Workshops & Activities
Get Creative with Workshops and Activities at Canal Convergence 2025
Whether you’re learning from a Canal Convergence artist at one of our paid workshops, participating in a drop-in engagement with a community partner, or living it up at the Canal Convergence Opening Celebration, we have a variety of fun things to do during the 10-day festival.
Workshops
It's SHOWTIME in the Nationwide Innovation Zone! Workshops led by Canal Convergence exhibiting artists, local artists, and arts organizations allow participants to learn, create, and even perform on stage as they engage in activities inspired by performance and public art. Select workshops require pre-registration and some have a fee. Others are free, drop-in activities. Please arrive 15 minutes early.
Drop-In Engagements
Free, drop-in community engagement activities from our community partners are fun for all ages. No registration required.
Friday, November 7
6:15–7:45 p.m. Create Your Own Light-Based Artwork
$16.50: Buy Tickets
Bring an artwork to life through projection mapping with Jay Tettamanti from the Australia-based Chalk River Labs. This engaging workshop offers a behind-the-scenes look at the artist’s creative process, career highlights, and the boundless possibilities of merging art and technology as he shares how he seamlessly blends light, sound, and form.
Website: ChalkRiverLabs.art
Instagram: @ChalkRiverLabs
Saturday, November 8
6–9 p.m. Canal Convergence Opening Celebration
$26.50/$16.50 for ONE Members: Buy Tickets
Raise the curtain on Canal Convergence 2025 with a one-night-only party at the heart of the festival. Enjoy savory bites, festive drinks, glowing décor, and lively conversation alongside artists and other special guests. It’s the ultimate spot to mix, mingle, and toast the launch of 10 nights of unforgettable public art and performance.
6:45–7:15 p.m. Bucket Drumming with MASARY
$16.50: Buy Tickets
Grab a bucket and some sticks for a fun drumming workshop with Ryan Edwards of Boston’s MASARY Studios. Buckets and sticks will be provided, or bring a drum of your own if you have one! Participants will learn basic rhythms and call-and-response patterns while exploring the joys of synchronization and syncopation.
Instagram: @Masary_Studios
Sunday, November 9
6:45–7:15 p.m. Bucket Drumming with MASARY
$16.50: Buy Tickets
Grab a bucket and some sticks for a fun drumming workshop with Ryan Edwards of Boston’s MASARY Studios. Buckets and sticks will be provided, or bring a drum of your own if you have one! Participants will learn basic rhythms and call-and-response patterns while exploring the joys of synchronization and syncopation.
Instagram: @Masary_Studios
Monday, November 10
5:15–6:15 p.m. My Story as Movement
$8.50: Buy Tickets
My Story as Movement is a time to reflect and embody your truths and personal stories. Participants will take time to journal, dance, and move their bodies in an intergenerational space, where people of all ages learn from each other. Gift this time to yourself.
Instagram: @Rubezyo
6:15–7:15 p.m. Showstopper Headpieces with The Walter Hive
$31.50: Buy Tickets
Step into the spotlight and create a headpiece that’s as bold and unique as you. Using rhinestones, feathers, metallic trims, and more, you’ll design your own wearable artwork that’s part crown, part costume, and all creativity. Whether over-the-top and sparkly or sleek and artsy, your headpiece will be a true showstopper.
Website: TheWalterHive.org
Instagram: @TheWalterHive
Tuesday, November 11
6–8 p.m. Scottsdale Professionals Converge
$20 in advance/$30 day of event: Buy Tickets
Join Scottsdale Leadership, Scottsdale Rising Young Professionals, and NextGen for Young Professionals at Scottsdale Arts for an evening of unforgettable art, ambiance, and networking along the Scottsdale Waterfront. Each reservation includes light hors d'oeuvres, a cash bar, and access to Billie Jo Herberger’s Lounge until 8 p.m. Limited capacity.
Wednesday, November 12
6:15–7:15 p.m. CALACA Masks with Zarco Guerrero
$21.50: Buy Tickets
Learn folded paper cutting techniques to create a Calaca [kah-lah-kah], a highly decorated and colorful Dia de Los Muertos mask to wear to your next party! Dia de Los Muertos is a traditional holiday, widely celebrated throughout Mexico in early November and dedicated to remembering friends and family members who have died.
Website: ZarkMask.com
Sunday, November 16
6:15–7:15 p.m. The Marvelous Medium of Masking Tape: Props, masks, puppets, decor, and more! with Matt McGee of the Great Arizona Puppet Theater
$26.50: Buy Tickets
Turn your ideas into 3D artworks with masking tape and some imagination! Find out how this roll of inexpensive sticky stuff can be one material you never want to be without in your art supplies as you learn some tricks and techniques from award-winning master puppet builder Matt McGee.