Heritage crafts are making a comeback in the digital age, and these Nevada studios have hands-on classes to help you learn.
Heritage crafts—generational skills that connect modern society to our communal, ancestral, and cultural identities—are seeing a resurgence in Nevada and around the United States as more people seek a detox from doomscrolling.
The growing interest in traditional practices like knitting and woodworking means crafts once listed as near extinction on the Heritage Crafts Association’s Red List are no longer endangered. The association is a national charity dedicated to keeping traditional craft skills alive.
Fortunately for Nevadans, local makers and artisans are meeting the moment at art studios, centers, and makerspaces throughout Las Vegas and Reno.
Clay Paper Ink Art Cafe owner Melinda Stender believes the heritage crafts rebound is driven by technology and a “longing to return to simpler times.”
A former Clark County School District (CCSD) art teacher, Stender offers a variety of arts-and-crafts classes and workshops at her Las Vegas studio, including classes in crocheting, pottery, and felting.
“People don’t get real joy from their phones and social media,” says Stender. “They have realized that making something tangible with your hands is very fulfilling.”
Whether you’re tired of living vicariously through online creators or simply want to learn a new skill, check out these 15 art centers, studios, and maker spaces with classes and workshops in heritage crafts.
Wandering Wyld
1640 S. Wells Ave., Reno
Learn heritage crafts like metalworking, jewelry making, and woodburning at Wandering Wyld, an enriching retail collective in Reno. The creative hub, featuring curated work from 65 Reno makers, offers hands-on community classes for all levels, including some free classes, led by local artisans. Classes fill up fast. See schedule.
Atelier
2135 Dickerson Road, Reno
A creative workshop space and yarn shop for artists and students, Atelier offers workshops in a variety of heritage crafts. Learn to make soap, crochet, knit, sew, and felt—whatever floats your creative boat. Classes are offered for beginners and experienced crafters alike. Atelier also hosts a meetup for knitters, crocheters, and loom and embroidery artists. See schedule.
Reno Generator
2450 Oddie Blvd., Ste. 110, Sparks
This nonprofit makerspace supports Reno’s vibrant creative community with workshops, events, and art studio spaces. Locals teach workshops (from $30) for various levels in spinning, crochet, weaving, textiles, sewing, printmaking, metalwork, woodwork, and many other heritage crafts. See schedule.
Brewery Arts Center
449 W. King St., Carson City
The historic Brewery Arts Center offers a variety of visual and performing art experiences for the community. Offerings include classes and workshops, such as a four-week experiential beginning pottery class where students learn wheel-throwing, hand-building, and glazing ($129 plus a $20 lab fee). See schedule.
Arts for All Nevada
250 Court St. & Arlington Ave., Reno
People of all ages, skill levels, backgrounds, and experience can participate in Arts for All Nevada, a nonprofit with programs in visual art, creative movement, drama, and literary expression. Heritage craft classes include printmaking ($35), where students learn the basics of block carving, inking, and hand-printing by creating their own stamp. See schedule.
Copper Cat Studio
300 Kresge Ln., Sparks
Heritage crafts are center stage at Copper Cat Studio, where guest artisan instructors share their traditional skills with students, from geometric stained glass to pine needle weaving. Classes (around $100) include no-sew patchwork fabric art, mosaics, glass fusion, Dutch pour painting, and flower pressing. You can also learn to create wearable art using semi-precious stones and copper wire. See schedule.
Nevada Museum of Art
160 W. Liberty St., Reno
The Nevada Museum of Art is the state’s only art museum accredited by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). Its permanent collection houses more than 5,000 works of 19th through 21st-century art. The museum also offers classes at its E.L. Cord Museum School including clay for beginners, ceramics, box making, clothing alterations, hem and repair, upcycling wardrobe, fundamentals of silversmithing, and glass art. Cost varies. See schedule.
Hello Handmade
1328 U.S. Hwy. 395 N., Ste. 105, Gardnerville
A community art studio, HelloHandmade offers walk-in projects like pottery painting, glass fusing, clay sculpting, and mosaics for those who want to create on a whim. The studio also offers classes in heritage crafts (up to $165) like silversmithing, glass fusing, stained glass, and pottery—sometimes with charcuterie included. Registration is available on the website. See schedule.
Boulder City Art Center
801 Adams Blvd., Boulder City
Boulder City Parks and Recreation offers a variety of arts and crafts classes and workshops for all ages at the Boulder City Art Center, including heritage crafts like knitting, pottery, gourd crafting, candle making, and wire wrapping. Cost varies. See schedule.
Art of Crochet Project
7495 West Azure Dr., Las Vegas
Founded by longtime crocheter Merri Medley, the Art of Crochet Project shares the tradition and art of crocheting through individual lessons (from $60) and group classes ($120) for all ages and levels. Supported in part by the Nevada Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, class fees help support the Mats Project, a nonprofit that upcycles plastic bags into bedding for people experiencing homelessness. Call (702) 236-7670 for more information.
Clay Paper Ink Art Cafe
9155 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Ste. 250, Las Vegas
An art cafe and studio with drop-in experiences and instructor-led classes, Clay Paper Ink has something for artists and artisans of all ages and levels. Classes ($10-$70) cover just about anything you can think of, from stained glass and pottery to felting and beading. In addition to kits, clay, and classes, the studio stocks all the tools and materials you need to do your own thing ($20+ for two hours). See schedule.
Las Vegas Maker Studio
6665 W. Telegraph Rd., Las Vegas
Las Vegas Maker Studio offers a couple of levels of woodworking classes led by woodworker Alex Nava. The small hands-on classes are open to anyone who wants to try woodworking in a non-intimidating environment. In the two-day beginning class ($279), students make a cutting board, while the Level 2 class ($289) makes a keepsake box. See schedule.
Vibes DIY Studio
7575 Norman Rockwell Ln., Ste. 120, Las Vegas
Vibes DIY Studio puts its own twist on arts and crafts, including the resurgent heritage craft of rug tufting. The Heritage Crafts Association previously listed the craft as endangered. In the studio’s rug tufting class ($115-$230), students use a tufting gun to loop yarn and create a unique rug, choosing from more than 90 colors with an instructor’s help. See schedule.
Snapdragon Quilting
7350 W Cheyenne Ave, Suite 108, Las Vegas
Level up your quilting techniques at the Poppy Louise Workshop, taught by Snapdragon Quilting owner Jennifer Wagner. In the workshop, Wagner teaches a modern twist on reverse appliqué, using a family quilting pattern passed down through generations. You can take the $45 class in person or via Zoom. See schedule.
Muss
3281 S. Highland Dr., Ste. 801, Las Vegas
Get saddle stitching in a studio workshop and leave with a leather card holder or flask wrap that you made yourself. In this beginner class ($145), you’ll learn to select, cut, punch, stitch, and burnish full-grain vegetable-tanned leather. The three-hour session includes all tools, leather, and finishing supplies. More information.
