Hoffman Center for the Arts is a non-profit gallery and community arts center on Oregon’s beautiful North Coast.
We offer workshops, exhibitions, events, and creative experiences so all ages can explore, create, and connect.
Come make something with us!
Come make something with us!
Featured events
10:00am - 1:00pm in the Wonder Garden
Class size is limited; please register in advance
Stone can be an astonishing element in a coastal garden. Akin to a well-pruned tree or an alluring planting, it has the power to evoke feelings, create atmosphere, quiet the mind.
Used poorly, stone can be distracting — even nonsensical — as when boulders erupt without context in front yards. (Yes, what IS that about!). But used with intention, stone can unlock the imagination and transform even the smallest outdoor space. “I want stones to feel settled,” says garden designer Jacob Knapp, “and discovered passively, as part of a composition. Their beauty and presence are best when subdued”.
In his workshop, The Art of Placing Stone, Jacob Knapp will celebrate the many facets of stone itself and ways in which to integrate into a garden. Drawing on a career steeped in the principles and philosophies of Japanese gardening, Jacob’s approach to choosing, designing and placing stone is suffused with respect and enormous care. “Stone carries a deep sense of geological history', he says, symbolizing resilience and permanence. Each stone has a face, a top, a root and often a direction that speaks to its placement and effect”.
Jacob’s class begins with a lecture inside the Hoffman Center, then moves to the Wonder Garden for the heart of the workshop: learning to place and set stone. We’ve arranged with him to bring two considerable stones for installation, giving participants a chance to apply a range of on-site experiences, particularly one close to the instructor’s heart: safety. “Safety for us gardeners when handling stone is number one,” he says, “but safety for the stone itself is a close second!”
If you love rock but at a loss how to effectively use it, this class is for you!
Scholarships available https://www.hoffmanarts.org/scholarships
About the instructor:
Formerly senior gardener at the Portland Japanese Garden, Jacob Knapp is the owner of Pacific Pruning LLC. In his work, he blends technical horticultural expertise with a design approach rooted in observation, nature and spatial restraint. He can be reached at pacificpruningllc@gmail.com.
Sunday, October 4th
2:00PM - 5:00PM
Learn to make and use texture stamps and sprig molds out of clay. Create your personal maker’s mark!
Artist Brad Menninga will demonstrate how he makes and uses stamps and molds in his own work. Students will make their own stamps and molds, play with some of Brad's texture tools, and use objects found nearby to texture clay. Students are encouraged to bring seashells, pinecones, or other objects they want to use for texture.
Your creations will be bisque fired and can be picked up 2 - 3 weeks after the class. Shipping can be arranged if necessary; shipping costs are the responsibility of the student.
Instruction, materials and firing included.
Open to ages 16+
Scholarships available https://www.hoffmanarts.org/scholarships
About the instructor: Brad Menninga received his BA in politics from Oberlin College (Oberlin, Ohio) in 1992 and his MFA from California College of the Arts (San Francisco) in 2010. He has published with Ceramic Arts Daily and Pottery Making Illustrated, and facilitated activist art-making workshops through the Portland, Oregon, chapters of Jobs with Justice and Art and Revolution. Menninga has created solo installations at the Mall of America in Minnesota and at the 2019 National Council on Education in the Ceramic Arts Conference (St. Paul, Minnesota). He is the recipient of a 2020 Minnesota Artist Initiative Grant and 2020 McKnight Artist Fellowship for Ceramic Artists. Brad is currently the Ceramics Instructor at Clatsop Community College in Astoria, Oregon.
Saturday, October 10, 2026
5:00-6:30pm
HCA Main Room
Manzanita Writers Series presents with free admission supported by a grant from the Oregon Community Foundation
Please register in advance; walk-ins welcome as space allows
Join us for a riveting reading and Q&A discussion with Emma Pattee, climate journalist and fiction author of the debut novel TILT.
Set over the course of a single day, Tilt follows Annie’s intense journey through a transformed cityscape of Portland, OR, after a devastating earthquake strikes while she is shopping for a crib for her soon-to-arrive baby. Alternating between Annie’s present-day experience and her past, Tilt delivers themes of crisis and survival, identity and motherhood, and human kindness amidst desperation.
