Sold Out – Fall Lantern Workshop – Weekend Workshop
Sculptural Ancestor Lanterns with Valerie Seaberg: a two-day workshop building illuminated lanterns to honor ancestors and loved ones.
program overview
Join artist and educator, Valerie Seaberg for a two-day immersive lantern-building workshop inspired by Día de los Muertos, ancestral remembrance, and joy of creating in community. Together we will create illuminated lantern sculptures that honor loved ones, celebrate lineage from all cultures and traditions, and welcome the deepening beauty of fall and winter.
Using willow, bamboo, reed, paper, and other sustainable materials, participants will learn how to build expressive sculptural lanterns from the inside out. Participants are encouraged to bring ideas, sketches, photographs, symbols, or meaningful inspiration connected to ancestors, memory, nature, or personal vision. Lanterns may be abstract, playful, elegant, symbolic, animal-inspired, or devotional in form.
This workshop is open to beginners as well as experienced makers.Together we will create a celebration of light honoring those who came before us and illuminating the path forward.
Required Supply List
Please bring the following supplies to the class:
- Pruning Shears
- Sketchbook
- Optional: Meaningful images, poems, or small materials to inspire your design
Special Thanks to the KHR McNeely Family Foundation, Kevin, Rosemary, and Hannah Rose McNeely.
instructor Overview
Valerie Seaberg
I love working in community. We live in such fast times, and there is something wonderfully
grounding about slowing down, sitting together, and making things with our hands. People have
been gathering this way for thousands of years—to make, talk, eat, laugh, share stories, and
create something together. To me, that coming together is part of what it means to honor our
ancestors.
This workshop is an open invitation to come play with light, make a sculptural lantern, and enjoy
the simple pleasure of creating alongside other people. Día de los Muertos offers a beautiful
doorway into honoring those who came before us, but you don’t have to come with an ancestor
in mind. You might bring a memory, a hope, a love of nature, a wish for the world—or simply
come because you want to have fun and make something beautiful together.
www.valerieseaberg.com
www.facebook.com/valerie.seaberg/
www.instagram.com/valerieseabergstudio/
Membership Has It’s Benefits
All Silver Memberships and above receive 10% off the registration cost for any class purchase over $40.
Materials fees are not discounted.
Membership helps support our programs, events, and financial aid programs.
Become a member today and find community, connection, and creativity.
Class FAQ
We ask that you notify us at least 10 days in advance of a class if you need to cancel your registration. You may cancel by phone or email and we will gladly offer you a refund or credit toward a future class. If you cancel with less than 10 days’ notice, we will not be able to provide refunds, due to our contractual obligations and material purchases for each class.
Sometimes, the Sonoma Community Center has to cancel a class due to low enrollment or unforeseen circumstances, such as a natural disaster or health emergency. If this happens and we do not offer a reschedule date, you will be refunded 100% of your registration fee (minus the payment processing and services fee), or credit towards a future class. If we are able to offer a reschedule date but you are unable to make the new date, we will gladly offer credit towards a future class.
All credits must be used within 1 year.
You can view our full class policies and guidelines here.
The Sonoma Community Center is committed to creating an accessible learning environment. If you require any special considerations(medical, physical, learning) please share them with Sean Baskin, Program Associate, by emailing him at [email protected] so that he can forward them to the relevant Program Director and Instructor.
Late additions to any program, class, or workshop that has already begun will be allowed on a per-case basis depending upon the Program Director & instructors approval. Late additions will have to pay the full registration cost of the class, along with any materials fees, and will not be prorated for the time missed. You may reach out to the program directors directly, or the Program Associate Sean Baskin at [email protected] to request a late addition.
We are always looking for new instructors. You can fill out the form directly here.
Saturday & Sunday
September 26 · 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
September 27 · 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Saturday, September 26, 2026 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Experience Level
All-Levels, Beginning, Intermediate and AdvancedAge(s)
18-overOne Day Registration:
$30
Full Weekend Registration:
$60
Total Registration Cost:
$30 – $60
