COPPER COUNTRY COMMUNITY ARTS CENTER
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2026 SUMMER CLASSES

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Established in 1992, the Copper Country Community Arts Center works to bring education-based arts classes and programs to the public in an inspirational and supportive environment.

CCCAC members receive a discount on classes! 
​Are you a member of the of the Copper Country Community Arts Center? Members receive discounts on classes!  Your annual membership supports the CCCAC mission, gets you a 10% discount on Member Days in our Artists Market Sales Gallery, monthly newsletter with art postcards, early entry into our annual Poor Artists Sale, and discounts on all art classes. Join for or renew for 2026 and support the arts in our community!  Visit our membership page for more information, call us, or stop by to become a member.

Want to schedule a class for you and your friends?  Depending on instructor availability, we can schedule adult classes in letterpress printing, printmaking, watercolor, and more. Just ask us!  We can also work with you to schedule special youth classes too. Minimum 4-5 students; maximum amount of students depends on the class. Email [email protected] to inquire. 
YOUTH & ADULT CLASSES
Unless specified as a youth class, classes are for adult students ages or ages 16 and up or 14 & up if accompanied by a paying parent or legal guardian.

REFUNDS & CANCELLATIONS
Cancellation by student: In the event of a cancellation, the student will be refunded in full one week prior to the start of class, then half the amount after. No refunds will be given to cancellations made the day before class starts, the first day of class, or after class begins. Fees cannot be transferred to future classes.  Cancellations due to emergencies will be considered on a case by case basis.
​Low enrollment cancellation: Students will receive full refunds for classes that are cancelled due to low enrollment, instructor cancellation, or changed covid restrictions. 
2026 SUMMER CLASSES & PROGRAMS
Questions? email ccarts@ coppercountryarts.com or call 906-482-2333.
Watch for additional classes or request a group class for you and your friends!

Our summer programs and Summer Arts Camp are supported by a grant from the
​Keweenaw Community Foundation.

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Better Nature Photos Without Better Gear with Tom Oliver
Tuesdays, June 9, 16, and 23 from 6-8pm

You’ve likely had this experience: a beautiful sunset, dramatic clouds, or a quiet moment in the woods – and the photo just doesn’t match what it felt like to be there. 
This class is designed to fix that. 

Rather than focusing on complicated camera settings or expensive gear, this course teaches participants how to better see and work with light, timing, and perspective – so they can create more compelling outdoor photos using whatever camera they already have, including smartphones. 
Through a mix of simple instruction and guided outdoor practice, participants will learn how small changes in when and where they shoot can dramatically improve their images
Fee: $95 or $85 members. Deadline: June 4​
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​Kids Make Art! With Charlotte Haanela

Tuesdays starting June 9 from 4:30-5:30pm

JUNE
June 9 Watercolor Pencil Sunsets: Bring to life a beautiful lake superior sunset using watercolor pencils. Kids may bring in reference photos if desired. June 9, Tuesday, 4:30 pm
16+ Still Life Paintings of Fruit: Using acrylic paints and old newspapers, learn how to paint a fruit basket from real life observation. June 16, Tuesday, 4:30 pm
23 Wayne Thiebeau Inspired Paintings: Let’s paint your favorite dessert using oil pastels ! June 23, Tuesday, 4:30 pm 
30 Bouquets of Things from your House! Bring in objects from your home and create a fun bouquet using mixed media. June 30, Tuesday. 4:30 pm
JULY
July 7 Your Ideal Vacation Spot!
Imagine your ideal vacation, filling up the page using colorful markers and collage materials. July 7, Tuesday, 4:30 pm

14 Watercolor Experiments! How many different ways can we use watercolors?  Let’s play with all the different techniques. July 14, Tuesday, 4:30 pm 

Fee: $20 or $15/student for member families. 
Deadline: Students must be registered for each class by the prior Friday.