Thank you to our local collaborators:
Cloud & Leaf Bookstore will have copies of TILT available for sale.
EVCNB will be on site with local disaster-preparedness information.
Recognition for Tilt
“A moving adrenaline rush that also manages to be very funny."
New York Times Book Review
“The storytelling in Tilt is brisk [and] as funny as a novel about humanity at its worst can be… Pattee’s ambivalence about human goodness is a powerful thing; it calls into question the assumptions we make about ourselves.”
The Washington Post
"Pattee takes the novel’s elements — the apocalyptic setting, the cutting social observation, the acerbic takes on marriage and motherhood — and shakes them into a potent cocktail."
New York Times
"Propulsive."
The New Yorker
About the Author
Emma Pattee is a climate journalist and fiction writer. She has written about climate change for The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and more.
In 2021, she coined the term “Climate Shadow” to describe an individual’s potential impact on climate change. Her fiction has appeared in Bellevue Literary Review, Idaho Review,New Orleans Review, Carve Magazine, Citron Review, and Alaska Quarterly Review.
Her debut novelTILT is a national bestseller, longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal of Excellence in Fiction, a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, named one of Time’s 100 Must-Read Books of 2025, an NPR favorite fiction read of 2025, and named by NPR, Time, Vogue and Bustle as a best book of the year.
Upcoming visual art classes and events
October 17th
10:00 am - 4:00pm
Join MJ in taking some time to reclaim the power and focus of your inner heroine.
The Works of Carl Jung, Joseph Campbell, and Maureen Murdock will guide participants in creating a 3-part collage series over the course of this day-long workshop. We will explore the Journey’s stages of separation, initiation, and return.
Recommended reading: The Heroine's Journey by Maureen Murdock
This workshop will be an easy mix of topic intro, creating, contemplating, and optional sharing.
We will take breaks between stages, one of which will allow for a thirty minute lunch break. Packing or bringing your own lunch works best to stay in the creative flow of our whole group. Complimentary tea and coffee will be provided.
All Collage Materials Are Provided, from paper and tools to glue and magazines!
About MJ
MJ is a lifelong mixed media artist specializing in collage. Her works are collected widely, from SF MOMA, MoMA NYC, The V &A Museum, to many private owners, locally and globally.
See her work at @mjmixedmediaart on Instagram.
Testimonial
“Thank you so much for sending me the incredible mandalas your students have done in reference to The Heroine’s Journey…they are so alive. What inspiring work you are doing.” Maureen Murdock, author
Hoffman Center classes and events are often photographed or filmed, and we love sharing those moments on our social media, website, and newsletter so people can get a feel for what it's like to create and connect here. By registering, you agree to be included in images of the event you have registered for. If you would prefer not to appear in images, please tell a staff member when you arrive.
Upcoming writing classes and events
Saturday, September 26, 2026
5:00-7:00pm
Please join local author Shirley Perez West, in conversation with Kathie Hightower, in celebration of Shirley’s debut novel, Dreams of Earth and Sky.
Shirley has developed her craft through participating in writing workshops at the Hoffman Center for the Arts over the years, and we are delighted to celebrate the culmination of her efforts! Kathie is one of the co-founders of the Writing Program nearly 20 years ago at HCA. Together, they will talk about Shirley’s process of cultivating her craft. Shirley will read from her novel and sign copies of her book, which will be available for purchase through Cloud & Leaf Bookstore.
Free and open to the public.
About the author:
Shirley Perez West writes historical fiction centered on overlooked stories of the West. Born on the San Francisco Peninsula among the remnants of Old California, she developed an early fascination with hidden histories and people often left out of traditional pioneer narratives. A former reporter and communications professional, she holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism. Her short stories have appeared in the anthologies Echoes and Midnight in the Garden. She lives on the north coast of Oregon where she enjoys paddling with a women’s dragon boat team. Dreams of Earth and Sky is her first novel.
Hoffman Center classes and events are often photographed or filmed, and we love sharing those moments on our social media, website, and newsletter so people can get a feel for what it's like to create and connect here. By registering, you agree to be included in images of the event you have registered for. If you would prefer not to appear in images, please tell a staff member when you arrive.
