Whether you’re a sushi newbie or a seasoned pro, this hands-on class is perfect for anyone looking to roll up their sleeves and dive into the art of sushi.

The 2-hour experience includes:

– Step-by-step instructions on how to make sushi

– All the ingredients and tools to create your sushi masterpieces

– Personal time with the chef

– Entertainment and engagement for all

– Tips on presentation and Instagram-worthy sushi

– Sauces and garnished for your sushi

– Fresh and quality Ingredients

– 1st Glass of Beer

This class is perfect for sushi beginners and enthusiasts! No experience necessary! 

Come solo, bring a friend, or make it a date night—everyone’s welcome! Reserve your spot today and get ready to roll!

*Please note that this workshop may be held in our downstairs event space which requires entrance via a flight of stairs*

Open Mic Night

Sign Up available onsite at 5:30 PM

Poetry, comedy, spoken word, Bring what you got! All talents welcome!

5 Minute Time Slot for Comedians and Poets!

2 Song Time Slot for Musicians!

No Cover Charge - Donations Always Welcome

Hop aboard the Thames River Heritage Park's open-air, navy utility boat to experience the Thames River and discover the Park's 20+ heritage sites in both New London and Groton.

The Harbor Cruise starts at Fort Trumbull State Park, skips over to City Pier in Downtown New London, cruises across the river to Thames Landing in Groton and back around to Fort Trumbull.

Personalize your trip around visiting heritage sites, state parks, restaurants, or shopping! Well-behaved dogs and bicycles are welcomed on board.

Departure Sites:

- Fort Trumbull State Park in New London on the hour

- City Pier, New London 20 minutes after the hour

- Thames River Landing in Groton 40 minutes after the hour

Harbor Cruise Info:

- Your ticket is an All-Day Pass! Hop-on and off at your leisure at any landing site, as many times as you would like

- OR Sit back and relax to enjoy the one-hour loop

- Each cruise between sites is 15-minutes long

- Book online or in-person | Children 3 and under ride FREE

- Saturday & Sunday through September 7th | 11:00AM – 6:00PM

Join us in the Hygienic Art Park on Saturday July, 5 for the 4th Annual Multiplier Summer Party with support from Sky Island and DJ Ben Jammin.

Doors open at 7pm. Be sure to check out our array of local artisan vendors, hosted by ONA. Tickets are $15 online pre-sale and $17 at the door. Hope to see you there!…

MULTIPLIER

New London based live electronic band Multiplier creates a sonic landscape that is unequivocally club, but with a psychedelic flair. Multiplier’s sound is derived from house, edm, dub, electro funk, regular funk, breakbeat, hip hop and trip hop. Multiplier’s music is peppered with unexpected twists and turns inside of an unrelenting groove.

www.multiplierband.com/

Multiplier Instagram

SKY ISLAND

Sky Island is a live/electronic fusion of sounds, shimmering Hendrix-esque guitar and heavy bass. Frontman mason Lucas has collaborated with Random Rab, Aya Nereo, Wildlight, Leah Song, and Zach Velmer (of STS9). The bands current lineup features drummer J Curland, vocalist Matia Kali (formerly of the Hanuman Project) and Anna Lucas (poster girl of the Gigolo Aunts)

skyisland.bandcamp.com

Videos:

Birds2Fly

Stars Align

DJ BEN JAMMIN

DJ Ben Jammin' Instagram

ONA

https://www.instagram.com/annastarrlucas/

Free yoga on Sundays at 9am with Kim. Sponsored by Yale New Haven Health.

Hop aboard the Thames River Heritage Park's open-air, navy utility boat to experience the Thames River and discover the Park's 20+ heritage sites in both New London and Groton.

The Harbor Cruise starts at Fort Trumbull State Park, skips over to City Pier in Downtown New London, cruises across the river to Thames Landing in Groton and back around to Fort Trumbull.

Personalize your trip around visiting heritage sites, state parks, restaurants, or shopping! Well-behaved dogs and bicycles are welcomed on board.

Departure Sites:

- Fort Trumbull State Park in New London on the hour

- City Pier, New London 20 minutes after the hour

- Thames River Landing in Groton 40 minutes after the hour

Harbor Cruise Info:

- Your ticket is an All-Day Pass! Hop-on and off at your leisure at any landing site, as many times as you would like

- OR Sit back and relax to enjoy the one-hour loop

- Each cruise between sites is 15-minutes long

- Book online or in-person | Children 3 and under ride FREE

- Saturday & Sunday through September 7th | 11:00AM – 6:00PM

Join Brian Jones from Shoreline Clay Club in the taproom for this Sip n' Scratch cup decorating event! Enjoy a unique opportunity to personalize your own cup while sipping on a Tox brew (included in the ticket price). Come prepared with your own theme or decoration ideas or just let it flow! Brian will have cups already made and slipped so that you can draw and scratch your way to a unique pot that you can use at home.

