Music for Everyone Thank You Event
Featuring the exhibition From Dusk ‘Til Dawn, photographs by Dan Henry

Join us at the Lancaster Art Vault as we celebrate 20 years of Music for Everyone. The evening features From Dusk ‘Til Dawn, a new exhibition by photographer Dan Henry. His photos honor the power of music and the arts in our community, with young musicians pictured on the streets and landmarks of downtown Lancaster. Come see the work, enjoy live music, and stop by the cash bar.

Admission is free. A portion of the proceeds from any Dan Henry piece purchased that evening will go to Music for Everyone - support art and music in Lancaster!

When: Thursday, October 22, 6:00 PM
Where: Lancaster Art Vault, 100 N Queen Street, Lancaster, PA 17603
Admission: Free

Therapeutic Art:

Come and join for a time of intentional art making. Each class will center around an art prompt with various materials provided to explore the theme. We were not made to journey alone; every class will conclude with the opportunity to share outwardly or reflect inwardly on where the making carried you. All materials will be provided; just bring yourself! You have a seat at the table.

Tuesdays, October 20, or 27 

1:00pm-3:00pm

$25/person/class

Instructor:  Mariah Blank

Register Here

Watercolor Workshop:

Each class will consist of instruction/review, skill development time, and end with a large portion of active painting focusing on the weekly still life composition. This time is for beginner to advanced artists, ages 13 and up. All materials will be provided, however, bringing your own is encouraged so you can continue your work at home. This class is intended for both one-time guests and recurring attendees as the composition will change weekly. Bring yourself, bring a friend, or come to make one; I can't wait to make something beautiful with you!

Tuesdays, October 20, or 27 

10am-12pm

$25/person/class

Instructor:  Mariah Blank

Register Here

The Acrylic Pouring technique, aka Fluid Art, allows you to apply color in puddles, pools, and marble-like patterns. Pouring results in a smooth, glossy paint film that is perfectly even and blemish free. There are no paintbrushes necessary for this technique. We will be

making acrylic paint fluid and pouring onto the canvas. This class is particularly popular with beginners as it allows you to create quick

paintings with dramatic, contemporary results. Ann will demonstrate two different techniques to pour fluid paint onto a 12”x12” canvas.

All supplies will be provided by the instructor. You must be forewarned though, this technique is quite addictive!

When: Saturday, October 10, 1:00-4:00 PM

Where: The Lancaster Art Vault,

100 N Queen St, Lancaster PA

Cost: $80

Register Here

Artists, Crafters, Artisans and Visitors - Join in First Friday and Downtown celebrations at Lancaster Art Vault!  Markets take place outside, under the eaves of the building - rain or shine!  Stop by and shop local artisans, crafters and artists!
FIRST FRIDAYS - SOLD OUT

DOWNTOWN CELEBRATIONS - SOLD OUT

Spring Art Walk - May 16 - 11:00AM-3:00PM - SOLD OUT

Celebrate Lancaster - August 14 - 3:00PM-8:00PM - SOLD OUT

Fall Art Walk - October 17 - Time - 11:00AM-3:00PM - SOLD OUT

Vendors - Please apply here

$25/Vendor Space

September 19, 2026 10AM-4PM, $90 per person

This class takes us outdoors to Long’s Park where we respond directly to what the landscape has to offer. \We’ll start by discussing the features of the landscape and some strategies for how to get the most out of our time painting.  We'll focus on finding a compelling composition, the use of color and tone, understanding the effects of atmospheric perspective to create a convincing sense of depth, as well as methods for rendering specific features of the scene. We end each class with a brief critique.  This class is open to beginners and advanced students of any painting or drawing medium.

**The class will meet at Lancaster’s Long’s Park

Materials list:

Painting oils/acrylics:
- Paints: Titanium White, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Cadmium Red, Cadmium Yellow, Ultramarine BlueAll other colors are optional
-Brushes: A variety of brush sizes and shapes, as well as, both stiff and soft bristles are recommended.
-Palette Knife: I use a medium/small metal diamond shaped palette knife for both mixing and application of paint.
-Artist Palette: A proper wood or glass palette is recommended, palette paper will work fine for this workshop. Please avoid creative substitutes (such as watercolor palettes, paper plates, anything wrapped in tinfoil, etc.) as they tend to cause problems during the painting process.
-Surface: A primed and stretched canvas, or hardboard panel is best for painting. A heavy bodied paper, such as watercolor paper, will also work.
-Lint Free Rags or paper Towels
-(Optional) For oils -Turpentine, Odorless Turpiniod, or Mineral Spirits:Good for cleaning brushes, but I just use soap and water. For Acrylic- jar for water

