Classes + Workshops
Thomasville Center for the Arts believes everyone needs a space for artistic expression and purposeful creativity. Adult classes and workshops are designed to bring high quality fine arts experiences for the novice, emerging, and professional artist.
Current Class Offerings:
Mapping Personal Places
January 20, 2026
Valerie Goodwin
A nationally recognized fiber artist and architect of Tallahassee, FL, Goodwin’s mixed media artwork is inspired by aerial views of cities and landscapes, and her pieces are featured in museum and private collections across the country.
Goodwin is an architect with degrees from Washington University in St. Louis and Yale University, and she teaches architectural design at Florida A&M University. In 1998, she began exploring quilting as an extension of her architectural work, initially using it as a teaching tool to examine composition, color, and pattern. This interest evolved into a successful career as a fiber artist. Her award-winning quilts, inspired by aerial views and maps of real and imagined landscapes, have been widely exhibited and published. Goodwin also lectures and leads workshops both nationally and internationally.
Current Class Offerings:
- Intro to Acrylics with Laura
Laura Patrick
Laura and her family live in North Florida and love to be outdoors exploring wild beaches,
fishing, hunting for shells and soaking up nature’s beauty. Each of these experiences is woven
into the pieces of art she creates. Coastal pieces, abstracts, home and pet portraits and more.
Gulls overhead, spoonbill in flight, sunsets over marshlands, oyster patterns and colors, swaying palms, bright lines in the sky over crashing waves. Capturing the beauty in these small moments is an ever evolving challenge for Laura, and she truly gets so much out of creating these treasures for others. Her art exhibits and painting commissions span from New York City to Los Angeles; Portland, Maine to Jacksonville, Florida.
Current Class Offerings:
- Writing as Therapy
Kim Wilder
Kimberly Wilder is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Qualified Supervisor,
and EMDRIA Certified EMDR Therapist, Consultant, and Facilitator. She is a mother to two fierce daughters. They live in Tallahassee, FL where Kimberly tries to enjoy the nature of North Florida as much as possible. When she is not busy running her private practice, she enjoys traveling, hiking, seeing live shows, having deep meaningful conversations, and learning new things. She grew up in a small town where she developed a passion for writing in middle school that has continued to grow with her over the years. Her poem “Cycles” was published in the April 2025 Beyond Words regrets-themed anthology. Her poems “After the Funeral” and “Reciprocate” were also published in a Poets Choice book. As a trauma survivor and first-generation college student, she hopes to inspire others to find and follow their passions to become the hero/heroine of their own stories.
Current Class Offerings:
- Painting with Lanell
Lanell Shen
Current Class Offerings:
- Art for Senior Adults
Dixie Lee Hedrington-Miller
Dixie Lee is an award-winning artist, educator, and advocate whose work bridges creativity and community empowerment. As the founder and Executive Director of Friends & Stars, Inc., she has dedicated over a decade to using the arts as a transformative tool for individuals with disabilities and underserved populations across the U.S. Virgin Islands, Florida, and Georgia.
Her leadership and artistic contributions have earned her numerous accolades, including the 2016 African-American Achiever Award in Arts and Culture and the 2017 Motivational Mover of the Year Award. She is also a registered teaching artist with the Georgia Council for the Arts, bringing inclusive, hands-on workshops to schools, senior centers, and community organizations.
Through her art, advocacy, and inclusive programming, Dixie Lee continues to inspire and uplift communities, demonstrating the profound impact of creativity on individual and collective well-being.
Current Class Offerings:
- Drawing with Dave
David Junker
Current Class Offerings:
- Mindful Making with Chimere
Chimere Brooks
transformation and deeply rooted in the mindfulness practice. I believe being fully present in
the moment, is one of the most powerful practices for healing and growth. My work blends
traditional and holistic modalities; including aromatherapy and intentional candle making. I
believe we already hold what we need within us to become our best selves. With nearly two
decades of experience guiding others through life’s complexities, I became a veteran, author
and poet. I am also the founding facilitator of Sage and Cinnamon Wellness Initiatives, based in Thomasville, Ga, where we promote peace and personal empowerment. It’s my goal to create spaces that cultivates sacred creativity, using the mediums that nature abundantly provides us.
Current Class Offerings:
- Bi-weekly Sit and Sew
Cotton Pickin’ Quilters
pursuits, make comfort quilts to donate to local organizations serving the Thomasville area. In
addition to their bi-weekly Sit + Sews, members will lead quarterly, project-based sewing classes at the Center.