Somerville Skillshare

[cometparty.livejournal.com]

hi everyone!

This is my first time posting here. I'm relatively new to Boston (arrived in April) and I'll be moving to Somerville in May. One of my friends there got me involved in planning the first-ever Somerville Skillshare happening Sunday, March 2nd at the Armory between noon and 6pm. The event is 100% free thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign, and all ages are welcome. Here's a sampling of the nearly 40 classes we'll have on offer:

—urban beekeeping
—basic bicycle maintenance
—windowsill gardening
—photography (two different classes!)
—origami
—intro to parkour
—salsa dancing
—how to start a worker-owned co-op
—imaginary mapmaking
—songwriting
—creative writing (I'm teaching this one!)

We'll also have some great local sponsors at the Armory as well: Flatbread, Slumbrew, and Taza Chocolate. Full class listing, teacher Q&As, and more information on the Skillshare website. (We'll be posting the schedule very soon.) You can RSVP via Eventbrite (this is helpful since it gives us an idea how many people are planning to attend.)

Thanks so much for reading and we hope to see you there! Please let me know if you have any questions.

all the best,
Camille
(cometparty@gmail.com)

Comments

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

Hey, and don't forget Make Your Own Tofu! Which reminds me that I need to get going with prep...

[cometparty.livejournal.com]

Haha, great to connect with you on here, Jude. I'm hoping I'll have time to take your class!

[zdenka]

That looks fascinating! Thanks for sharing the link.

[somervilleguy.livejournal.com]

It should come in handy to get to Hogwarts.

[jere7my.livejournal.com]

It's taught by Emily Garfield, a local artist who does a lot of imaginary city maps. Her work shows up all over, but if you haven't seen it a Google search will turn it up.

[ron_newman]

Emily is also the coordinator of this year's Somerville Open Studios.

[blacktigr.livejournal.com]

Thanks, I would totally have missed this!

Is there a way to sign up for specific classes, or is it just a "browse around" situation?

[cometparty.livejournal.com]

Hi! There's no sign-up, we'll have printed copies of the schedule on hand, so you can just pick up a copy and take whichever you fancy. Of course, depending on the class, there may be logistics limiting how many people can actively participate, so it would be a good idea to get there early if there's a class you really have your heart set on. :)

[blacktigr.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the info. I am really looking forward to the parkour class, which, I suspect, will probably be in the same time slot as all the other classes that interest me. :)

[cometparty.livejournal.com]

I know, right? We've been itching to get the schedule up so people can find out when and where everything is and if anything conflicts—it's just taking awhile to finalize because not all our teachers have confirmed their timeslot, and we don't want to publicize the schedule and then have to change it and confuse everyone. That said, if you give me a list of which classes you want to take, I can check the spreadsheet and let you know where and when they are slotted for. :)

[blacktigr.livejournal.com]

I will do the same thing I always do for a conference. There will be priorities in how I schedule myself, but I don't need info ahead of time.

There's always The Thing I Can't Live Without, The Thing That Would Be Cool if It Worked, and the I Didn't Plan on This, But It Was Incredible.

My best friends who are going are interested in the tofu making and indoor gardening classes. My interests diverge a little from theirs. I am all about the activity (parkour, contact staff) and art (photography).

Just would like to quickly thank the organizers of this really neat event. Only in Somerville would people be so kind and open and creative.

[cometparty.livejournal.com]

I'm sure you'll have a chance to talk to John Massie at some point on Sunday—the Skillshare is his brainchild and he's worked *incredibly* hard to make the event a success. (With 500+ Eventbrite RSVPs, we're feeling pretty confident right now!) I am really in awe of John's dedication and organizational skills.

I know what you mean about priorities—and I do predict a lot of people will wind up saying "I Didn't Plan on This, But It Was Incredible!"

As for the classes you and your friends are interested in, I can tell you that indoor gardening is at noon and making your own tofu is at 3. It will be possible to take both photography classes if you want to (Ileana's is at 2 and Edie's is at 4). Both intro to contact staff (4pm) and parkour (5pm) are on in the performance hall, so that's easy!

[blacktigr.livejournal.com]

That's awesome. I want to shake this guy's hand. I organized a hackathon a couple years ago, and I was just doing the food, and I thought I was going to tear my hair out.

I am even more excited that none of the things I am prioritizing overlaps each other. Thanks for the inside scoop! :)

[foxgloved.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for this! It looks awesome.

[10engines.livejournal.com]

Sounds fantastic. #props

[cometparty.livejournal.com]

I have to say, the warm response I (we!) have received here has me even MORE psyched about moving to Somerville soon! Hoping to connect with many of you in person on Sunday. :)

[obie119.livejournal.com]

This is super - thank you!!

[cometparty.livejournal.com]

Hi again! Just wanted to let you guys know the schedule (http://somervilleskillshare.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/somerville-skillshare-schedue1.pdf) is finally up on the website!

[somerfriend.livejournal.com]

Is there really a waiting list?

[cometparty.livejournal.com]

We had to cap RSVPs because of space constraints—it's going to be first come first serve until we hit capacity!

[sparr0.livejournal.com]

The eventbrite page says "Classes start at every hour on the dot and will be on a first come, first serve basis.", but the official website is now saying there's an attendance cap and only RSVP'd people will be allowed in, with some sort of waitlist.

I was already un-enthused with the idea of standing-room-only classes. I think I'll be giving this event a pass, and hoping the next iteration has higher capacity.

[cometparty.livejournal.com]

Hi there,

I'm not sure where on the website it says only attendees with RVSPs will be allowed in, because that is not the case. (I've just reread the page you're talking about, and I do see how that's confusing—we apologize for that!) We've sent out an email to everyone on the RVSP and waitlist to say that the event IS first come, first serve until the Armory hits capacity. We will not be checking RSVPs—the Eventbrite system was simply to gauge turnout. This is the best we can do given the space constraints and overwhelmingly successful publicity. Please remember that this is our first time organizing this event, and we're learning as we go. We really appreciate your patience and flexibility. The Armory doors will open at 11:40am, and there may be a line forming before that; but get there early and you WILL get in. We promise that no class will be uncomfortably crowded.

thanks so much and hopefully see most of you tomorrow!,
Camille