Drawing:

Pencils and Graphite Sticks: A range of leads from H-B’s is recommended, however a classic #2 pencil is hard to beat.
-Charcoal: Soft vine charcoal, compressed charcoal sticks, charcoal pencils, and charcoal powder are all recommended.
-Erasers: A kneaded eraser and a rectangular white eraser are both great. I often use pink pencil cap erasers.
-Artist Sandpaper Block or Stump: A great tool for toning a surface, and sharpening pencils and charcoal sticks.
-Surface: For graphite I recommend a heavy bodied hot press paper such as Bristol Vellum. For Charcoal, a heavy bodied charcoal or watercolor paper will work. My preferred paper for charcoal is Rives BFK.
-Paper Towels and Artist brushes: For blending.

Register Here

“Create With Me” sessions are designed to encourage creative exploration, experimentation, and play in a relaxed, supportive environment. Rather than a formal art class with step-by-step instruction, these gatherings offer participants the opportunity to create alongside artist Jessica Shiner and fellow creatives. Throughout the session, Jessica is available to offer guidance, encouragement, creative prompts, and helpful suggestions when needed.

Each session begins with a brief warm-up exercise in participants' art journals to help spark creativity, quiet self-judgment, and ease into the creative process. From there, attendees are invited to explore their own ideas, materials, and artistic interests at their own pace.

These sessions are open to artists, makers, and creatives of all experience levels—from seasoned artists to those who haven't picked up a paintbrush in years. In fact, anyone who believes they "aren't creative" is especially encouraged to attend. “Create With Me” is a welcoming space to reconnect with curiosity, discover new forms of self-expression, and experience the joy of creating without pressure or expectations.

Your Session Includes:

• Use of art supplies (paint, brushes, stencils, ephemera, etc)

• Art journal

• Informal coaching as needed

• Use of space for 2 hours (shared with up to 13 others)

Sessions: $35/session

• Friday, August 7: 10:30AM-12:30PM

• Saturday, August 22: 10:30AM-12:30PM

Sign Up Here

Critique Community and Coffee!

Critique Club is a welcoming space for artists of all levels — from beginners to established professionals — to bring in their artwork for feedback and discussion. The club is not just about receiving critique; it's also an opportunity to engage thoughtfully with fellow artists, share perspectives, and grow together through open conversation about each other’s work.

We hope you will join us on the Second Saturday of each month for coffee, critique and community!

Held on the Second Saturday of every month (June 13, July 11, August 8, September 12…)

10:30AM-12:00PM

FREE EVENT!

REGISTRATION IS REQUESTED BUT WALK-INS ARE WELCOME

It’s requested to only bring one piece to allow for time to be distributed evenly to all participants.

REGISTER HERE

Join this hands-on creative mending class and learn how to transform your clothing using fabric scraps into beautiful, functional art. All materials are provided. You’ll learn essential hand-stitching techniques for decorative patching, and create your own unique patch. By the end of the class, students will gain the necessary skills to design and apply decorative patches on their clothing, giving new life to their favorite garments through thoughtful, sustainable craftsmanship.

When: August 8th, 10AM-1PM

Where: The Lancaster Art Vault, 100 N Queen st, Lancaster PA

Cost: $50 - all materials included

Register Here

August 15th 10AM-4PM - $90/person

This workshop, for both beginners and advanced artists, will focus on measuring the proportions of the animal figure. We’ll learn to look for key skeletal landmarks while thinking about the animal's range of motion. We’ll cover how to use perspective and will also touch on how far a strong silhouette goes towards bringing life to our figures. Class will begin with an introduction, then move to a brief demonstration, and the remaining time will be spent working from a reference photo. This class is open to both drawing and painting mediums.

Materials list:

Painting oils/acrylics:
- Paints: Titanium White, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Cadmium Red, Cadmium Yellow, Ultramarine BlueAll other colors are optional
-Brushes: A variety of brush sizes and shapes, as well as, both stiff and soft bristles are recommended.
-Palette Knife: I use a medium/small metal diamond shaped palette knife for both mixing and application of paint.
-Artist Palette: A proper wood or glass palette is recommended, palette paper will work fine for this workshop. Please avoid creative substitutes (such as watercolor palettes, paper plates, anything wrapped in tinfoil, etc.) as they tend to cause problems during the painting process.
-Surface: A primed and stretched canvas, or hardboard panel is best for painting. A heavy bodied paper, such as watercolor paper, will also work.
-Lint Free Rags or paper Towels
-(Optional) For oils -Turpentine, Odorless Turpiniod, or Mineral Spirits:Good for cleaning brushes, but I just use soap and water. For Acrylic- jar for water

