Inspired by Art Workshops - March 2027

The New Jersey State Museum is 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. 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 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.

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.