Tag: art

Tickets for this event will be made available soon.

Explore the art of scent and design in this two-part hands-on workshop led by Gallery Box! Participants will sample a curated selection of fragrance notes and blend their own personalized spray perfume, then decorate a vanity tray using pressed florals, decorative papers, and decoupage techniques. No previous experience is needed, and each participant will leave with their custom fragrance and finished tray.

This workshop is suitable for complete beginners and returning artists alike. Each participant leaves with a hand-drawn mandala on paper. All materials are provided.

Need to Know:

• This workshop will take place outdoors at the Hub Stage, with a backup space in MAA Nixie’s clubroom in the case of unsuitable weather conditions.
• This workshop is best suited for young adults to older adults, ages 14 and up. Basic use and control over a ruler and protractor is required.

About the Artist: 

This workshop is led by Ami Patel, artist and founder of Gallery Box, an organization dedicated to making art more accessible through interactive, artist-led workshops. Gallery Box brings creative experiences directly to communities, ensuring people of all ages and skill levels can explore their artistic side in a fun, welcoming environment. Beyond workshops, Gallery Box works to uplift and support underrepresented artists, helping them develop their own workshops and connect with opportunities to lead events.

About Made by You:
Each month, Hub RTP partners with a talented local artist to bring you an intimate, hands-on workshop experience. You’ll explore a new art medium, create something beautiful to take home, and connect directly with the featured artist as they share their inspiration and process. Join us for one—or all—of these creative sessions, each offering a fresh opportunity to learn, make, and be inspired.

Note: By registering and participating in this event, you consent to the recording of your likeness, image, and/or voice and authorize Hub RTP to use photographs,

Made by you: Mindful Mandala is a guided introduction to drawing mandalas from scratch, led by artist and designer Saudamini Madra. In this workshop, you’ll practice a mindfulness and quality of attention that makes work feel steady rather than hurried. You’ll learn about the geometry of the Mandala art form, and using a radial grid to develop patterned sequences from the center out, ring by ring.

The pace of this workshop is deliberate. You’ll have time to notice what you are making as you make it. By drawing outward from a single point and repeating a mark until it becomes familiar, you’ll carry with you a greater sense of quiet the rest of the day. At some point in the session, the marks stop requiring the same effort they did at the start. The hand finds the next arc before the mind asks for it. You finish with a piece on paper and the particular stillness that comes from having been fully occupied.

About the Mandala Art Form: The structure is not new. The underlying grid is sacred geometry in its simplest form: a circle divided into equal arcs, each ring spaced outward from the same fixed point. That same symmetry, alongside floral motifs, has been carved into Hindu temple walls and Mughal architecture across India for centuries, and Saudamini grew up surrounded by those forms. Her own mandalas draw on that same vocabulary, weaving botanical and landscape motifs into the geometric structure of each piece.

What began as a daily drawing practice in 2017 became Saudamini’s full-time studio work in 2020. She describes the transition not as a departure but as a return, to slowness, to pattern, and to work that asks for full presence.

This workshop is suitable for complete beginners and returning artists alike. Each participant leaves with a hand-drawn mandala on paper. All materials are provided.

Need to Know:

• This workshop will take place indoors at MAA Nixie inside their clubroom
• This workshop is best suited for young adults to older adults, ages 14 and up. Basic use and control over a ruler and protractor is required.

About the Artist: 

Saudamini Madra is a mandala artist and designer whose work blends precision with vibrant patterns. Born in Delhi, India and now based in Durham, she draws from the architectural grids, textiles, and contemplative traditions that shaped her visual sensibilities. Her hand-drawn mandalas are recognized for their fine linework and symmetry.

Her practice has grown to a global community of over 200,000 followers across social media platforms, through local fine art festivals and brand collaborations, including partnerships with Adobe, Google, Deep Indian Kitchen, and Sakura of America. Alongside her studio work, Saudamini explores how mandalas serve as both intricate artworks and meditative processes.

In recent years, she has expanded her practice to include workshops that introduce mandala-making as a mindful creative ritual. These sessions emphasize symmetry, presence, and curiosity rather than perfection, offering participants the therapeutic benefits of slow drawing and geometric play. Saudamini’s current focus is helping others discover the joy of creating mandalas.

About Made by You:
Each month, Hub RTP partners with a talented local artist to bring you an intimate, hands-on workshop experience. You’ll explore a new art medium, create something beautiful to take home, and connect directly with the featured artist as they share their inspiration and process. Join us for one—or all—of these creative sessions, each offering a fresh opportunity to learn, make, and be inspired.

Note: By registering and participating in this event, you consent to the recording of your likeness, image, and/or voice and authorize Hub RTP to use photographs,

Made by you: Mindful Mandala is a guided introduction to drawing mandalas from scratch, led by artist and designer Saudamini Madra. In this workshop, you’ll practice a mindfulness and quality of attention that makes work feel steady rather than hurried. You’ll learn about the geometry of the Mandala art form, and using a radial grid to develop patterned sequences from the center out, ring by ring.

The pace of this workshop is deliberate. You’ll have time to notice what you are making as you make it. By drawing outward from a single point and repeating a mark until it becomes familiar, you’ll carry with you a greater sense of quiet the rest of the day. At some point in the session, the marks stop requiring the same effort they did at the start. The hand finds the next arc before the mind asks for it. You finish with a piece on paper and the particular stillness that comes from having been fully occupied.

About the Mandala Art Form: The structure is not new. The underlying grid is sacred geometry in its simplest form: a circle divided into equal arcs, each ring spaced outward from the same fixed point. That same symmetry, alongside floral motifs, has been carved into Hindu temple walls and Mughal architecture across India for centuries, and Saudamini grew up surrounded by those forms. Her own mandalas draw on that same vocabulary, weaving botanical and landscape motifs into the geometric structure of each piece.

What began as a daily drawing practice in 2017 became Saudamini’s full-time studio work in 2020. She describes the transition not as a departure but as a return, to slowness, to pattern, and to work that asks for full presence.

This workshop is suitable for complete beginners and returning artists alike. Each participant leaves with a hand-drawn mandala on paper. All materials are provided.

Need to Know:

• This workshop will take place indoors at MAA Nixie inside their clubroom
• This workshop is best suited for young adults to older adults, ages 14 and up. Basic use and control over a ruler and protractor is required.

About the Artist: 

Saudamini Madra is a mandala artist and designer whose work blends precision with vibrant patterns. Born in Delhi, India and now based in Durham, she draws from the architectural grids, textiles, and contemplative traditions that shaped her visual sensibilities. Her hand-drawn mandalas are recognized for their fine linework and symmetry.

Her practice has grown to a global community of over 200,000 followers across social media platforms, through local fine art festivals and brand collaborations, including partnerships with Adobe, Google, Deep Indian Kitchen, and Sakura of America. Alongside her studio work, Saudamini explores how mandalas serve as both intricate artworks and meditative processes.

In recent years, she has expanded her practice to include workshops that introduce mandala-making as a mindful creative ritual. These sessions emphasize symmetry, presence, and curiosity rather than perfection, offering participants the therapeutic benefits of slow drawing and geometric play. Saudamini’s current focus is helping others discover the joy of creating mandalas.

About Made by You:
Each month, Hub RTP partners with a talented local artist to bring you an intimate, hands-on workshop experience. You’ll explore a new art medium, create something beautiful to take home, and connect directly with the featured artist as they share their inspiration and process. Join us for one—or all—of these creative sessions, each offering a fresh opportunity to learn, make, and be inspired.

Note: By registering and participating in this event, you consent to the recording of your likeness, image, and/or voice and authorize Hub RTP to use photographs,