Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center upcoming events

Adaptability and Narrative in Flameworking with Visiting Artist Kimberly Thomas (Wed, October 07, 2026)

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 14:00:00 GMT

In partnership with Foci Minnesota Center for Glass Arts, CAFAC is thrilled to welcome visiting artist Kimberly Thomas!

Register here through Foci MCGA.

Questions? Get in touch with us at info@cafac.org.

In this workshop, students will develop technical proficiency and material fluency through the sculptural possibilities of borosilicate glass. Students will move from foundational techniques into more complex constructions, learning to shape and assemble components with precision and intent. Alongside technical refinement, the class integrates storytelling, guiding participants to build a personal sculptural language and articulate narrative through form, structure, and detail. Instruction includes both group and individual demonstrations, with an emphasis on process, craftsmanship, and the steady expansion of creative voice.

This five-day workshop is held at CAFAC and Foci MCGA:

Wednesday 10/7/26 - Thursday 10/8/26 at CAFAC (3749 Chicago Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55407)
Friday 10/9/26 - Sunday 10/11/26 at Foci MCGA (2213 Snelling Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55404)

$750 (includes all materials and supplies) | Register through Foci MCGA
Registration deadline: 9/23/26

Visiting artist Kimberly Thomas is a biracial interdisciplinary sculptor and flameworker. She is a current artist in residence at Penland School of Crafts in Bakersville, NC. and is known for her work’s intentionally flawed and unusual motifs as well as her intricate sculptural inventions. A self-taught glass artist, Thomas earned a BFA in Ceramics from the Rhode Island School of Design and spent six years as a special effects make-up artist before she began flameworking in 2009.

Thomas’s work is often autobiographical and conveys her unique perception of the world. Drawing her influence from concepts, questions, and theories about human nature, she combines realism and fantasy. She imparts her truth into dark, yet entertaining, narratives. Recurring themes in her work include the undesirable facets of life and human nature, freedom from the corruption imposed by society, and expansion of self-knowledge. Thomas challenges viewers to face what makes them uncomfortable in order to invite opportunities for fresh perspectives and personal development. Artist’s Website

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Adaptability and Narrative in Flameworking with Visiting Artist Kimberly Thomas (Thu, October 08, 2026)

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 14:00:00 GMT

In partnership with Foci Minnesota Center for Glass Arts, CAFAC is thrilled to welcome visiting artist Kimberly Thomas!

Register here through Foci MCGA.

Questions? Get in touch with us at info@cafac.org.

This five-day workshop is held at CAFAC and Foci MCGA:

Wednesday 10/7/26 - Thursday 10/8/26 at CAFAC (3749 Chicago Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55407)
Friday 10/9/26 - Sunday 10/11/26 at Foci MCGA (2213 Snelling Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55404)

$750 (includes all materials and supplies) | Register through Foci MCGA
Registration deadline: 9/23/26

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Adaptability and Narrative in Flameworking with Visiting Artist Kimberly Thomas (Fri, October 09, 2026)

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 14:00:00 GMT

In partnership with Foci Minnesota Center for Glass Arts, CAFAC is thrilled to welcome visiting artist Kimberly Thomas!

Register here through Foci MCGA.

Questions? Get in touch with us at info@cafac.org.

This five-day workshop is held at CAFAC and Foci MCGA:

Wednesday 10/7/26 - Thursday 10/8/26 at CAFAC (3749 Chicago Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55407)
Friday 10/9/26 - Sunday 10/11/26 at Foci MCGA (2213 Snelling Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55404)

$750 (includes all materials and supplies) | Register through Foci MCGA
Registration deadline: 9/23/26

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Adaptability and Narrative in Flameworking with Visiting Artist Kimberly Thomas (Sat, October 10, 2026)

Sat, 10 Oct 2026 14:00:00 GMT

In partnership with Foci Minnesota Center for Glass Arts, CAFAC is thrilled to welcome visiting artist Kimberly Thomas!

Register here through Foci MCGA.

Questions? Get in touch with us at info@cafac.org.

This five-day workshop is held at CAFAC and Foci MCGA:

Wednesday 10/7/26 - Thursday 10/8/26 at CAFAC (3749 Chicago Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55407)
Friday 10/9/26 - Sunday 10/11/26 at Foci MCGA (2213 Snelling Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55404)

$750 (includes all materials and supplies) | Register through Foci MCGA
Registration deadline: 9/23/26

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Adaptability and Narrative in Flameworking with Visiting Artist Kimberly Thomas (Sun, October 11, 2026)

Sun, 11 Oct 2026 14:00:00 GMT

In partnership with Foci Minnesota Center for Glass Arts, CAFAC is thrilled to welcome visiting artist Kimberly Thomas!

Register here through Foci MCGA.

Questions? Get in touch with us at info@cafac.org.