Saturday, October 10, 2026
5:00-6:30pm
HCA Main Room
Manzanita Writers Series presents with free admission supported by a grant from the Oregon Community Foundation
Please register in advance; walk-ins welcome as space allows
Join us for a riveting reading and Q&A discussion with Emma Pattee, climate journalist and fiction author of the debut novel TILT.
Set over the course of a single day, Tilt follows Annie’s intense journey through a transformed cityscape of Portland, OR, after a devastating earthquake strikes while she is shopping for a crib for her soon-to-arrive baby. Alternating between Annie’s present-day experience and her past, Tilt delivers themes of crisis and survival, identity and motherhood, and human kindness amidst desperation.
Thank you to our local collaborators:
Cloud & Leaf Bookstore will have copies of TILT available for sale.
EVCNB will be on site with local disaster-preparedness information.
Recognition for Tilt
“A moving adrenaline rush that also manages to be very funny."
New York Times Book Review
“The storytelling in Tilt is brisk [and] as funny as a novel about humanity at its worst can be… Pattee’s ambivalence about human goodness is a powerful thing; it calls into question the assumptions we make about ourselves.”
The Washington Post
"Pattee takes the novel’s elements — the apocalyptic setting, the cutting social observation, the acerbic takes on marriage and motherhood — and shakes them into a potent cocktail."
New York Times
"Propulsive."
The New Yorker
About the Author
Emma Pattee is a climate journalist and fiction writer. She has written about climate change for The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and more.
In 2021, she coined the term “Climate Shadow” to describe an individual’s potential impact on climate change. Her fiction has appeared in Bellevue Literary Review, Idaho Review,New Orleans Review, Carve Magazine, Citron Review, and Alaska Quarterly Review.
Her debut novelTILT is a national bestseller, longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal of Excellence in Fiction, a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, named one of Time’s 100 Must-Read Books of 2025, an NPR favorite fiction read of 2025, and named by NPR, Time, Vogue and Bustle as a best book of the year.
Upcoming clay classes and events
Sunday, October 4th
2:00PM - 5:00PM
Learn to make and use texture stamps and sprig molds out of clay. Create your personal maker’s mark!
Artist Brad Menninga will demonstrate how he makes and uses stamps and molds in his own work. Students will make their own stamps and molds, play with some of Brad's texture tools, and use objects found nearby to texture clay. Students are encouraged to bring seashells, pinecones, or other objects they want to use for texture.
Your creations will be bisque fired and can be picked up 2 - 3 weeks after the class. Shipping can be arranged if necessary; shipping costs are the responsibility of the student.
Instruction, materials and firing included.
Open to ages 16+
Scholarships available https://www.hoffmanarts.org/scholarships
About the instructor: Brad Menninga received his BA in politics from Oberlin College (Oberlin, Ohio) in 1992 and his MFA from California College of the Arts (San Francisco) in 2010. He has published with Ceramic Arts Daily and Pottery Making Illustrated, and facilitated activist art-making workshops through the Portland, Oregon, chapters of Jobs with Justice and Art and Revolution. Menninga has created solo installations at the Mall of America in Minnesota and at the 2019 National Council on Education in the Ceramic Arts Conference (St. Paul, Minnesota). He is the recipient of a 2020 Minnesota Artist Initiative Grant and 2020 McKnight Artist Fellowship for Ceramic Artists. Brad is currently the Ceramics Instructor at Clatsop Community College in Astoria, Oregon.
October 7th - October 21st
6:00pm - 8:30pm
Week 1: Wednesday, October 7; Thursday October 8
Week 2: Wednesday, October 14; Thursday October 15
Week 3: Wednesday, October 22
Instruction, materials, and firings included
The natural world around us is constantly creating objects to be admired. From the smallest pebble to the largest mountain, we could stand in awe of their inherent perfection and effortless beauty.
As the weather cools and our lives slow down, let us take time to closely examine a natural object and, with our own hands, play at capturing what it is we see and feel.
The Hoffman Center Clay Studio is hosting a contemplative ceramic workshop led by Brooke Hua two nights a week for three consecutive weeks. These cozy gatherings will be a place to unwind and enjoy manipulating clay to uncover its potential to become something else... perhaps a mushroom, a pinecone, something washed ashore... think about what delights you in the natural world.
