We get this a lot, even though we’ve never really closed. Our organization was founded in 1856, and with the exception of a short strategic pause in 2009, we have been continuously in operation ever since! Yes, we are open and welcome the public to visit, take classes, shop, and enjoy our exhibits and events.
The Worcester State Foundation worked with the Board of the Worcester Center for Crafts in 2009 to make sure that this valuable community asset would not close. An affiliation agreement was created that set the Worcester Center for Crafts on a path of financial stability, kept it open as an independent 501.c.3 organization, and placed most of the University’s visual arts classes in studios at the Crafts Center.
Today, the Worcester Center for Crafts has a governing, volunteer Board of Directors and its assets are held in trust for the public (as all nonprofits are) by its corporation. In our case, our corporation has one member—the Worcester State University Foundation. We are grateful to the Worcester State University Foundation and to the University for their Vision of a community organization that can serve the public while assisting the University accomplish its mission of educating our young people.
Yes! We understand how difficult parking can be to find in Worcester, which is why we make sure to always have free, ample, on-site parking.
GIFT CARDS
To register with a gift card, you must do so with the Registration Office either in person or over the phone (508) 753-8183 ext. 301. Please have gift card(s) on hand at time of registration and be prepared to present gift card number(s) on the back of the card(s).
Yes! You may opt to register online and pay fully with a credit card. Upon registering, you are welcome to email or call the Registration Office (508-753-8183 ext.301) after making your registration, to apply your gift card towards your recent registration. Please be prepared to present the gift card number on the back of your card. Your card balance would be verified by the office, applied to your existing registration, and then an equivalent balance would be refunded to the cred it card used at the time of your online enrollment. We can do this for any current or upcoming registration, but not for registrations for classes that have already passed.
Craft Center gift cards are only available for purchase through our Gallery Store, and are valid for use for both purchases in the Store as well as for course registrations. We do not currently sell digital gift cards or gift certificates and do not utilize third party sites to do so.
You are welcome to visit or call the Store during their business hours to make your purchase. Their number is 508-753.8183 ext. 305. They will be able to mail the gift card to any address of your choosing.
If you need a sense of the cost of our classes when applying a balance to a gift card, please visit our Registration Page to review our available offerings and their related costs.
Please note to your gift recipient that registrations made with gift cards must be done with the Registration Office directly in-person or over the phone (508-753-8183 ext.301) as our online registration system is not set up as this time to accept gift card payments.
CLASSES & PROGRAMS
No. Classes at the Crafts Center are open to the public. There is a fee for classes but anyone can register.
No. At this time, we do not have offer discounted rates on our regular community programs.
To cancel your registration, you must submit your request in writing via email to wccregistration@worcester.edu. Please review our cancellation policies to see whether your request meets our policy terms. There is no option available to request a cancellation through your online student account on the Registration Page.
Our policy is to define adults as 18 years and older. We do make exceptions to this definition but only with the Department Head’s approval on each individual case. Our goal is to create the best learning environment for all of our students.
To inquire about an exception, please email wccregistration@worcester.edu with your inquiry, which will need to be approved by the appropriate Department Head and instructor before enrollment is permitted. When exceptions are granted, a waiver form will be emailed to the guardian. In most cases of youth participation in adult offerings, we also encourage parents/guardians to register alongside their young student or to attend as a supervising non-participant.
To maintain student safety during COVID-19, no exceptions will be made to the age cut-off policy for adult programs.
The Craft Center reserves the right to cancel a course for any reason including insufficient enrollment within the cancellation windows stipulated in our cancellation policies.
Students are issued a “Course Reminder” email from the Registration Office via wccregistration@worcester.edu when the course is confirmed to run. They are issued a “Cancellation Notification” email from the Registration Office via wccregistration@worcester.edu when the course is cancelled. In general, these emails are issued between 2-5 business days of your course’s scheduled start date. Please check your email, including your Spam and Promotions email account folders for this message, and please be sure to whitelist wccregistration@worcester.edu in your Contacts list to make sure you receive our communications accordingly.
Online course registration often closes for courses online a few days in advance of the course’s start date. Please do not panic if you no longer see the course listed on our Registration Page. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to email us at wccregistration@worcester.edu or call us at 508-753-8183 ext.301 during our registration support hours.
If you need to contact your instructor about questions or an absence, you may often be able to find their contact information here.
Currently, our craft disciplines are GLASS, CERAMICS, PHOTOGRAPHY & METALS. Subscribe to our e-newsletter by clicking “Join the List” in the subscription box below and you’ll be informed of any changes we make to our offerings. We occasionally offer short-term educational opportunities in fibers such as special topic weekend workshops.
In general, we do not offer repair services.