YAM adult art classes are designed for everyone from beginners to artists who want to hone their skills. Every class is taught by a professional artist who is eager to share their creative process and techniques. These museum-based classes are perfect for lifelong learners and creative members of our community. All adult art classes are available for OPI credits.
YAM Museum Members receive 20% off most adult education courses.
This project is funded in part by the Montana Arts Council, an agency of the State Government, and by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Kent Monkman Write-Alongs with Anne Holub
When: Thursdays, January 29; February 12 & 26; March 12 & 26; April 9 & 23, 2026 // 3:30 – 4:30 PM
Cost: Free
Join 2024 YAM writer-in-residence, Anne Holub, as she returns to the museum to lead her popular Write Along sessions. Starting in late January, Anne will lead sessions every 2 weeks on Thursdays. Write-Alongs will focus on the exhibit, Death of Adonis, by Kent Monkman. Learn more about this painting and spend some quality time putting your own impressions into words with Anne and other visitors.
Slow Art Tour: Death of Adonis
When: Thursday, January 22 // 10:30 AM
Cost: Free
Enjoy the galleries at a slower pace. Join Jessica Kay Ogdin, YAM Executive Director, for a conversation about Kent Monkman’s Death of Adonis. This discussion-based tour invites participants to extend their time with a single work of art in a group setting. Death of Adonis, asks viewers to reconsider Albert Bierstadt’s 1888 painting The Last of the Buffalo, by reimagining the nineteenth-century representations of the North American landscape. This discussion-based tour welcomes participants to extend their time with a single work of art in a group setting.
Art Auction Artist Workshop with Tina Renee Becker
Class is full! You can join the waiting list through the registration link below.
When: Saturday, February 28 | 10 AM – 4 PM
Cost: $65
Have you ever wondered: How did they make that? Did you know that coiling is one of the oldest forms of basketry, pre-dating pottery or stone? Here is your chance to learn the how-to behind the beautiful handmade baskets in our shop and up for auction this year! Join AA 58 artist Tina Renee Becker, where you will discover what drives her journey of Pine Needle Basketry. This hands-on workshop is sure to give you a new perspective on an ancient art form.
Slow Art Day at the YAM
When: Saturday, April 11 | 10 AM – 4 PM
Cost: Free
Slow down, reflect, discover, and engage with the Yellowstone Art Museum. Join us for a day of slow looking in the galleries, focusing on deep observation and mindful presence. We are thrilled to participate as a venue for this global art movement that challenges the typical museum-going experience. Learn more >
BIG INK at the Yellowstone Art Museum: A Woodblock Printing Workshop
When: April 25 – 26, 2026
Cost: $350 + materials
The Yellowstone Art Museum is excited to host a workshop with BIG INK next spring. BIG INK, along with their portable presses, make woodblock printing accessible to anyone interested in the process and artform, from beginners to professional artists.
Lyell Castonguay, artist and BIG INK founder, will be on-site at the YAM April 25 through 26, 2026. “The Big Tuna,” a travel-capable, modular press, will make for an engaging and educational workshop where attendees can bring their own relief carvings and be an active participant in the printmaking process.
Due to the nature of this workshop, preliminary educational content and carving must be completed in advance of the in-person activities in April. The sign-up deadline is February 9, 2026.
4th Annual Urban Sketchbook Symposium
When: Saturday, May 16 | 10 AM – 4 PM
Cost: Free
Sponsored by the MAC, Billings Art Association, Arts Paper & Paint, and Crooked Line Studio
Where Every Line Tells a Story.
Unleash your imagination at the Sketchbook Symposium. YAM has again dedicated a space for artists to explore the raw beauty of the creative process. From quick gestures to intricate masterpieces, join a community of creators for a day of live demonstrations, collaborative sketching, and expert-led open studio opportunities. Whether your sketchbook is a mess of “messy thinking” or a polished portfolio, come discover the power of the pencil. Unlock your inner artist and see where your lines take you.
2026 participating artists include:
Beth Korth – Inspiration in Layers
Shane DeLeon – Cosmic Craziness
Anne Holub – Sketching into the Third Dimension
Dawn Nelson – Nature Journaling
Nancy Petersen – Zen Doodling
Brittany Hernandez – Art Journaling
And more!
Sketchbook Symposium: Focused Visual Journaling workshop with artist Katherine Jore
When: Saturday, May 16 | 1 – 6 PM at YAM’s Visible Vault
Cost: $40
This class will focus on the visual qualities you can easily add to your journal pages. Join local artist Katherine Jore and explore ephemeral additions to your sketchbook process.
You can expect:
- A little introduction
- The building blocks (collage, color, mark making)
- A few guided pages
- A discussion on composition (unifying the page)
- To make your own pages while Katherine offers tips and ideas along the way
Body Language: Yoga & Figure Drawing Retreat at Tippet Rise
When: Saturday, May 30 | 10 AM – 3 PM
Cost: $50
The Yellowstone Art Museum is offering an incredible Yoga and Figure Drawing retreat at Tippet Rise Art Center. Participants will experience both art forms in symphony with the landscape and architectural wonder of the Cottonwood Campus. Artists, Beth Korth and Marilu Metherell will guide an in-depth dive into drawing the human figure as Yoga instructors, Sarah Brown and Carolanne Rohrs empower our studies with mindfulness of movement and form.
Sarah Brown has taught yoga in Billings for two decades. She currently teaches at the Billings Family YMCA and at Montana State University Billings. She leads classes that focus on alignment and connection from a place of authenticity and joy. Sarah also hosts Field Days on Yellowstone Public Radio and has worked at newspapers and magazines nationwide.
Carolanne Rohrs has been teaching group and private yoga classes, as well as workshops, since 2010. She currently teaches at the Billings Family YMCA as well as the youth yoga classes at the Yellowstone Art Museum’s Summer Art Academy. Carolanne’s classes focus on body and mind connection, alignment, strength, and breath.
Join us and experience two classes at Tippet Rise like never before. Lunch is included and will be curated by Chef Sheena Ernst with Wild Table, Red Lodge, Montana.
Cancellation Policy
Classes will be cancelled two weeks prior to the scheduled date if enrollment is insufficient. Your enrollment cost will be refunded fully. Please enroll before then to avoid cancellations.
After registering, if you cannot attend a class, you must cancel a full TWO WEEKS before the class, or your money will not be refunded.