TO REGISTER: Stop by, call us at 906-482-2333, or pay online by the deadline. ​​​
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Stop Motion Animation Camp for Youth Ages 8-16
with Ian Raymond

Saturdays June 13, 20 & 27 from 11am-1:30pm
Learn how to animate frame by frame and create short stop-motion clips. Using the material of the week, students will create their own objects to animate and bring them to life by using instructed stop-motion techniques. Each student will work individually or with others to create a short animation movie.

Week 1: Animating paper 
Week 2: Animating clay 
Week 3: Animating toys
Fee: $115
Deadline: June 9

​TO REGISTER: Stop by, call us at 906-482-2333, or pay online by the deadline. When paying online, please note which classes & pay at the member/ non-member rate.  Camp is supported by a grant from the Keweenaw Community Foundation.
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Zines! with Letterpress & Letraset with Daniel Schneider
June 16, 18 and 23 from 6-8:30pm
Seize the power of the independent press! Learn techniques for rendering text and illustrations for zines using a variety of media: typewriters, letterpress, pen & ink, and others! The class includes
some basic letterpress type composition and printing images, ornaments and type from the CCCAC letterpress studio collection on the Vandercook No. 4 proofing press or Chandler & Price
tabletop platen press. Participants will leave the class with several sheets of letterpress printed images and alphabets for use in future zine work and finished zine paste-up sheets ready for
publication, as well as a working knowledge of book structures suitable for zines. The class will require some work outside of the class sessions.
Fee: $125 plus $10 materials fee. Adult class.
Deadline: June 10
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Using your DSLR/SLR with Ian Raymond
Wednesday June 24 from 6-8:30pm

Learn how to use your DSLR (or SLR) Camera and what all its settings are. This class will go over the exposure triangle, program settings and all the other settings so you can get the most of your camera. Class is geared for adults and youth 13 and up. 
Class Fee: $25 or $20 members.
Deadline: June 19

​TO REGISTER: Stop by, call us at 906-482-2333, or pay online by the deadline. When paying online, please note which classes & pay at the member/ non-member rate. 





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 Darkroom Rayographs with Ian Raymond
Tuesday, June 30 from 6-8pm
Learn the darkroom process and how to use the photo enlargers by making Rayographs.
Fee: $55 or $45 for CCCAC members

Deadline: 
​TO REGISTER: Stop by, call us at 906-482-2333, or pay online by the deadline. When paying online, please note which classes & pay at the member/ non-member rate. 
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Pinhole Camera Photography for Adults with Ian Raymond
Wednesday, July 1 from 6-8:30pm
Fee: $50 or $40 for CCCAC members
Deadline: June 26
​TO REGISTER: Stop by, call us at 906-482-2333, or pay online by the deadline. When paying online, please note which classes & pay at the member/ non-member rate. 
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Summer Watercolor Classes
​with Madhura Mehendale

Learn beautiful watercolor techniques in a low pressure sketching class. Madhura will lead a project-based class where students can follow and learn skills they can later apply to future drawings.

Watercolor for beginners and intermediate - summer fruits
We will paint quintessential summer fruit - strawberries using  watercolors. 
Thursday, June 25 from 5-7 pm 

Class Fee: $55 or $45 for current CCCAC members
Deadline: June 20

Watercolor Flower Painting I
Saturday, July 11  10am-1pm

Class Fee: $75 or $65 for current CCCAC members
Deadline: July 7


Watercolor for Beginners and Intermediate: Landscape Painting I
Saturday, July 18 from 10am-1pm

