Education & Classes in Damascus

Founded by passionate nutritionist and Western Culinary Institute graduate Julie Merry, The Merry Kitchen is geared toward teaching healthy, seasonal cooking to students of all ages. Each class holds eight to 10 kids, ensuring all junior chefs will receive a high level of attention. Upcoming subjects include the science of baking Disney Princess Dishes for kids ages 5–10 on July 10 and the art of Off to College Quick Meals for teens ages 16–18 on July 25. Most classes run two hours and include all necessary materials. Check out the calendar for an overview of upcoming classes.

As the middle child in a large family of lawyers, it took Carole Murphy 40 years to embrace her artistic destiny. Now nearly 20 years after her first exhibition at the Robert Paul Gallery in Burlington, Vermont, Murphy’s works have been seen in more than two dozen galleries, museums, and art centers. An established expert in the field, Carole contributed a spotlight piece on her specialty medium, aerated cement, in a 2007 issue of Sculpture Journal, and her 15 years of teaching experience ensure classes engage participants with student-designed projects and individualized attention.

Like many artists, lifelong guitarist Christian Johnson found himself stuck in an office job for several years. But it wasn’t enough to silence the music in his head. Motivated by his frustration and his encyclopedic knowledge of the ax, he opened Adrian Guitars in 2002 before changing the name to Blue Dot Guitars. During lessons, Johnson pulls from three decades of playing and teaching experience to assist students of all ages and skill levels in tackling the guitar. He honed his own musical prowess at Musicians Institute, where he studied with virtuosos such as jazz great Joe Diorio. As a Fender-authorized warranty technician, Johnson also specializes in guitar repairs, including regluing broken bridges or replacing snapped strings with durable strands of spaghetti.

Bollywood Dreams’ DJ and dance instructor Prashant expresses himself in the international language of dance with undeniable exuberance and contagious energy. Prashant teaches a variety of styles at local colleges and demonstrates his performance prowess with two Portland-area Bollywood bands. Prashant’s monthly dance parties at The Crystal Ballroom give students an opportunity to strut new choreographies while he spins Bollywood and Bhangra tunes.

Dance with Joy Studios owner Rachel Lidskog strives to imbue her classes with the happiness she feels when dancing. Rachel has competed or taught in Argentina, Cuba, Holland, and Spain, among other countries, and her philosophy of uplifting people through dance is supported by the values of teamwork, creativity, and responsibility.

Along with a crew of professional instructors, she whisks fledgling hoofers around two hardwood-floor ballrooms, infusing their feet with the basics of Latin, country, and ballroom dance. She and her team identify private lessons, group classes or special workshops, and weekly dance parties as the best ways to learn to dance, superior even to dropping a family of ants into your overalls. They also organize wedding-dance lessons to ensure nuptial celebrations progress smoothly and cheerfully.

On a typical afternoon, artist Aaron Ziobrowski brainstorms ideas for new paintings between planning each part of the classes he holds at his BYOB art studio, according to a February 2012 interview in The Crafty Underdog. The prompts he's created for his students range from an Andy Warhol–style quadrant of pop-art bananas to a reproduction of Starry Night that includes the dogs playing poker that were erased from the original. Natural light floods into the studio through tall windows, and tarps cover surfaces so that paintbrushes can move without worry. Although aprons are provided, students should wear old clothes or full-body canvases in the event of a paint splatter.