All necessary materials to decorate your cup will be provided. This event is perfect for individuals looking to explore their artistic side in a relaxed and social setting at your fav local brewery!

***After the event, Brian will bring the completed cups back to Shoreline Clay Club to fire and return them to the taproom where you will be able to pick them up***

Tickets to this unique and creative workshop can be purchased here.

Minted

Thursday Film Series: Minted

July 10th 7pm

A renegade group of outsider artists are thrust into the global limelight when they embrace a powerful new technology, but they must reckon with the controversies that threaten to collapse the wild world of NFTs.

Featured Artists: Kamal Ahmad, Howard el-Yasin, Carol Flaitz, Carla Goldberg, Eric Grau, Deborah Hesse, Alison McNulty, Suzan Shutan, and Brian Walters II

Opens Friday July 11th 6pm

On display until Saturday August 9th 2025

Hop aboard the Thames River Heritage Park's open-air, navy utility boat to experience the Thames River and discover the Park's 20+ heritage sites in both New London and Groton.

The Harbor Cruise starts at Fort Trumbull State Park, skips over to City Pier in Downtown New London, cruises across the river to Thames Landing in Groton and back around to Fort Trumbull.

Personalize your trip around visiting heritage sites, state parks, restaurants, or shopping! Well-behaved dogs and bicycles are welcomed on board.

Departure Sites:

- Fort Trumbull State Park in New London on the hour

- City Pier, New London 20 minutes after the hour

- Thames River Landing in Groton 40 minutes after the hour

Harbor Cruise Info:

- Your ticket is an All-Day Pass! Hop-on and off at your leisure at any landing site, as many times as you would like

- OR Sit back and relax to enjoy the one-hour loop

- Each cruise between sites is 15-minutes long

- Book online or in-person | Children 3 and under ride FREE

- Saturday & Sunday through September 7th | 11:00AM – 6:00PM

Bring the whole family for great music, food, and fun at Celebrate New London on Saturday, July 12th! The festival features two stages, local artisans, over a dozen food trucks, and exhibitors in downtown and along the waterfront. Our marquee attraction is The Mashantucket Pequot Fireworks Extravaganza!

For more information, visit CelebrateNewLondon.com.

Whatup Funk Band

🎶 WhatUp Funk Band Live at Hygienic Art Park! 🎶

📅 Friday, July 12 | 🕗 8:00 PM | 💵 $15 Cover

📍Hygienic Art Park | 79 Bank Street, New London, CT

Get ready to dance under the stars with WhatUp Funk Band, one of the region’s hottest high-energy funk and soul acts! Known for their powerhouse vocals, tight rhythm section, and infectious grooves, WhatUp Funk brings the party wherever they go — and they're landing right here in New London for a night of celebration, music and good vibes.

Join us in the beautiful Hygienic Art Park for an amazing outdoor concert experience Bring your friends, and bring your best dance moves — this is one summer night you won’t want to miss.

Southern New England’s largest fireworks show is The Mashantucket Pequot Fireworks Extravaganza in New London on Saturday, July 12th at 9pm. Tune in to Big 100.9 for music synchronization to the fireworks and enjoy the complete audio visual experience.

For more information, visit CelebrateNewLondon.com.

Free yoga on Sundays at 9am with Kim. Sponsored by Yale New Haven Health.

Hop aboard the Thames River Heritage Park's open-air, navy utility boat to experience the Thames River and discover the Park's 20+ heritage sites in both New London and Groton.

The Harbor Cruise starts at Fort Trumbull State Park, skips over to City Pier in Downtown New London, cruises across the river to Thames Landing in Groton and back around to Fort Trumbull.

Personalize your trip around visiting heritage sites, state parks, restaurants, or shopping! Well-behaved dogs and bicycles are welcomed on board.

Departure Sites:

- Fort Trumbull State Park in New London on the hour

- City Pier, New London 20 minutes after the hour

- Thames River Landing in Groton 40 minutes after the hour

Harbor Cruise Info:

- Your ticket is an All-Day Pass! Hop-on and off at your leisure at any landing site, as many times as you would like

- OR Sit back and relax to enjoy the one-hour loop

- Each cruise between sites is 15-minutes long

- Book online or in-person | Children 3 and under ride FREE

- Saturday & Sunday through September 7th | 11:00AM – 6:00PM

Do you wish you could have more of the kinds of conversations you have late at night where for some reason, you feel safe talking about the things you actually care about?

