River Arts in Damariscotta is preparing for the holiday season by offering the following several classes and workshops.

Hand Building and Wheel Throwing with Alexsondra Tomasulo: Four weeks ($120) Saturdays, Nov. 7, 14, 21 and 28, 3-5 p.m. Pinch, slab and coil your way to new discoveries. Add some wheel thrown elements and let your imagination soar. We will be focusing on the quality of form, surface design, and texture. Alternatives to glazing will be discussed and encouraged.

Shibori Silk Scarves with Sandi Cirillo: Sunday, Nov. 15 (in time for Christmas giving) 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. ($30). In this hands on workshop, participants will learn about “shibori,” the Japanese resist method of creating designs on silk using a PVC pipe. This is a unique process as we wrap our scarves around the PVC pipe and watch as our creativity takes over, spilling onto the pipe in layer after layer of color. You will also be given the opportunity to paint directly on your scarves. Each person will complete two finished scarves in this class. The science of art and the creativity of the individual unite in this workshop to produce a finished product that can be worn with pride or given as a gift. Materials fee is $10.

A Bucketful of Maine with Joyce Steel: Joyce will lead an assemblage project Nov. 22 from 10 a..m to 1 p.m. ($45). In this workshop you will be gluing natural objects to a surface to form a collage assemblage – then later spraying it with a protective sealant. These simple assemblages can be placed in a shadow box frame and make lovely, personal gifts. What to bring: Fill a small bucket with objects from the shore or from the land. Make your selections in time for them to be thoroughly dry before we meet. Select objects which are not too large and heavy – nor ones too delicate to be handled without disintegrating. Objects need not be whole – pieces are fine and make for interesting shapes and arrangements!

Birch Bark Ornaments and other holiday stuff with Sandi Cirillo: Sunday, Dec. 6, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. ($30). This workshop will offer participants the opportunity to create up to four holiday ornaments or simple three-dimensional sculptures using birch bark provided by the instructor. You will learn various ways to cut and fold the birch bark to create unique pieces of art suitable for gift giving or to use in your own home for decoration. Participants are encouraged to bring in any dried flowers or other materials to this class to embellish their creations. Materials fee is $7.

Clay Gifts for the Holidays with Alexsondra Tomasullo: Dec. 5, 3-5 p.m. and Dec. 6, 1-3 p.m. ($60). Why not make a treasured little gift for the giving season using hand building techniques (pinching, slabbing, coiling). This season create ornaments, buttons, personalized pins, small boxes and much more. Nothing says love more than handmade.

River Arts is located at 241 U.S. Route 1 in Damariscotta. For more information about classes, events and exhibitions visit the website www.riverartsme.org, call 563-1508 or stop in. River Arts is open Tuesday – Saturday, 10-4, and Sundays, 10-2.