Drawing:

-Pencils and Graphite Sticks: A range of leads from H-B’s is recommended, however a classic #2 pencil is hard to beat.
-Charcoal: Soft vine charcoal, compressed charcoal sticks, charcoal pencils, and charcoal powder are all recommended.
-Erasers: A kneaded eraser and a rectangular white eraser are both great. I often use pink pencil cap erasers.
-Artist Sandpaper Block or Stump: A great tool for toning a surface, and sharpening pencils and charcoal sticks.
-Surface: For graphite I recommend a heavy bodied hot press paper such as Bristol Vellum. For Charcoal, a heavy bodied charcoal or watercolor paper will work. My preferred paper for charcoal is Rives BFK.
-Paper Towels and Artist brushes: For blending.

Register Here

July 18, 2026 10AM-4PM, $100 per person

This workshop, for both beginners and advanced artists, will focus on finding gesture and measuring the proportions of the human body. These are two crucial steps to understand if we want to grow as figurative artists. We’ll learn to look for key skeletal landmarks while thinking about the body's range of motion. This will help us tackle the figure in a variety of poses. We’ll cover how to use perspective in our figure drawing. This workshop will also touch on how far a strong silhouette goes towards bringing life to our figures. To achieve this we will be working with a simple single figure setup. Students should have their materials ready to work at the beginning of class. Class will begin with an introduction, then move to a brief demonstration, and the remaining time will be spent working from the model. This class is open to both drawing and painting mediums. 

Materials list:

Painting oils/acrylics:
- Paints: Titanium White, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Cadmium Red, Cadmium Yellow, Ultramarine BlueAll other colors are optional
-Brushes: A variety of brush sizes and shapes, as well as, both stiff and soft bristles are recommended.
-Palette Knife: I use a medium/small metal diamond shaped palette knife for both mixing and application of paint.
-Artist Palette: A proper wood or glass palette is recommended, palette paper will work fine for this workshop. Please avoid creative substitutes (such as watercolor palettes, paper plates, anything wrapped in tinfoil, etc.) as they tend to cause problems during the painting process.
-Surface: A primed and stretched canvas, or hardboard panel is best for painting. A heavy bodied paper, such as watercolor paper, will also work.
-Lint Free Rags or paper Towels
-(Optional) For oils -Turpentine, Odorless Turpiniod, or Mineral Spirits:Good for cleaning brushes, but I just use soap and water. For Acrylic- jar for water

Drawing:

-Pencils and Graphite Sticks: A range of leads from H-B’s is recommended, however a classic #2 pencil is hard to beat.
-Charcoal: Soft vine charcoal, compressed charcoal sticks, charcoal pencils, and charcoal powder are all recommended.
-Erasers: A kneaded eraser and a rectangular white eraser are both great. I often use pink pencil cap erasers.
-Artist Sandpaper Block or Stump: A great tool for toning a surface, and sharpening pencils and charcoal sticks.
-Surface: For graphite I recommend a heavy bodied hot press paper such as Bristol Vellum. For Charcoal, a heavy bodied charcoal or watercolor paper will work. My preferred paper for charcoal is Rives BFK.
-Paper Towels and Artist brushes: For blending.

Register Here

Paint Al Fresco!

Join us for one of the most creative days of the year.  Paint the City transforms the streets into open air studios, where artists of all kinds–painters, sculptors, and more– set up throughout the city to create live, spontaneous works of art. Paint the City invites the public to witness the creative process unfold in real time — from first brushstroke to finished impression.

During the downtown Paint the City plein air event, Lancaster Art Vault will come alive beyond its walls as resident and guest artists gather to paint, sketch, and create beneath the eaves of the gallery and throughout the surrounding streetscape. Come visit Christiane David, Sara Stichler and Mimi Shapiro outside under the eaves and learn more about their creative process.

June 20, 2026 10AM-4PM, $90 per person

This beginner and intermediate workshop on oil painting covers differences between oil and water-based paints, palette setup, and color mixing. The class focuses on application techniques with a still life, starting with an introduction and demonstration, followed by painting time using a reference from the instructor.