Bring your friends (or come by yourself) and spend your Thursday night at an event where you know everyone else is there for the same reason.

We'll be offering "big talk" conversational prompts on them to get you started, and we'll have lots of structure to make sure that you actually talk to people and that it's not awkward. Not feeling like answering a particular question? No worries, we'll have plenty to choose from, like, "When are you the happiest?" and, "If you were going to become close friends with me, what would I need to know about you?" We'll give you ground rules to make sure you feel comfortable and safe sharing as much of yourself as possible while still feeling in complete control of how much you divulge.

Secure your spot here.

On this special evening, join artist John Boone to explore his exhibition John Boone– WHATSWHAT at the Lyman Allyn Art Museum. Learn about the inspirations and conceptual meanings behind the idioms showcased in his word-driven artwork.

Cost: Members $10 / Non-Members $15

Date & Time, Wednesday, July 16, Reception 5:30 pm, Talk 6 pm

RSVP to 860.443.2545 ext. 2129 or email us.

Wine and hors d’oeuvres will be served.

Image: John Boone (American, born 1951), Hands – Its Out of My Hands, 2018, Acrylic on canvas, 40 x 40 inches. Image courtesy of the artist.

Websites for Women Artists 101

This professional workshop series is designed for women, non-binary, and women-identifying individuals working within the arts sector, Wednesdays 7/16-7/30, 6-8p (last session Artist Talk date/time TBA). Focusing on informative discussion on enhancing artistic skills and creative opportunities, this will be a 3-Part Series, by the Pattagansett Art Center, in collaboration with Spark Makerspace, and the Lyman Allyn Art Museum. Participants will learn from guest speakers covering essential topics in creative development. This program is generously sponsored by Breezeline.

The program aims to empower creatives by providing them with the tools and knowledge necessary to thrive in the competitive creative landscape, fostering a supportive community that encourages collaboration and growth. Sessions 1-3 are only open to 8 participants, so please please register early. The 4th session is optional and open to the Public.

Important:

Class Fee is non-refundable. Please plan accordingly. Ages 16+

The class requires a laptop. If you do not have a laptop, please contact make@sparkmakerspace.org in advance, and we will do our best to accommodate.

Session 1: July 16, 6-8p

About the Creative: Biography and Statements

(Creating an about section through interactive activities)

Every website has an about section. This session will explore and engage participants and the power of short, succinct personal biographies. This is an essential framework for a creative practice and provides insight into intentions, themes, accomplishments, and context for an audience or viewer to experience your work. Through guided individual and group activities, we will engage in the creation of a general creative biography and a more body of work-specific statement. We will learn to better understand our own vision and motivations, along with important recommendations, as our artist journey evolves.

Session 2: July 23, 6-8p

The Impact of Visual Branding for Creatives

(Look, Branding, Documentation, Photo cube, lighting, documentation, pricing of your work)

In a digital world, elevating your creative look or aesthetic is an essential part of visual language. This session will dive into the importance of documenting artwork, developing a story, contemporary pricing, demystifying, and building a professional brand, and a touch on contemporary market analysis. Participants will learn the basic principles of photographing artwork, creating a consistent style, and understanding the process of establishing an online identity.

Session 3: July 30, 6-8p

A Comprehensive Approach to Building Your Artist Website

(Building a website, and Digital Footprint)

Utilizing the skills and techniques from previous sessions, participants will learn how to build an effective artist website. This session will provide step-by-step instructions to navigate the process of website creation, uploading your artwork images, and promoting your practice. Websites can seem intimidating, but we will work to simplify and demystify this topic!

Session 4: TBA

Women in the Arts Open Community Forum

To celebrate this series, we are hosting a networking event and panel discussion at the Lyman Allyn Art Museum. This Community Forum will feature participation from Suzie Ferras of the San Francisco Arts Commission and Creative IQ Studio & Gallery, alongside a panel of both established professionals and emerging local artists. Centered on the shared goal of uplifting and connecting creative women, the event aims to foster meaningful dialogue, build professional networks, and strengthen community ties both locally and beyond.

Bonsai Bar is a night of fun you don’t want to miss. Learn the fundamental skills and techniques behind the art of bonsai while enjoying a night out with friends! Our teachers will introduce core concepts and guide your experience as you pot, prune, and design your very own bonsai tree!

Purchase your ticket here.

The Big Lebowski

Join us for the screening of The Big Lebowski on Thursday July 17th at 7pm! 