Class Fee: $75 or $65 for current CCCAC members
Deadline: July 14


Watercolor Flower Painting II
Thursday, July 23 from 5-7pm

Class Fee: $55 or $45 for current CCCAC members
Deadline: July 18

Watercolor for Beginners Landscape Painting II
Thursday, July 30 from 5-7pm 

Class Fee: $55 or $45 for current CCCAC members
Deadline: July 25
 

Painting Metal and Glass in watercolor
Saturday, August 1 from  10am-1pm

Class Fee: $75 or $65 for current CCCAC members​
Deadline: July 28

​TO REGISTER: Stop by, call us at 906-482-2333, or pay online by the deadline. When paying online, please note which classes & pay at the member/ non-member rate. ​
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Flower Press Pendant with Mavis Farr
Friday, July 10 from 5:30-7:30pm
Students can expect to learn basic design and fabrication of metal sheet, including metal cutting, filing, and hole punching techniques. The project will consist of making a small wearable flower press to wear and use in field study or your own backyard. The goal of the class is to have fun and learn how to collect and preserve flowers to cherish or to use in future art projects.
Fee: $75 or $65 for current CCCAC members
Materials Fee: $18 due to the instructor at class
Deadline: July 7
​TO REGISTER: Stop by, call us at 906-482-2333, or pay online by the deadline. When paying online, please note which classes & pay at the member/ non-member rate. ​
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Collage Club led by Christa Walck
Wednesday, July 15 from 5:30-7:30
Bring your collage ideas and materials to work on projects in the classroom at the Arts Center. Christa Walck will give tips and advice on creating dynamic collages. We'll provide glue and some materials, but please bring some of your own to start. No experience needed..
Fee: No fee but nominal donations appreciated. Deadline to let us know your coming is Tuesday, July 14 by noon. Call us at 906-482-2333 or email [email protected].
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Pastel Basics for Beginners (or artists wanting to try a new medium) with Brenda Ochodnicky
Thursday, July 16 from 1-4pm
Brenda L. Ochodnicky  is an award-winning Michigan artist and retired entrepreneur. She enjoys sharing her passion for soft pastel and her style of realism via workshops, private instruction and demonstrations. In this class:
  • Students will learn about the medium and its attributes, including characteristics of the different types of pastel and why soft pastel is an ideal beginner medium
    Overview of basic composition & color theory
    Essential supplies and what to avoid
    Techniques:
    • Students will learn about different types of papers & surfaces and,
      Step by step process for setting up a painting, and layering & blending
      Tips & tricks to enhance a painting
      How to avoid common beginner mistakes
Students will observe a live step by step still life demo and  will use skills they have learned to create a 6x6 piece they can frame
Fee: $95 or $85 for CCCAC members, includes pastel set.
Deadline: July 9
TO REGISTER: Stop by, call us at 906-482-2333, or pay online by the deadline. When paying online, please note which classes & pay at the member/ non-member rate. ​
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Intermediate/Advanced Qigong with Mary Ann Geda
Every Thursday at 11:30am  in the CCCAC Ballroom 
Drop in class with Mary Ann Geda in our upstairs ballroom at the Arts Center. Mary Ann has taught TaiChi and Qigong for over 40 years. She studied with Ben Lo and Carol Yamasaki. “Qigong is a system of coordinated body-posture and movement, breathing, and meditation…Qigong practice typically involves moving meditation, coordinating slow-flowing movement, deep rhythmic breathing, and a calm meditative state of mind.”
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wikipedia
Class fee: $5 payable to the instructor, students should bring a yoga mat and wear comfortable clothes.
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Introduction to Darkroom Photography with Ian Raymond
Wednesdays, July 22-August 26 from 6pm - 8pm
Introduction to using the darkroom. Students learn the basics of black and white photography: exposing the negative, developing the negative, & printing images. Each student must have their own analog camera.
Material Fee covers: 
- 6 hours darkroom access outside of class
​- 2 Rolls B&W Film 

- Negative Developing Chemicals
- Paper Developing Chemical 

- 10 sheets Ilford RC Multigrade Paper

Class Fee: $225 or $215 for CCCAC members
Materials Fee: $45 due to the instructor at the first class

Deadline: July 15

​TO REGISTER: Stop by, call us at 906-482-2333, or pay online by the deadline. When paying online, please note which classes & pay at the member/ non-member rate. 
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Pinhole Camera Photography for Kids with Ian Raymond
Saturday, July 25 from 11am-1pm
Make a camera and learn how to use light to create an image. Each student will construct a pinhole camera, and then use that camera to create a black and white images on photographic paper. The instructor will develop and make the images available for pickup.
Class fee: $50 or $40/student for CCCAC member families
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Deadline: July 21
​TO REGISTER: Stop by, call us at 906-482-2333, or pay online by the deadline. When paying online, please note which classes & pay at the member/ non-member rate.​

