Where to Learn on Martha’s Vineyard

Photo: Courtesy of ACE Martha's Vineyard

You might think it’s all fun and games, beach days and lounging by the pool when you visit Martha’s Vineyard! And sure, we definitely love that about the Vineyard; but we’re also a destination for education. Whether you want to learn to cook with local Island products or discover a new art project, the Island offers that and more. Though the year-round opportunities for classes and education on Island are vast, these grow substantially in-season with addition of summer camps for kids and learning experiences for adults. For now, we’ve listed just a sampling of what’s available year-round on-island. 

ACE Martha’s Vineyard
If you’re looking for continuing your education and workforce training that’s geared towards Martha’s Vineyard residents, ACE MV is the place to be. They offer a wide range of courses in education, business and administration, technical and trades, energy, health care, agriculture, computer literacy, languages, leadership, and more, along with providing opportunities to earn a certificate, license, or degree in a number of economic sectors, without having to leave the Island. 
 
Course offerings vary, but some of the current ones include: public speaking, first aid, email marketing, Microsoft Basics, photography fundamentals, Intro to Finance, Commercial Driver's License (CDL) Class A Training, and so much more!

Photo: Courtesy of Catherine Walthers Cooking, Laura Roosevelt

Catherine Walthers Cooking 
Award-winning chef and cookbook author Catherine Walthers dives into the world of culinary arts with her classes. It’s a fabulous experience for the foodies in your family or group of friends.
 
“Based in the heart of Martha’s Vineyard, the West Tisbury Kitchen Lab offers cooking and cocktail classes of all kinds, geared toward seasonality, local ingredients and great food. This is a great activity if you love to cook or enjoy good food plus want to learn more and improve skills from chefs, instructors and cookbook authors who share their experience. On the Vineyard, during the summer they might tour an heirloom tomato garden or visit a local farmer and cook with the produce. They offer classes in knife skills, ancient grains, vegetarian cooking, soup making, tequila tasting, and much more. Classes can be scheduled for kids and young adults.”

Photo: Courtesy of Featherstone Center for the Arts

Featherstone Center for the Arts
There are so many ways to describe what Featherstone achieves but we’ll let them describe it in their own words:
 
“Featherstone Center for the Arts is a vibrant community art center offering year-round arts education and experiences for all ages and abilities on Martha's Vineyard. Galleries, studios and outdoor spaces provide creative outlets for visitors, students and artists. Through our wide range of programming and collaborations we strive to make art accessible to all. Scholarship/tuition assistance is available for all classes at Featherstone for adults and children as well as Children's Summer Camp!” 
 
Classes vary throughout the year and include: ceramics, drawing, fiber arts, glass, jewelry, literary arts, art therapy, mixed media, music, painting, printmaking, technology, and more!

Photo: Courtesy of Pond View Farm

Pond View Farm Equestrian Lessons
On Island for over 50 years, this farm has been the longest continually operating riding facility on Martha's Vineyard. Situated on the shores of the Tisbury Great Pond, it is a part of Vineyard history! For the horse lovers in your group, this is a great learning experience – whether you’ve signed on for the kids summer camp or just a few riding lessons to bring back memories. 
 
“Pond View Farm's summer camp is designed to give children of all ages and abilities an opportunity to explore their love of horses beyond the boundaries of a riding lesson. With a combination of mounted and dismounted instruction, children will have the opportunity to learn to properly care for and handle their horse. Everyday experiences and careful instruction, tailored to the age and experience of the campers, teach general stable and grooming routines, as well as safety, grooming, tack care, and horse health. The fun really begins when they play gymkhana games with the horses, go on a trail ride, or make horse treats!”

Photo: Courtesy of Seastone Papers

Seastone Papers
Seastone Papers continues to expand its classes which offer a variety of paper making and book making practices. The classes are designed to explore paper as art. In addition to those listed on their website, Seastone Papers will design private teaching sessions for individuals and groups. Open studio for those with paper making experience is scheduled once a week! A sampling of what Harvest Paper making is like in the fall:
 
“Fall is a great time to harvest fibers for paper making. Local plant fibers which include bast, leaf, and grass fiber plants will be prepared, cooked, and beaten for sheet forming. These plants include corn husk, iris leaves, gladiola leaves, and ornamental grasses. This is an opportunity to experiment. You will learn how to process fibers, create sheets of paper, and explore interesting fiber combinations with inclusions.”
 
We have only listed five out of the dozens of classes available on Martha’s Vineyard. To view a full list of classes, check out this list put together by the Martha’s Vineyard Times or check our MVY Directory.