$5 suggested donation

"A slacker known to his friends as "The Dude" gets mixed up in a convoluted kidnapping plot with an eccentric millionaire whose name he shares." '

Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Production year: 1998

Rating: R

Studio: Universal Pictures

Runtime: 117 minutes

Cast: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare

Sponsored by the Frank Loomis Palmer Fund and Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut

Hop aboard the Thames River Heritage Park's open-air, navy utility boat to experience the Thames River and discover the Park's 20+ heritage sites in both New London and Groton.

The Harbor Cruise starts at Fort Trumbull State Park, skips over to City Pier in Downtown New London, cruises across the river to Thames Landing in Groton and back around to Fort Trumbull.

Personalize your trip around visiting heritage sites, state parks, restaurants, or shopping! Well-behaved dogs and bicycles are welcomed on board.

Departure Sites:

- Fort Trumbull State Park in New London on the hour

- City Pier, New London 20 minutes after the hour

- Thames River Landing in Groton 40 minutes after the hour

Harbor Cruise Info:

- Your ticket is an All-Day Pass! Hop-on and off at your leisure at any landing site, as many times as you would like

- OR Sit back and relax to enjoy the one-hour loop

- Each cruise between sites is 15-minutes long

- Book online or in-person | Children 3 and under ride FREE

- Saturday & Sunday through September 7th | 11:00AM – 6:00PM

Braiden Sunshine

🎶 The song is finally out! Under Your Spell—the title track of Braiden's upcoming EP—is here, and we couldn’t be more excited! 💫

Even better? Braiden will be performing live at the Hygienic Art Park on July 19th! Mark your calendars and come feel the magic in person.

🗓 EP drops July 11th

🎤 Live at the Art Park July 19th

🎧 Thank you for listening, and thank you for following along! 

Tickets

Free yoga on Sundays at 9am with Kim. Sponsored by Yale New Haven Health.

Hop aboard the Thames River Heritage Park's open-air, navy utility boat to experience the Thames River and discover the Park's 20+ heritage sites in both New London and Groton.

The Harbor Cruise starts at Fort Trumbull State Park, skips over to City Pier in Downtown New London, cruises across the river to Thames Landing in Groton and back around to Fort Trumbull.

Personalize your trip around visiting heritage sites, state parks, restaurants, or shopping! Well-behaved dogs and bicycles are welcomed on board.

Departure Sites:

- Fort Trumbull State Park in New London on the hour

- City Pier, New London 20 minutes after the hour

- Thames River Landing in Groton 40 minutes after the hour

Harbor Cruise Info:

- Your ticket is an All-Day Pass! Hop-on and off at your leisure at any landing site, as many times as you would like

- OR Sit back and relax to enjoy the one-hour loop

- Each cruise between sites is 15-minutes long

- Book online or in-person | Children 3 and under ride FREE

- Saturday & Sunday through September 7th | 11:00AM – 6:00PM

This beginner-friendly class is an introduction to the relief process, the technique used in the oldest forms of printmaking. By creating a single-color linocut print, you will learn the basics of relief printing. We will explore types of carving blocks, inks, and papers, and you will learn how to prepare your carving block, transfer your design, and carve and ink the block. You will make several prints, both by hand printing and using the printing press. (After this class, members will be certified to use the press for relief printing.)

Please read through the relief printing handout (found here) before class, and bring a simple design no larger than 5x8 inches. A good beginner design has a bold image, thick lines, and no fine details. Keeping it simple will help you avoid frustration and allow you to focus on the fundamentals of printmaking. You can find some great ideas by searching for free black and white vector art. Several design options will also be available to choose from in class.

Certification for Members: Printing Press Members who demonstrate proper use of the printing press can be certified for independent access to the tool.

Thanks to generous donations from The Frank Loomis Palmer Foundation, prices of our certification classes are greatly reduced.

Get your tickets today!

Ages: 15+

Please note that the class fee is non-refundable. Plan accordingly.

Join Sip & Script for a night of learning calligraphy! Whether you’re a stationery nerd, DIY Bride-to-be, or just a crafty individual, you’ll be introduced to modern calligraphy with a pointed dip pen and ink in this workshop. We will cover all the basics and prepare you to add those unique lettered details to your snail mail, wedding paper goods, home decor, and more! The perfect crafty night out!

Class includes 1.5 hours of instruction and demonstration, our beginner’s calligraphy kit (two nibs, black ink pot, 2 letter guides, tracing paper and straight pen holder), and all materials to write on. Everything is yours to keep at the end of the workshop!

Purchase your ticket to this workshop here.

