Art comes in all styles and colors, shapes and sizes, big and small. Check out these artsy places along the South Shore of Lake Michigan.
Art Barn School of Art, Valparaiso
The Art Barn campus is on 69 acres with rolling woodlands, a pond, open spaces, gardens, farm animals, wildlife and endless sources of inspiration for creating art. Their friendly and relaxed atmosphere and quality outdoor spaces contribute to people's health, happiness, and well-being. The goal is to provide learning experiences in visual art that improve quality of life and healthy expression, but also to anchor an experience that will leave students wanting to explore their offerings more deeply.
Art Barn School of Art holds classes throughout the year for adults and children, covering all kinds of art from ceramics to drawing and painting. They also host an annual event called Art Blitz where guests can immerse themselves in the world of art-making through live demos, hands-on activities, live music, exhibitors and art exhibits.
Beale Pottery, Westville
Beal Pottery offers heirloom-quality ceramic designs for the home and garden. Located a skip and a jump from Lake Michigan and the Indiana Dunes National Park, they’ve got big love for our Great Lakes, the area's diverse ecosystems, and the Duneland community. You can also find their work in our South Shore Gift Shop at the Indiana Welcome Center!
Beale hosts events like fairy house workshops, pottery date nights, kids ceramic camps and raku workshops. Check out all their classes and events here.
Chesterton Art Center, Chesterton
The Chesterton Art Center (CAC) offers a variety of classes and workshops for all ages throughout the year. After-school art, sculpture, preschool pop-in and specialty classes are offered for kids between the ages of 3 and 16 during the school year, and an expansive list of youth summer art programming and summer teen studio intensives are offered during the summer.
From May through October, they participate in Chesterton's Third Fridays by hosting gallery receptions and providing late-night shopping hours! They also host quarterly Free Family Art Days, an opportunity for families to interact with the current exhibit and make art together. CAC's largest event of the year is the Chesterton Art Fair, which welcomes 4,000 people and features 80+ juried artist booths, music, family art activities, food, and much more. The fair takes place on the first full weekend in August.
The Chesterton Art Center is free and open to the public weekdays from 11 am to 4 pm and on Saturdays from 10 am to 2 pm CST with additional hours for special events or programs.
Hot Shop Valpo, Valparaiso
Hot Shop Valpo offers glass experience classes, perfect for folks who have never worked with hot glass. Classes are usually about an hour and students will work with their team to create a beautiful color paperweight or blown glass gazing ball, which will be theirs to keep. You can schedule your class by calling the studio at 219-477-7783.
Throughout the year, they offer various "pop-up classes" which are seasonally focused. They do everything from Christmas ornaments, pumpkins, Easter eggs, spring flowers, and decorative yard spikes, to even a custom terrarium class.
Their studio and in-house gallery are open to the public.
Lubeznik Center for the Arts, Michigan City
Lubeznik Center for the Arts offers world-class art, compelling programs and creative exploration to foster community through meaningful cultural experiences. They provide diverse audiences with access to cultural experiences that enhance understanding of contemporary art and ideas, free of charge. The Lubeznik Center believes the arts are an essential component in creating places where people want to visit, live, work and raise a family. Their goal is to revitalize the human spirit through programs that offer awe, delight, entertainment and contemplation.
Lubeznik offers a wide variety of classes all topics from writing and photography to abstract painting and printmaking. They also host Free Family Day Workshops and have an annual arts festival in August with all kinds of dynamic programming and exhibitions, along with food vendors and family activities.
Miller Beach Arts & Create District, Gary
The Miller Beach Arts & Creative District is a cultural hub located in the Miller section of Gary. Celebrate the arts with on the southern-most tip of Lake Michigan, surrounded by the Indiana Dunes National Park. Enjoy an eclectic mix of exhibits and events every weekend year-round plus different artisans each month, live music, our biennial public arts festival, seasonal markets, and much more.
South Shore Arts, Munster
Located in the Center for Visual and Performing Arts, South Shore Arts has been creating and displaying art for more than 80 years. South Shore Arts offers quality exhibitions, art appreciation programming, art classes, art education services and outreach throughout Northwest Indiana. There are classes for all ages and span the artistic spectrum. Learn ceramics, pen and ink drawing, watercolor, basket weaving, acting and more.
