Upcoming Workshops
Cocktails & Crafts: Collage Couture!
APRIL 16, 2026, 4:30-6:30 PM
The Rookery, 115 W Margaret Ln, Hillsborough, NC
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How to participate:
1. Invite friends to learn a new artistic medium with you.
2. Purchase Art Kits ($15 each) by scanning the QR code at The Rookery. We will be making fashion-inspired collages!
3. Show your receipt at the bar.
4. Order a cocktail or beverage.
5. Get your craft on!
HAC Art Kits include educational instructions plus all the supplies needed to complete your project.
Support local businesses and our community's ongoing access to arts programming!
On Home and Earth: Writing the Places We Love
APRIL 21, 2026, 6-8 PM
Orange County Public Library, 137 W Margaret Lane, Hillsborough, NC
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This workshop launches a new community writing series inviting all residents of Hillsborough—writers and non-writers alike—to tell their stories through poetry. Through simple prompts and guided reflection, participants will craft heartfelt pieces about land, home, memory, and belonging in a time of rapidly changing climate. Whether reflecting on a childhood creek, a garden, a front porch, or the forests and fields that shape our region, this workshop invites us to write about the places that hold us. Pieces created here may be shared at the April Last Fridays Open Mic and submitted to the Hillsborough Community Chapbook, a town-wide poetry anthology celebrating Hillsborough voices.
Our Instructor: Amal Kassir
Amal Kassir is Hillsborough's 2025-2027 Poet Laureate, born and raised in Denver Colorado to an Arab father and an American mother. She has performed & taught in 13 countries and cities all over, in venues ranging from orphanages to refugee camps to youth prisons. At the University of Colorado Denver, she designed her own undergraduate major, titled Community Programming in Social Psychology, where she has been able to create programs for a range of causes and people. She is the founder of House of Amal, a global writing community that sits at the intersection of introspection, faith, and literature.
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Learn more about Amal and the Poet Laureate Program!
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Registration is not required.​​​
From Frame to Face: Puppet Foundations Workshop
MAY 15, 2026, 4-6 PM
The Scrap Exchange, 2050 Chapel Hill Rd, Durham, NC
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In preparation for Spring 2027's Handmade Puppet Parade, join us to take the first steps for constructing your very own puppet! At this workshop, you will get a chance to learn how to build the skeleton (armature) of your puppet, how to sculpt its face, and how to use papier-mâché to add detail. By the end of this workshop, you should plan to have a good start to your puppet and walk away with our DIY puppet manual to continue progress on your creation. Stay tuned for future workshops in 2027 that will cover other steps in the puppet-making process!
Our Instructor: Sol Ramirez
Sol Ramirez is the founder and director of 1,2,3 Puppetry, a puppet theater company based in Chapel Hill. This group is dedicated to leveraging puppetry, acting, music, and movement to champion social justice and shed light on underrepresented issues. Sol became interested in puppetry at the age of three, and at age six, 1,2,3 Puppetry was born. Sol now helps lead the Handmade Parade and is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Puppet Arts at the University of Connecticut!
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Learn more about HAC's Handmade Parade!
Registration Fee: $25 per person
Child/adult pairs only require one ticket to attend (if collaborating on one puppet).
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Ages 12 and up. All children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
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Space is limited, and first-come, first-serve!
Writing Workshop: A Snapshot of Lifetimes
MAY 16, 2026, 2-4 PM
Orange County Public Library, 137 W Margaret Lane, Hillsborough, NC
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This workshop uses journaling as a doorway into the inner stories that shape who you are. While we can’t write a full memoir in a single afternoon, we can distill lifetimes—experiences, emotions, questions, and truths—into a single, carefully crafted poem. Through guided prompts and figurative language, participants will learn how to transform personal moments into a one-page poetic piece that holds entire worlds within it. No prior experience with poetry is required—only a willingness to reflect, write, and explore. Poems created here may be shared during the September Last Fridays Community Poetry Showcase and submitted to the Hillsborough Community Chapbook.
Our Instructor: Amal Kassir
Amal Kassir is Hillsborough's 2025-2027 Poet Laureate, born and raised in Denver Colorado to an Arab father and an American mother. She has performed & taught in 13 countries and cities all over, in venues ranging from orphanages to refugee camps to youth prisons. At the University of Colorado Denver, she designed her own undergraduate major, titled Community Programming in Social Psychology, where she has been able to create programs for a range of causes and people. She is the founder of House of Amal, a global writing community that sits at the intersection of introspection, faith, and literature.
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Learn more about Amal and the Poet Laureate Program!
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Registration is not required.​​​​
On Wisdom: Harvesting Life’s Lessons
JUNE 20, 2026, 2-4 PM
Orange County Public Library, 137 W Margaret Lane, Hillsborough, NC
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In honor of the fullness of summer, this workshop invites participants to reflect on the lessons life has given them. Through guided prompts and storytelling exercises, we will harvest the wisdom gathered across years—moments of growth, challenge, love, loss, and discovery—and shape them into short poems meant to be shared with the community. Participants will craft pieces that offer reflections, advice, or insights for future generations of Hillsborough. Poems from this workshop may be performed at the September Last Fridays Community Poetry Showcase and included in the Hillsborough Community Chapbook.
Our Instructor: Amal Kassir
Amal Kassir is Hillsborough's 2025-2027 Poet Laureate, born and raised in Denver Colorado to an Arab father and an American mother. She has performed & taught in 13 countries and cities all over, in venues ranging from orphanages to refugee camps to youth prisons. At the University of Colorado Denver, she designed her own undergraduate major, titled Community Programming in Social Psychology, where she has been able to create programs for a range of causes and people. She is the founder of House of Amal, a global writing community that sits at the intersection of introspection, faith, and literature.
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Learn more about Amal and the Poet Laureate Program!
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Registration is not required.​​​​
Questions? Please contact us at info@hillsboroughartscouncil.org.