Program Type: Art Workshop

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.

WCHOF Programming: Wood Burning Workshop with Sophie Binder

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

Create and customize a journal to take home, and learn about journaling prompts with friends! Inspired by our exhibition, Reading Between the Lines: Chess and Literature, this fun workshop is complimented with provided supplies and complimentary refreshments by Brennan’s.

*20% discount for WCHOF members, students, seniors, and military personnel

Tell the tale of a chosen animal by combining pressure-printed textures with wood type in an accordion-folded booklet and a time-tested writing game–the Mad Lib. Using provided bookmaking supplies, families will enjoy creating their book from start to finish. Whether it’s a housecat up to the usual antics or a winged beast resting on a cloud, your story will surely be legendary!

Central Print is a non-profit arts organization with a mission to promote the art of letterpress printmaking and related arts by providing workshops, classes, and programs focusing on design and production using historic printing equipment. Founded in 2014 by Eric Woods, Owner of The Firecracker Press, and Director Marie Oberkirsch, Central Print is located in the historic Old North neighborhood of Saint Louis.

*20% discount for WCHOF members, students, seniors, and military personnel

Get in the holiday spirit and customize your own nutcracker in this family-friendly workshop inspired by our latest exhibition Charles Houska: Master of Play. Make one for yourself or to gift someone! Supplies will be provided.

*20% discount for WCHOF members, students, seniors, and military personnel

Enjoy self-led paper pinwheel 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.

Draw yourself as your favorite chess piece in a self-led coloring activity in our new 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 this Valentine’s Day for some fun arts and crafts in our Play and Create space! Bring family, friends, or loved ones to make arts and crafts you get to take home! Free and for all ages.

We’re WILD about you! Join us for a hands-on workshop with Perennial, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Inspired by our Paws and Pawns: Exploring Animal Chess Sets exhibit, the creative instructors at Perennial will take you through DIYing a loving creature to gift to someone special. From love bugs to love birds, all creatures will be crafted using provided reclaimed materials.

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, dyes, bookbinding, and more classes. If you’re looking for secondhand materials to get creative with, our shop is open to the public on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

Purchase Tickets Here

• *20% discount for WCHOF members, students, seniors, and military personnel

Thursday, February 13- 6:00 pm

Join us for a workshop inspired by Graffiti Spaghetti Chess Set, an artwork by Mr Doodle featured in the current exhibition Painted Pieces: Art Chess From Purling London. His work contains a mixture of graffiti characters, objects, and patterns with influences ranging from cereal boxes to video games and old cartoons. Enjoy a signature cocktail, grab a marker, and channel your inner doodler as you create a canvas tote bag with Taylor Bardsley!

Taylor Bardsley has been instrumental in developing and providing programs for children and adults at the World Chess Hall of Fame. She’s an avid crafter with a great sense of design. She recently received her MSW from the Brown School at Washington University in Saint Louis.

This event is SOLD OUT

For more information or to reserve a spot please email: [email protected].

Metered on-street parking is available, as well as paid lots adjacent to Kingside Diner and at the Schlafly branch of the St. Louis Public Library.

Wednesday, Sep 5 – 6:30 pm