Summer Art Workshops in Gosforth

The summer holidays are the perfect excuse to pick up a paintbrush. Whether you are looking to keep the children busy for a week, or fancy trying something new yourself while the evenings are long, Gosforth has a genuinely strong crop of art studios and workshops on the doorstep. Here is where to get creative this summer.

Turpentyne Fine Art — school holiday workshops for children and teens

Turpentyne Fine Art runs the most extensive children's programme in the area, from its Gosforth studio (there is a second studio in Whitley Bay). Alongside its term-time drawing and painting courses, the school break workshops are the summer highlight — over twenty-five different courses spanning cartooning, comics and manga, watercolour, mixed-media sculpture, polymer clay, mosaics, folk art, animation, and book illustration.

Workshops are open to children from age five upwards, with most courses pitched at the six-to-fourteen age range and some running up to sixteen. Sessions run in the mornings or afternoons across the holidays, as full week-long courses or shorter four-day blocks. Older, more committed young artists can even work towards a Bronze Arts Award, which includes a field trip to the Laing Art Gallery and a portfolio viewing for parents.

Childcare vouchers are accepted, which makes a week here a practical option for working parents. Booking is through the Turpentyne website, and popular courses fill up fast in the summer.

Best for: Children aged 5 to 16 who want a proper, structured week of art — with the option of working towards a recognised Arts Award.

The Hut on the Green — art and craft courses for grown-ups

If it is your own turn to be creative, The Hut on the Green on Church Road is the place to head. This community creative space — set in the leafy corner of the green near Gosforth Central — runs an ever-changing timetable of courses across visual art, applied craft, and horticulture.

Recent and regular courses include Tuesday life drawing, "Painting for the Terrified" for nervous beginners, free-motion embroidery, ceramics, basketry, jewellery, woodwork, printmaking, and textiles. Most courses run from around £50 to £95, and the majority include the materials and equipment you need, so you can turn up and get stuck in. There is on-street parking on Moor Road North, and the Gosforth Central Shopping Centre car park is a five-minute walk away.

Because the programme changes regularly, it is worth keeping an eye on the Hut on the Green website for what is coming up over the summer and into the autumn.

Best for: Adults who want to try a new craft in a relaxed, unintimidating setting — no experience required.

Gosforth Civic Theatre — the Get Creative summer school

Gosforth Civic Theatre on Regent Farm Road is best known for its music and comedy programme, but it is also a hub for creative activity. Over the summer, its Get Creative Takeover summer school hands the building over to children aged 7 to 16 for a week of hands-on making — spanning crafts, dance, songwriting, film, science, and more, with each day built around a different theme.

The Civic Theatre is an independent, community-led venue founded as a social enterprise by people with learning disabilities, so inclusivity runs through everything it does. Check the Civic Theatre what's on page for this summer's dates and to book. You can reach the box office on 0191 284 3700.

Best for: Creative children aged 7 to 16 who thrive on variety — a bit of everything in one action-packed week.

Further afield

A short hop into Jesmond, art-K on Sandyford Road runs children's and teens' art classes plus holiday workshops, and serves plenty of Gosforth families. It also runs classes for adults.

And if you fancy making a day of it, keep an eye on NOVUM Festival (7–9 August), Newcastle city centre's free family arts takeover, which packs in dozens of free drop-in creative workshops and installations across the weekend.

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Know a Gosforth art class or workshop we have missed? Get in touch and we will add it to the guide.