The WCHOF’s artist talks and workshop programs explore chess, art, history, and culture in conjunction with on-view exhibitions and collections. Learn more about our upcoming programs and watch them from the list below or by visiting our YouTube channel.
Develop your art skills in this drawing class workshop with instructor Lauren Darling! Learn the art of form, shape, and more while sketching figures in the galleries. Supplies and complimentary refreshments will be provided.
*20% discount for WCHOF members, students, seniors, and military personnel
Craft your very own fabric garland using secondhand yarn and fabric! Inspired by fabric book covers in our exhibition, Reading Between the Lines: Chess and Literature, you’ll learn the snip-and-rip technique and a couple of knots to assemble your garland. Then, you’ll choose the fabric colors and patterns that best suit a holiday or celebration you have coming up. Take your garland home to decorate your front door, staircase, or mantel. Complimentary refreshments are provided by Brennan’s.
Perennial is a non-profit organization in St. Louis where you can take classes to learn creative ways to reuse materials. By reducing waste and crafting with salvaged materials, our community diverts more than 10,000 pounds from landfills yearly! Join us in our reuse studio, where you can try woodworking, stained glass, mosaics, sewing, dyeing, bookbinding, and more classes.
*20% discount for WCHOF members, students, seniors, and military personnel
Make animals from origami paper in a fun, hands-on workshop with the supplies provided. This workshop is complementary and fun for all ages!
Join us for an exciting workshop where you can create your own board game inspired by our current exhibition, Chess Variants: Transforming Tradition! All supplies will be provided, making it a fun activity for all ages!
*20% discount for WCHOF members, students, seniors, and military personnel
Join us for a fun pressed flower-making workshop, led by WCHOF’s Emily Billhartz, featuring fall florals! Emily will demonstrate how to press and assemble flowers and frame your masterpiece. It is fun for all ages, with complimentary supplies and refreshments.
*20% discount for WCHOF members, students, seniors, and military personnel
Enjoy self-led fall paper tree-making crafts in our Play & Create gallery! After you’ve created your masterpiece, you and your friends can read, socialize, play chess and other board games, or continue to get creative with our arts and crafts supplies—free and fun for all ages! A parent or guardian must accompany minors at all times.
Get spooky with Halloween arts and crafts in our Play & Create gallery! After you’ve created your masterpiece, you and your friends can read, socialize, play chess and other board games, or continue to get creative with our arts and crafts supplies—free and fun for all ages! A parent or guardian must accompany minors at all times.
Join us for a movement improvisation experience focused on connection, exploration and curiosity around the way our babies move. The session begins with a gentle warm up, followed by an instructed baby-wearing dance and wraps up with structured, playful improvisation. Bring your baby, a song recommendation, and a carrier of your choice. No prior dance or movement experience required. This experience is appropriate for any babywearing parent and their little one, from newborn to “too heavy to carry” This is a judgement-free zone. Crying baby? No worries. Have to leave early? Not a problem. Can’t figure out how to get your baby carrier on just right? We’re not in a hurry. Move at your own pace and connect with other parents at World Chess Hall of Fame!
Meet local artist Justin King and make animal hand puppets and decorative masks out of cardboard! With artwork featured in Paws and Pawns: Exploring Animal Chess Sets, Justin will dive into his artistic process and demonstrate how to make your art! Complimentary and fun for all ages! Supplies provided.
St Louis-based multidisciplinary artist, Justin King is mainly known for his cardboard sculptures. His work blends his love of natural history with whimsical punches of color. Often using underutilized and sustainable materials, he lives and works out of his home in the historic Tower Grove neighborhood. King’s pieces are frequently available through the Houska Gallery.
Explore your creativity in this wood-burning workshop with Saint Louis artist Sophie Binder! Inspired by Sophie’s etched chess board in “Paws and Pawns: Exploring Animal Chess Sets,” participants will learn how to burn a custom design on an unfinished wooden surface you get to take home! Supplies and refreshments will be provided.
Sophie Binder is a freelance designer native of France. She has worked as a designer in France, Italy, and the United States for over 30 years, including projects worldwide. Sophie’s work has also brought her close to conservation, not-for-profit organizations, and the outdoor industry. She self-published a book about her adventure in 2013, The World, Two Wheels and a Sketchbook, and has done illustrations for four other books for French publisher PRIVAT.
*20% discount for WCHOF members, students, seniors, and military personnel