Websites for Women Artists 101

This professional workshop series is designed for women, non-binary, and women-identifying individuals working within the arts sector, Wednesdays 7/16-7/30, 6-8p (last session Artist Talk date/time TBA). Focusing on informative discussion on enhancing artistic skills and creative opportunities, this will be a 3-Part Series, by the Pattagansett Art Center, in collaboration with Spark Makerspace, and the Lyman Allyn Art Museum. Participants will learn from guest speakers covering essential topics in creative development. This program is generously sponsored by Breezeline.

The program aims to empower creatives by providing them with the tools and knowledge necessary to thrive in the competitive creative landscape, fostering a supportive community that encourages collaboration and growth. Sessions 1-3 are only open to 8 participants, so please please register early. The 4th session is optional and open to the Public.

Important:

Class Fee is non-refundable. Please plan accordingly. Ages 16+

The class requires a laptop. If you do not have a laptop, please contact make@sparkmakerspace.org in advance, and we will do our best to accommodate.

Session 1: July 16, 6-8p

About the Creative: Biography and Statements

(Creating an about section through interactive activities)

Every website has an about section. This session will explore and engage participants and the power of short, succinct personal biographies. This is an essential framework for a creative practice and provides insight into intentions, themes, accomplishments, and context for an audience or viewer to experience your work. Through guided individual and group activities, we will engage in the creation of a general creative biography and a more body of work-specific statement. We will learn to better understand our own vision and motivations, along with important recommendations, as our artist journey evolves.

Session 2: July 23, 6-8p

The Impact of Visual Branding for Creatives

(Look, Branding, Documentation, Photo cube, lighting, documentation, pricing of your work)

In a digital world, elevating your creative look or aesthetic is an essential part of visual language. This session will dive into the importance of documenting artwork, developing a story, contemporary pricing, demystifying, and building a professional brand, and a touch on contemporary market analysis. Participants will learn the basic principles of photographing artwork, creating a consistent style, and understanding the process of establishing an online identity.

Session 3: July 30, 6-8p

A Comprehensive Approach to Building Your Artist Website

(Building a website, and Digital Footprint)

Utilizing the skills and techniques from previous sessions, participants will learn how to build an effective artist website. This session will provide step-by-step instructions to navigate the process of website creation, uploading your artwork images, and promoting your practice. Websites can seem intimidating, but we will work to simplify and demystify this topic!

Session 4: TBA

Women in the Arts Open Community Forum

To celebrate this series, we are hosting a networking event and panel discussion at the Lyman Allyn Art Museum. This Community Forum will feature participation from Suzie Ferras of the San Francisco Arts Commission and Creative IQ Studio & Gallery, alongside a panel of both established professionals and emerging local artists. Centered on the shared goal of uplifting and connecting creative women, the event aims to foster meaningful dialogue, build professional networks, and strengthen community ties both locally and beyond.

This two-part class is on Thursday, June 24th, 6-7:30pm, and June 31st, 6-8:30pm, at Spark Makerspace, 7 Union St., New London, CT.

Learn how to Screen Print at Spark! We'll take you through the whole process, and you'll take home prints of your own design! This class covers successful design elements, creating the screen using the photographic process, printing on fabric and paper, and how to reuse your silkscreen.

For Members, this class will certify you to be able to use the screen printing equipment independently.

This class is intended for students ages 14+.

Certification for Members: Screen Printing Tools - Members who demonstrate proper use can be certified for independent access to the tool.

Thanks to generous donations from The Frank Loomis Palmer Fund, Bank of America, N.A. Trustee prices of our certification classes are greatly reduced.

Get Tickets Today! Class Fee is non-refundable. Please plan accordingly.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

This Thursday July 24th at 7pm, we're screening Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. 

Suggested donation: $5

Johnny Depp stars as a writer on assignment who goes on a drug-fueled binge in Las Vegas with his lawyer, Dr. Gonzo. Adapted from Hunter S. Thompson's 1971 novel. Gonzo: Benicio Del Toro.

Waitress: Ellen Barkin.

Highway Patrolman: Gary Busey.

Directors: Terry Gilliam

Production year: 1998

Rating: R

Studio: Universal Pictures

Runtime: 120 minutes

Cast: Johnny Depp, Benicio Del Toro, Gary Busey, Ellen Barkin, Christina Ricci

Sponsored by the Frank Loomis Palmer Fund and Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut

Students must have a basic knowledge of crochet stitches. They need to know how to chain stitch, slip stitch, and single crochet.

Ever wanted to make an amigurumi?

Then this class is for you!

Amigurumi is the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small, stuffed yarn creatures.

Join us to learn how to work in a magic ring, increase and decrease stitched, change colors and attach different piece to your main body. Students will leave with a finished crochet bee.

Ages 16+

All materials will be provided.

Get Tickets Today! Class Fee is non-refundable. Please plan accordingly.