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Journaling with Purpose: Preparing to Write a Book with Rehema Clarken
Tuesday, July 28 from 6-7:30
We all need encouragement to be creative--especially when working on long-term writing projects. This ninety-minute workshop will be a moment to write and think about writing; it is for both new and experienced writers. We will discuss writing strategies that work for different people as well as practices that work week after week. As a gift, each participant will receive a journaling workbook with writing strategies and prompts to keep the inspiration flowing for months to come. 
Fee: $55 or $45 for CCCAC members

Deadline: July 24
​TO REGISTER: Stop by, call us at 906-482-2333, or pay online by the deadline. When paying online, please note which classes & pay at the member/ non-member rate.​
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 Summer Arts Camp for 3rd-6th Grades
Session I: August 3-7 or  Session II: August 10-14
Monday-Friday 12:30-3:30pm

Registration is open for Summer Arts Camp 2026, a fun filled week of art activities and creative learning held at the Copper Country Community Arts Center for youth entering grades 3rd-6th.  Week long sessions run Session I: August 3-7 and Session II: August 10-14 from 12:30-3:30. Students may choose either session and both sessions are packed with exciting lessons including clay, drawing, painting, creative writing, sculpture, gallery visits, guest artists, and more. 

This year’s Summer Arts Camp will be led by Charlotte Haanela. Charlotte has a bachelor's degree in English from Michigan Technological University with a minor in French and art with teaching experience as both an English teacher and art teacher. Most recently she took on the role as an English Teaching Assistant in France through the TAPIF (Teaching Assistant Program in France) from September of 2025 until May of 2026. She is currently the art instructor for Kids Make Art classes at the Copper Country Community Arts Center. 

Summer Arts Camp provides youth with the opportunity to experience the joy of creative expression in a safe, supportive environment.

Fee: $95! Camp’s low fee of $95 for the entire week is made possible by a grant from the Keweenaw Community Foundation. 
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Register early!  The deadline to register for either session is Tuesday, July 28 or until camp fills. For more information or to register your child please call 482-2333 or stop by.

​To register online email
[email protected]. You will be sent a link to complete a google form to register and pay online. 


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Letterpress I & 2, Letterpress Project with Daniel Schneider
Letterpress 1 August 7 and 8 (6-9 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays)
Letterpress 2
 August 14 and 15  (6-9 p.m. Friday, 9am-noon Saturday)
Both classes will introduce students to the basic skills involved in letterpress printing using hand-set lead and wood type. Students will set type, compose printing forms, and print using hand-operated tabletop platen presses. The class emphasizes technical competency but will also explore the history of letterpress printing, which goes back to the fifteenth century, and the craft’s place within contemporary books arts. Students may take letterpress 1, 2, or both.
Letterpress 1 covers typesetting and distribution, form construction  and lockup, the printer’s measurement system
Letterpress 2 covers ink mixing, press setup, printing, print project planning. Letterpress 1 is a prerequisite or taking a prior intro to letterpress class. 
Letterpress Project: After successful completion of Letterpress 1 and 2, students work with the letterpress instructor to plan a project they can execute independently during open letterpress studio at the Arts Center.
Letterpress 1 Class Fee: $110 or $100 for current CCCAC members
Letterpress 2 Class Fee: $110 or $100 for current CCCAC members
Letterpress Project: $95 (includes punch card for 12 hours open studio time; must be CCCAC member for open studio)

Deadline to register for LP 1: August 1
Deadline to register for LP 2: August 8
​​​TO REGISTER: Stop by, call us at 906-482-2333, or pay online by the deadline. When paying online, please note which classes & pay at the member/ non-member rate. ​​
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Finding Wildlife: Field Craft for Better Nature Photography with Tom Oliver
How to see – and photograph – wild animals more often, ethically, and responsibly
Thursdays, Aug 13, 20, and 27 from 6-8pm

