All supplies included.

Class is from 2 - 4 pm. Free. Advance registration required; class size is limited to 20 students. Please email amy.stevens@sos.nj.gov with any questions.

Inspired by Handmade Paper

Create a one of a kind sheet of handmade paper from paper pulp and water. Inspired by Eve Ingalls’ sculpture in the American Perspectives exhibition, you will experience and appreciate the skill behind her process. This workshop will be taught by New Jersey State Museum’s Adult and Teen Program Specialist and artist Amy Stevens. All supplies included but limited.

Class is from 2 - 4 pm. Free. Advance registration required; class size is limited to 12 students. Please email amy.stevens@sos.nj.gov with any questions.

Amy Stevens

Amy Stevens joined the NJ State Museum in spring 2025 as the Adult & Teen Program Specialist. She earned her BFA in Studio Art at Arizona State University and her MFA in Photography at Tyler School of Art, Temple University. She has shown her artwork around the US and internationally.  She has pieces in museum collections, publications and catalogs. Stevens has been teaching art and photography on the college level for twenty years and is also a certified K-12 Art Educator with experience as a public school art and technology teacher. Her work is always changing and she is currently pursuing printmaking and ceramics, and sometimes both together!

John Gummere

John Gummere is a painter based in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He earned his BA in Architecture at Columbia University, along with Fine Arts courses both at Columbia and part-time at Mercer County Community College in New Jersey. Years after college, John returned to school as a Painting major in the Four-Year Certificate Program at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), where he graduated in 1996. He teaches workshops at the Princeton Adult School, Artworks Trenton, and Urban Promise Trenton. John is best known for his representational oil paintings that center around landscapes, cityscapes, and interior compositions. He shows his work at the Euphemia Gallery in Spring Lake, NJ, and in juried shows and solo exhibits. John’s paintings are in private and corporate collections in Seattle, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, New Jersey, and elsewhere. One of his recent commissions was a view of the Susquehanna River for Penn State Healthcare’s new medical center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Raven George

Raven George is a visionary artist based in Trenton, New Jersey, and a proud alumna of Mercer County Community College and Montclair State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Her work explores emotional intimacy, healing, and transformation through deeply personal and community-centered storytelling. Through photography, drawing, and portraiture, she seeks to restore tenderness, visibility, and dignity to often overlooked people. Beyond the gallery, George leads community-centered projects like Creek to Canvas: Creativity Flows Like Water, creating opportunities for individuals of all walks of life to be seen, heard & contribute to the beauty of Trenton. She believes art is both a healing practice and a form of justice. One that restores love, honors humanity, and nurtures possibility.

Ashauntee Silver

Ashauntee Silver (also known as "Tee") is a digital and mixed-media illustrator and fine arts graduate from Montclair State University. She is known for her vibrant, whimsical poster art and visual development work, and has served as a guest artist for local youth programs, including workshops at the Trenton Free Public Library.

Jeremy Malabuyoc

Jeremy Malabuyoc received his BFA in Illustration from Montclair State University. He has a focus on working in publication. Working on commissions from 2023 to current. Jeremy is proficient in multiple traditional mediums such as inks, watercolors, oil paints, and graphite. ​Jeremy is based in Sicklerville, NJ.

Tia Block

Tia Block is a New Jersey artist with a background in film & television, the geosciences, and paleo art. She works as the Digital Content Creator for the New Jersey State Museum, and In between work and creative pursuits she can be found fossil-hunting, exploring nature, and frequenting other museums.