Greetings, fellow creatives! Meg here with a fresh batch of summer news, and real talk, the calendar is filling up in the best way.
Spring is doing its thing out there — the native plants are waking up, the light is getting long, and I am very much in my element. Let’s get into it.
New workshop alert: botanical gel printing is back — and it’s sliding scale
This one is close to my heart. On Friday, May 29th from 6–7:30pm at STEAM on Wheels, we’re doing Botanical Gel Plate Printing with Native Plants as part of the Translating Nature Workshop Series.
Here’s what I love about gel printing: every single print that comes off the plate is entirely yours. You can’t plan it. You can’t replicate it. The plants do half the work, and they do it beautifully.
In this session you’ll get a hands-on introduction to botanical gel printing using native plants from our region — learning what each species is, why it matters ecologically, and how to use it as a printmaking tool. You’ll work through several techniques and leave with up to five finished prints that couldn’t exist without the specific plants that made them. No printmaking experience needed.
This workshop runs on a sliding scale thanks to the generous support of the Quad City Arts Dollars$ Grant 2026. The lowest recommended contribution is $10, but give what you can. Those who contribute more make it possible for others to attend who might not otherwise be able to. Space is limited.
What else is coming up this summer
There is…a lot….happening and I want to make sure you have it all on your radar:
Adult 3D Modelling: Model a Plant Vessel Friday, April 24th | 6–7:30pm | STEAM on Wheels | Sliding scale from $5
Ever wanted to design something and then actually hold it in your hands? We’re using Tinkercad — free, beginner-friendly — to design a custom plant vessel from scratch. Your finished pot will be ready for pickup the following week, just in time to pot something you love. There are only 3 spots remaining, so don’t sleep on it.
Paper Engineering: Tunnel Books — Adult Class Saturday, June 13th | 2pm | Bettendorf Public Library | Free, drop-in
A 90-minute drop-in where you’ll learn the basics of paper engineering and use collage elements to build a miniature layered scene. You’ll leave with a finished piece and a technique you’ll want to use again. Show up early — supplies are first come, first served. Registration is open, but you can follow the event on Facebook if you please here.
Paper Engineering: Tunnel Books — Young Adults Wednesday, June 24th | 2pm | Bettendorf Public Library |
Free, drop-in Same format, same great technique — this session is geared toward the younger creative crowd. Bring your teens. Registration is open, but you can follow the event on Facebook if you please here.
Rooted in Place: Botanical Printmaking Retreat Saturday, June 27th | Full day | Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat, Wheatland, IA
This one is special. A full day of botanical printing and local ecology at a beautiful prairie retreat center — complete with lunch. You’ll explore local habitats, learn to identify native species, document your discoveries through multiple printing methods, and leave with a personalized field guide and the skills to continue this practice year-round. Perfect for gardeners, naturalists, botanical artists, and anyone ready to develop a deeper connection to this landscape.
Animation Exploration Camp @ The Family Museum Monday–Thursday, July 6th | 9:30am | Bettendorf, IA
Students create their own animations and explore a new style each day — frame by frame, pixel art, 2D digital, and video animation. Camp runs four days and students go home with multiple finished pieces. Registration is open online.
Botanical Gel Printing: Adults Saturday, July 25th | 2–3:30pm | Bettendorf Public Library | Free Registration opens July 3rd.
Click “Interested” on the event for live updates when tickets drop — this one will go fast.
Behind the scenes
If you’ve been following along on LinkedIn or YouTube, you may have caught a peek at the interactive nature app I’ve been building. A dark forest, glowing fireflies, generative soundscape, touch-responsive plants. It started as a painting I made — and now it lives on the web.
It’s part of a bigger idea I’m developing around no-code educational environmental apps: the kind of screen time you’d actually want a curious kid (or adult, honestly) to have. More on that soon. For now, you can play in the forest at the Studio 2 Digital Playground. Click here, or click the “Digital Playground” tab at the top of the Studio 2 Makings website.
A note on the Translating Nature Series
The May 29th botanical printing workshop is the second in our spring/summer run of the Translating Nature series, funded in part through Quad City Arts. These workshops are designed to be accessible — that’s the whole point of the sliding scale. If you’ve been curious but haven’t made it to one yet, this is a good entry point!
As always — newsletter subscribers hear about event drops first. Forward this to a friend who’d want to know, and I’ll see you out there.
Xo, Meg
Studio 2 Makings studio2makings@gmail.com | studio-2.org