Wildlife photography is often thought of as a matter of having the right lens or being in the right place at the right time. In reality, consistently seeing – and photographing – wildlife comes down to something else: field craft. 
This class introduces the practical skills that help you notice wildlife more often and photograph them more successfully, whether you’re using a smartphone or a dedicated camera.  Participants will learn how to read the landscape, anticipate animal behavior, move more intentionally through natural areas, and approach wildlife in a way that is both ethical and effective. Emphasis will be placed on observation, patience, and respect for the natural world. 
Fee: $100 or $90 CCCAC members
Deadline: August 8

​TO REGISTER: Stop by, call us at 906-482-2333, or pay online by the deadline. When paying online, please note which classes & pay at the member/ non-member rate.​
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 Printer's Devil Workday & Pied Type Print Day
TBD 
Join us at the Copper Country Community Arts Center letterpress studio for a day of printing history and 19th-century-style print shop work. In the morning, we'll clean and prep donated type, equipment, and printing materials to get them ready for use in the letterpress studio. In the afternoon, we'll print postcards on a table top platen press, and proof some cool old printer's (image blocks) on the Vandercook No. 4 proofing press. This volunteer workday is a good, hands-on opportunity to experience letterpress printing! 
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No fee: This is a volunteer workday and not a class. Participants will help with some “printer’s devil” tasks then we will break for lunch.  After lunch there will be a printing demo of pre-set type and images.
Deadline to register: TBD
Want to schedule a class for you and your friends?  Depending on instructor availability, we can schedule adult classes in letterpress printing, printmaking, watercolor, and more!  Just ask us!  Minimum four students; maximum amount of students depends on the class. Email [email protected] to inquire. 

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​STUDIOS
The CCCAC is also home to a black & white photography darkroom, clay studio & clay co-op, and letterpress studio.  Individuals that are interested in utilizing any of the spaces must be current 2025 CCCAC members, have previous experience, taken a class, and/or pass a certification test.

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Clay Co-Op
Update 2/2026 We are currently at capacity and there is a waitlist to join the clay co-op
Love clay and need a space to work on your upcoming projects? Join our Clay Co-Op!  Visit our Clay Studio Page for more information! The fee to join is $45 for each 15 hour punch card and $2 per pound of clay. The fee includes existing glazes, tools, firings, and studio usage.  Previous experience with clay and becoming an annual Arts Center member is required before joining the Co-Op. Arts Center membership starts at $25 for students/seniors/artists and $50 for individuals. 

Contact [email protected] or volunteer clay co-op manger Tammy Gajewski at [email protected] about how to join.

 Photography Darkroom
Update 2026: We do not have a volunteer darkroom manager to oversee the space.  The darkroom is currently only available for limited use as project-based rental for experienced b/w film photographers. Experience requirements: you have developed your own film within the past 5 years, will purchase your own supplies and paper, and know how to properly use darkroom equipment without assistance. 

The CCCAC darkroom is available to experienced photographers for black and white developing.  Individuals must provide their own chemicals and supplies, know how to use the equipment, are expected to clean up after themselves, and follow CCCAC darkroom rules and procedures. The darkroom is run by volunteers and those interested in using the space will need an orientation from a current darkroom volunteer.  Read more on our Darkroom page.

Letterpress Studio 
Take a certification class to use the CCCAC Letterpress studio during open studio hours. Fee: $35 per 3 hours press time, you provide your own paper and contribute to the ink supply. Payment required before a project begins.  See more on our Letterpress Studio page.
 