$90

Materials list:
- Paints: Titanium White, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Cadmium Red, Cadmium Yellow, Ultramarine BlueAll other colors are optional
-Brushes: A variety of brush sizes and shapes, as well as, both stiff and soft bristles are recommended.
-Palette Knife: I use a medium/small metal diamond shaped palette knife for both mixing and application of paint.
-Artist Palette: A proper wood or glass palette is recommended, palette paper will work fine for this workshop. Please avoid creative substitutes (such as watercolor palettes, paper plates, anything wrapped in tinfoil, etc.) as they tend to cause problems during the painting process.
-Surface: A primed and stretched canvas, or hardboard panel is best for painting. A heavy bodied paper, such as watercolor paper, will also work.
-Lint Free Rags or paper Towels
- Turpentine, Odorless Turpiniod, or Mineral Spirits :Good for cleaning brushes, but I just use soap and water.

REGISTER HERE

Celebrate Mother’s Day with a special Mommy & Me Painting Class at Lancaster Art Vault on Saturday, May 2nd from 2:00–4:30 PM. Led by Melissa Warren of Happily Ever Crafter LLC, this fun and meaningful workshop invites mothers and children to create side-by-side, each painting their own original piece that comes together as a beautiful diptych. Designed for all skill levels, this guided experience focuses on creativity, connection, and making lasting memories. Leave with a one-of-a-kind collaborative artwork—and a shared experience to cherish.

Register Here

For more information contact Melissa Warren at 717-847-8931

April 11, 2026 10AM-4PM - $100 per person

This class takes us outdoors where we respond directly to what the landscape has to offer. If this class is held indoors we will be working from a shared reference. We’ll start by discussing the features of the landscape and some strategies for how to get the most out of our time painting.  We'll focus on finding a compelling composition, the use of color and tone, understanding the effects of atmospheric perspective to create a convincing sense of depth, as well as methods for rendering specific features of the scene. We end each class with a brief critique.  This class is open to beginners and advanced students of any painting or drawing medium.

Register Here

Join us for an engaging artist talk and demonstration with Guest Artist and PCAD Professor, Jason Ward. Jason will be painting in the gallery from 10AM-3PM Saturday, April 4th where visitors can observe, ask questions, and learn techniques. At 1PM, join us for an informal artist talk and Q&A, where Jason will share inspirations and the creative process behind the displayed works. Don't miss this opportunity to connect and explore the stories behind the art!

• Saturday April 4th

• Demo 10AM-3PM

• Artist Talk 1PM

• Free Event

Join us at Lancaster Art Vault at First Friday on Friday, March 6th from 5:30-7:30 for a special book signing with artist and author Marcy Stone. Her newest release, Ten Years In: Following Grief Toward Meaning is a powerful reflection on resilience, forgiveness, and creative becoming. Meet Marcy, hear the story behind the book, and have your copy personally signed.

Come connect, reflect, and celebrate the journey.

Ten Years In: Following Grief Toward Meaning

by Marcy Stone

Grief does not end.
But it does change.

Ten Years In is a deeply honest reflection on what remains after the initial devastation has passed—after survival gives way to integration, and life begins to ask different questions.

Written a decade after the loss of her daughter, Marcy Stone does not offer answers or prescriptions for healing. Instead, she shares what it means to live forward with truth, presence, and courage once grief is no longer the center of the story—but still part of it.

This book is not written from devastation.
It is written from integration.

Intro to Acrylic Painting with PCAD Professor, Jason Ward

• Saturday December 13th 10am-4pm

• Cost: $100

 This workshop is for anyone who wants to begin working with acrylic paints. This basic class will serve as an introduction to the paints themselves, and what makes acrylic painting different from oil or watercolor painting. We’ll cover strategies for setting up a palette, and how to organize and mix colors. Most of our time will focus on application and technique. To achieve this we will be working with a simple single object still life. Students should have their materials ready to work at the beginning of class. Class will begin with an introduction, then move to a brief demonstration, and the remaining time will be spent painting. The still-life reference will be provided by the instructor. Min 4, Max 10 participants

Join fiber artist Carla Fisher for an intimate conversation about her creative journey and her exhibition, In Collaboration With Nature. Fisher’s path to art was born from transformation—after a 25-year career in financial services and the loss of her husband, she rediscovered herself through the language of thread.

Today, Fisher “sculpts with thread,” using water-soluble substrates and layers of color to create ethereal two- and three-dimensional works that appear to float in space. Her pieces draw inspiration from the natural world—its textures, its quiet beauty, and its capacity for renewal. By incorporating found and recycled materials such as Tyvek, coffee filters, and bark, Fisher transforms the discarded into something lasting and luminous, echoing the cycles of change that shape both nature and the human spirit.

During this talk, Fisher will share insights into her process, her sycamore bark series, and how grief, growth, and nature’s resilience continue to guide her work.