This five-day workshop is held at CAFAC and Foci MCGA:

Wednesday 10/7/26 - Thursday 10/8/26 at CAFAC (3749 Chicago Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55407)
Friday 10/9/26 - Sunday 10/11/26 at Foci MCGA (2213 Snelling Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55404)

$750 (includes all materials and supplies) | Register through Foci MCGA
Registration deadline: 9/23/26

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Sand Casting with Gemstones (Wed, November 04, 2026)

Thu, 05 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT

We're welcoming Brienna Hall of Shrine Jewelry back to the CAFAC jewelry studio for this specialty workshop!

Designed for students with experience doing sand casting for jewelry, this class focuses on casting gemstones into place on your jewelry objects. Elevate your work with some sparkly bling embedded in the precious metals you use. We'll cover multiple ways to incorporate gemstones with different setting options from flush set, prong set, tube set and more! You'll also be able to explore casting with other items besides gems (e.g., cremains, beach sand, rocks, etc.). We'll focus on the core casting system which incorporates sand casting with vacuum assist and allows for casting a greater variety of shapes.

Prerequisite: casting experience required. To be best prepared for this class, you'll have taken Brienna's Sand Casting for Jewelers workshop, or another sand casting workshop at CAFAC. If you haven't, but have experience with small scale casting techniques, you're welcome to join this class.

$300 ($240 tuition + $60 materials) | 3 sessions
Open to ages 16 and up.

Nestled along the rugged coastline of Mendocino, California, Brienna Hall is the creative force behind Shrine Jewelry. Operating her full-time jewelry business, Brienna also shares her expertise through workshops across northern California. With a keen eye for detail, she empowers her students to explore diverse techniques. Brienna's own creations often blend textile methods with metalwork and embrace the unique character of small-scale sand casting. Her designs fuse organic elements with modern aesthetics, imbued with hints of historical narrative. At the core of Shrine Jewelry lies the belief that each individual is a shrine deserving of meaningful adornment. Brienna encourages wearers to reflect on the intention behind their adornments, cherishing the quality and energy infused into each handmade piece.

Sand Casting with Gemstones (Thu, November 05, 2026)

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT

We're welcoming Brienna Hall of Shrine Jewelry back to the CAFAC jewelry studio for this specialty workshop!

$300 ($240 tuition + $60 materials) | 3 sessions
Open to ages 16 and up.

Sand Casting with Gemstones (Fri, November 06, 2026)

Sat, 07 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT

We're welcoming Brienna Hall of Shrine Jewelry back to the CAFAC jewelry studio for this specialty workshop!

$300 ($240 tuition + $60 materials) | 3 sessions
Open to ages 16 and up.

Memento Mori with Sand Casting (Sat, November 07, 2026)

Sat, 07 Nov 2026 19:00:00 GMT

Siblings scottie and Brienna Hall have combined their individual passions and art forms into this unique ritual Sand Casting experience.

It is said that in Autumn the veil between life and death is thinnest. In this weekend workshop we will explore the ancient art of sand casting to create a unique piece of jewelry or small talisman memorializing a loved one, pet, memory, or place. Through metalworking, fire, and guided ritual, you will cast a personal keepsake imbued with presence, memory, and intention.

You're invited to bring a cherished object, cremains of a loved one, symbolic material, or a personal offering to incorporate into your piece. Together we will mark this sacred time of year through co-creating an altar honoring the cycle of life and death and learning to sand cast sterling silver in red clay.

This workshop is open to all levels of experience. The only prerequisite is a willingness to reflect on the impermanence of life through ritual, storytelling, memories, and art making.

$460 ($400 tuition + $60 materials) | Weekend workshop
Open to ages 18 and up.

scottie hall (ze|zir) is a Minneapolis-based artist, hospice chaplain, and childless cat queer. Ze invites hospice patients and their loved ones to meet death with curiosity through ritual, self-discovery, and radical acceptance of the natural dying process. A longtime practicing Buddhist, scottie holds a MDiv from United Theological Seminary of Twin Cities where their studies included Interreligious Chaplaincy and Theopoetics.

Brienna Hall is a jewelry artist and educator based in Mendocino, California, with a BFA in Sculpture and a minor in Fiber Arts from the Kansas City Art Institute. Through her practice, Shrine Jewelry, she explores themes of memory, impermanence, and transformation using sand casting, fabrication and recycled precious metals. Brienna teaches regularly in California and loves the joy and spontaneity that sand casting brings—she’s passionate about sharing that excitement through teaching and helping others create meaningful, personal work.

Memento Mori with Sand Casting (Sun, November 08, 2026)

Sun, 08 Nov 2026 19:00:00 GMT

Siblings scottie and Brienna Hall have combined their individual passions and art forms into this unique ritual Sand Casting experience.

This workshop is open to all levels of experience. The only prerequisite is a willingness to reflect on the impermanence of life through ritual, storytelling, memories, and art making.

$460 ($400 tuition + $60 materials) | Weekend workshop
Open to ages 18 and up.