Please bring an inspiring object or objects that fit inside an imaginary 6”x 6”x 6”x 6” box.
The first week will provide time for working with the clay in its wet and leather hard phases. The following week will be set aside for applying color to the bisque-fired surface. The final week we will be creating unique displays of your finished work.
No experience required - we welcome you to Explore, Create, Connect
Scholarships available https://www.hoffmanarts.org/scholarships
Open to adults 18+
About the instructor: Brooke is excited to share her love of creativity and discovery with the students of the Hoffman Center for the Arts. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis in Ceramics and a minor in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee where she studied under Deborah Rael-Buckley, Christopher Davis-Benavides and Karen Gunderman. There she focused on large ceramic sculpture and wheel-thrown porcelain.
In 2015, Brooke and her husband moved to Nehalem from Portland. She delighted in being the Librarian at the North Tillamook Library in Manzanita before embarking on the adventure of motherhood.
Brooke enjoys spending time with her family, climbing coastal mountains, and experiencing peacefulness.
Sunday, October 18 - choose morning or afternoon session:
Morning: 10am - 1pm
Afternoon: 2pm - 5pm
Instruction and clay included.
Ever wanted to try the pottery wheel but don’t know where to start? Here’s your chance to jump in and give it a spin!
In this playful, beginner-friendly class, you’ll learn how to center clay, open it up, and shape it into a basic cylinder. The wheel has a mind of its own, and that’s part of the fun. Expect a little wobble, a little mess, and plenty of laughter along the way.
No experience needed, just curiosity and a willingness to get your hands muddy. In this class your hands will get muddy, you will practice, practice and practice again but you will not make a finished piece. It’s the perfect way to discover if you want to explore the world of wheel-throwing further.
Scholoships available: https://www.hoffmanarts.org/scholarships
About the instructor:
Janice Gaines-Ehlen became passionate about clay in 2017 while still working as a fitness trainer and massage therapist. After selling her business in 2021, she applied her life-long habits of laser focus, hard work and lots of practice to fully embrace ceramics. She now throws on the wheel, does hand-building of all types and enjoys sharing the joy of ceramics with others. Students from past classes praise her ability to assess and coach students, regardless of their experience level, to improve technique and more fully enjoy ceramic art.
10:00am - 1:00pm in the Wonder Garden
Class size is limited; please register in advance
Stone can be an astonishing element in a coastal garden. Akin to a well-pruned tree or an alluring planting, it has the power to evoke feelings, create atmosphere, quiet the mind.
Used poorly, stone can be distracting — even nonsensical — as when boulders erupt without context in front yards. (Yes, what IS that about!). But used with intention, stone can unlock the imagination and transform even the smallest outdoor space. “I want stones to feel settled,” says garden designer Jacob Knapp, “and discovered passively, as part of a composition. Their beauty and presence are best when subdued”.
In his workshop, The Art of Placing Stone, Jacob Knapp will celebrate the many facets of stone itself and ways in which to integrate into a garden. Drawing on a career steeped in the principles and philosophies of Japanese gardening, Jacob’s approach to choosing, designing and placing stone is suffused with respect and enormous care. “Stone carries a deep sense of geological history', he says, symbolizing resilience and permanence. Each stone has a face, a top, a root and often a direction that speaks to its placement and effect”.
Jacob’s class begins with a lecture inside the Hoffman Center, then moves to the Wonder Garden for the heart of the workshop: learning to place and set stone. We’ve arranged with him to bring two considerable stones for installation, giving participants a chance to apply a range of on-site experiences, particularly one close to the instructor’s heart: safety. “Safety for us gardeners when handling stone is number one,” he says, “but safety for the stone itself is a close second!”
If you love rock but at a loss how to effectively use it, this class is for you!
Scholarships available https://www.hoffmanarts.org/scholarships
About the instructor:
Formerly senior gardener at the Portland Japanese Garden, Jacob Knapp is the owner of Pacific Pruning LLC. In his work, he blends technical horticultural expertise with a design approach rooted in observation, nature and spatial restraint. He can be reached at pacificpruningllc@gmail.com.