ABOUT OUR INSTRUCTORS

​LYNN ANDERSON grew up on the Leelanau peninsula and was trained as a teacher and teacher-educator. She became a maker when her grandmother taught her to knit.  Much later when she retired, she started signing up for classes, beadwork, stained glass, weaving, and she kept on exploring her many interests.. Lynn will have an exhibition in the Kerredge Gallery in April  2025 titled, “I Don’t Cook” featuring her work in various fiber art mediums and techniques.
KIM COOK is a Hancock resident, proud parent of two rescue pups, and a lifelong student of art. Her mediums include photography, pottery, fiber, printmaking, and mixed media.  Kim is the former owner of Grace Art Gallery in Atwood Michigan. She has worked with over 50 local artists to promote and develop their work.  As a former Librarian Kim ran monthly arts classes for children.  
CYNTHIA COTÉ is the founding director of the CCCAC. She balances her work as a studio artist and an arts administrator. Her art is a mix of drawing, collage and re-assembled books as well as fiber art and beadwork.
STEPHANIE FLINT graduated from the University of Central Missouri with a Bachelor of Science in photography and a minor in creative writing. She merged the two interests into book cover design and photographic illustration, but she particularly enjoys writing speculative fiction. She’s currently writing The Wishing Blade, a fantasy series, and she co-authored Distant Horizon and Glitch, a YA science fiction series.
TERRI FREW is a Canadian artist and educator based in the Keweenaw. Frequent themes found in her work include nature, animals, and the occult. Terri holds a Master’s of Fine Art degree from Concordia University, Montréal Canada.
LINDSEY HEIDEN recently moved back to the U.P. with her family from Fayetteville, Arkansas. Her work is sculptural and for the past couple of years, she has worked in a miniature scale. Through her work, she tells stories with a cast of modified animal characters that show up through a variety of narratives and forms. 
CASSIDY JOHNSON is a multidisciplinary artist with a unique interest in drawing, illustration, and other works on paper. She studied studio art and photojournalism at Western Kentucky University and taught high school art and photography in Nashville, TN before relocating to the U.P. in 2022. She is now a working artist and serves as the local Copper Country Coordinator for Michigan Arts Access.
LINDA LOHMANN has been an art teacher since 1981 after receiving her BFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston and her teaching certification from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.  She has taught workshops on 0-3 art to preschool teachers and ceramics workshops to Chicago area H.S. art teachers.  Linda recently retired from L’Anse Area Schools where she was the K-12 art teacher for 10 years.  
BONNIE LOUKUS is an interdisciplinary artist and Associate Director of the CCCAC.  Her media mainly includes oil painting, printmaking, and letterpress printing. 
MADHURA MEHENDALE is an artist who focuses on watercolor and acrylic painting.
BRENDA OCHODNICKY is an award-winning Michigan artist and retired entrepreneur. She enjoys sharing her passion for soft pastel and her style of realism via workshops, private instruction and demonstrations. 
KAY OLIVER loves teaching and clay. She hopes to share this excitement with students who are interested in exploring their design ideas in a malleable medium. 
THOMAS OLIVER has been a photographer for 20 years, focusing on wildlife, the outdoors, and nightscapes– he has been photographing the northern lights in the Keweenaw for the past 3 years. Tom is an educator and wildlife biologist who helps others understand and appreciate the natural world, especially regarding the Upper Peninsula. Tom is currently the Director of MTU’s Center for Science and Environmental Outreach.
IAN RAYMOND worked making stop-motion television shows for 10 years. He currently teaches Photography and other digital media courses at Michigan Tech. His passion is telling stories using images.
DANIEL SCHNEIDER is a book artist and industrial archaeologist. He has taught numerous classes and workshops in letterpress printing and zine making at the Copper Country Community Arts Center. He completed a book arts apprenticeship at Deep Wood Press outside Mancelona, Michigan. He has been awarded two international artist residences, a three-month artist’s residency at the TYPA Center for Paper and Printmaking in Tartu, Estonia in 2019 and a two-month residency at Vanha Kaivos in Outokumpu, Finland in 2023.
TAMMY TOJ GAJEWSKI has been drawing, painting, and doing clay since 1970. She graduated from UW-River Falls with a BFA in 1988, and earned her MPA in 2007 from Northern Michigan University. She has volunteered at CCCAC for over 15 years running the clay co-op. She has a great sense of humor and believes anyone can be creative. 

The CCCAC does not discriminate on the basis of disability in admission, access, or employment in regard to its programs and activities.
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Copper Country Community Arts Center - 126 Quincy Street, Hancock MI 49930- PH: 906.482.2333
Fostering an Environment where the Arts and People Grow Together.

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