WEA courses

An introduction to practical drawing and watercolour covering landscape and natural forms, changing through the seasons. Working with a variety of drawing materials and watercolours, we will look at artists who work with a range of techniques and create art inspired by or in the style of an artist or a particular art movement. This course is taught online. You will need to get your own art materials for this course and participate in the sessions by creating practical artwork, upload your artwork and discuss with other learners. A list of art materials needed will be on your Canvas course. This is a 10 Session course.

This course is funded by North East Combined Authority.

Unlock the full potential of your air fryer with our comprehensive 5-week course designed for beginners and those with some basic experience. Our Air Fryer Cooking course goes beyond simple recipes, teaching you to create delicious and nutritious meals with ease. Each weekly session will be packed with hands-on demonstrations, expert tips, and insights into the health benefits of using fresh ingredients and spices. You will gain a thorough understanding of air fryer functionalities and features. You will overcome common limitations and expand your air fryer cooking repertoire and develop confidence in creating nutritious meals that go beyond the basics.

Discover for the first time, or re-visit an old favourite, this course will introduce you to a wide range of artworks from the national collection of Tate Britain in London. We explore specific works by historical, modern and contemporary artists in relation to wider cultural and social contexts. The aim of the course is to develop confidence and visual literacy skills when looking at and discussing art in London’s galleries. On this course, we examine work by prominent artists as diverse as Anthony Van Dyck, Joan Carlile, William Blake, JMW Turner, the Pre-Raphaelites, Gwen John, Mona Hatoum and Mike Kelly.

Come and join an enthusiastic group of creative crafters who, along with an experienced tutor will strive to unlock their creativity in this hands-on craft course. On this course you will be guided to see your scraps differently and see the craft potential of things you would normally throw away. Whatever paper-craft you are into each session of this course aims to unleash your creativity as you repurpose materials from your stash into pockets, embellishments, handmade cards, and ephemera pieces. For this course you will need minimal supplies and a full list will be available on Canvas but to get started it would be helpful to have some of the following: Assorted paper – plain and patterned and coloured cardstock Scissors Glue sticks, wet glue, adhesive tape. Old books / magazines Buttons, ribbons beads, die cut shapes.

What happens when an author decides to ‘keep it brief’? How does writing in shorter forms affect their decisions? How much is a shorter text an act of creative play, and how much an act of deliberate restraint? In this course we will be focusing primarily on the short story and its development: to do this, we will be working on tales from 'The Penguin Book of the British Short Story from Daniel Defoe to John Buchan'. We shall also be reading together shorter verse forms and reflecting on their power, their concision and the skills required to write with fewer words. This is a progression/advanced course.

This course is for those who wish to develop their knowledge and understanding of how to access a variety of services within the UK. Ever wondered who,what and where you can get support from to complete forms such as housing applications, how to make a Universal Credit claimandmuch more. This course may lead to further training support to develop your English skills to build confidence and knowledge. This course is funded by the West Midlands Combined Authority.

This is an ten-week course for both beginners and experienced learners. The course aims to facilitate individual learners with their camerawork. A key goal is to give learners the confidence to experiment and adapt their practice, using the camera on manual, deploying the ‘Exposure Triangle’ of aperture, shutter-speed, and ISO to cope with different lighting situations and to substitute with artificial lighting and flash where appropriate. Digital cameras are complex pieces of kit with increasingly complex functionality and capabilities. Today’s digital photographers have an amazing array of possibilities at their fingertips, and this course aims to instil learners with the confidence to try new techniques and understand the need for technical research online and trial and error in the practical learning process. Learners should anticipate the need for some walking and/or travel to different photographic venues. The Donnison School will also provide an audience for the creative output of the group and will help them to appreciate the value of their work as their enthusiasm and interest in photography broadens.

This course is for women attending WHIST only. Enjoy the thrill and satisfaction of working in a creative environment and boost your self-confidence with this exciting stage management class. Discover more about Musical Theatre, develop your design and practical skills making stage props; have a go at working as part of a team to discuss ideas, themes and overcome challenges. Taking place in venue, for women attending WHIST, South Tyneside. This course will boost your confidence in the stage management process as well as your knowledge of Musical Theatre. Our fun, experienced tutor will encourage and guide you throughout the course. Meet like-minded women at this supportive environment. Suitable for beginners and those with some experience.

Enhance your music-making skills with our Music Making: Intermediate at Rhubarb Farm course. Learn advanced techniques for playing and composing music in a collaborative setting. Ideal for musicians looking to refine their abilities and explore new musical styles.