About Creative Recess
Show up. Try something. Be more creative.
Creative Recess is a calendar of hands-on creative workshops across the Philadelphia suburbs. Pottery, printmaking, glass, sewing, anything where you show up and make something.
Creativity is for everyone.
Why the Phlurbs
The Phlurbs (the Philadelphia suburbs) are the towns spreading out from the city: river towns, old mill towns, college towns, Main Streets. There's a lot of creativity out here, in pottery studios, glass studios, art centers, yarn shops, and library craft nights. It's just spread out, so it's easy to miss.
Go somewhere
Think of Creative Recess as an invitation. Make a day trip. Take the train out (looking at you, city friends). Try a class in a town you've never been to, then find the coffee shop around the corner and the bookstore down the street. Or stay close and get to know your own town a little better. Meet someone new. Be somewhere IRL.
The people making it happen
Every workshop here comes from a studio, a shop, or an artist who loves what they do enough to teach it. Go meet them. Follow the ones you like, and sign up for the next one. It's a pretty fun way to support the small businesses and artists in your own backyard.
Who's behind it
I'm Roz Duffy. I've spent most of my career on design teams, and I like to tinker with things (this site included). I started it as a way to do more creative stuff and connect with people IRL, and it took off from there. Turns out there's a lot of cool, creative stuff happening around here. I love finding out about all of it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Creative Recess?
Creative Recess is a free calendar of hands-on creative workshops across the Philadelphia suburbs, the Phlurbs for short. Workshops are gathered from dozens of venue websites and Instagram accounts and put in one place, so you don't have to go looking.
What are the Phlurbs?
The Philadelphia suburbs: the river towns, mill towns, college towns, and Main Streets spreading out from the city. A made-up word that just made sense!
What area does Creative Recess cover?
The edges of Philadelphia and out into Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Lancaster counties and the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania, plus the river towns in New Jersey (Lambertville, Frenchtown) and Wilmington, Delaware. Many are an easy train ride from the city.
What kinds of workshops are listed?
Hands-on ones, where you show up and make something: ceramics and pottery, fiber arts, sewing and quilting, painting, drawing, printmaking, glass, jewelry and metalwork, woodworking, bookbinding, botanical, mixed media, photography, and creative writing. The occasional festival, studio tour, or open craft night makes the list too.
Are the workshops good for beginners?
Most of them, yes. The large majority are labeled beginner or all levels, and they are single sessions, so you can try something once without signing up for a whole course. The venue's page has the details on level and materials.
Are multi-week classes listed?
No. Creative Recess lists single sessions only: one-and-done workshops, easy to say yes to. Multi-week courses and series are left out, and so is open studio time with no instructor.
Are the workshops for adults or kids?
Adults. Plenty welcome teens too. Kids' classes and parent-and-child sessions are left out, so everything here is something a grown-up can go do on their own or with friends.
How much do the workshops cost?
Prices are set by the venues, and you'll see each one on its listing. Some are free, most fall somewhere between $20 and $150, and nothing listed costs more than $300. You can filter by price on the workshops page.
Does Creative Recess cost anything?
No. The site and the newsletter are free. Creative Recess is independent and takes no commissions or fees from venues.
How do I sign up for a workshop?
Directly with the venue. Every listing links to the venue's or instructor's own page, and registration, payment, and questions all go through them. Creative Recess is a place to discover workshops, not a ticketing site.
How do I find something to do this week or this weekend?
Start with this week's workshops. On the workshops page you can also filter by weekend, day of the week, morning, afternoon, or evening, county, and price.
How often is the site updated?
Every week. New workshops are added as they turn up, past events drop off, and anything added in the last seven days wears a NEW! badge. See just the new ones.
What if a workshop is sold out or cancelled?
Listings are checked for sold-out and cancelled workshops, and those come down when they're spotted, but spots go fast. The venue's own page is always the final word.
Is there a newsletter?
Yes. A short list of hands-on workshops, sent by email, and free. Sign up here. Your email is never shared or sold.
How do I get my venue or workshop listed?
Get in touch! New venues and workshops are always welcome, and it's free to be listed.
Is this a business?
Right now it's a labor of love and a long-term creative project, still growing. Ideas are always welcome: get in touch.
Have another question? Get in touch. I'm a real person and I read every message.