Policies & FAQs

Register early! Workshops can fill quickly or may be canceled due to low enrollment. Please know that registration automatically closes about one week prior to the beginning of each workshop and 24 hours before Studio Labs (72 hours before Marbling Lab).

Online

Registering online is the quickest way to reserve a spot in a workshop or Studio Lab. We strongly encourage you to create an account when registering online at checkout if you do not have one already. You must sign in to receive membership and applicable workshop discounts.

By phone

To register by phone, call (612) 215-2521. If a staff member isn’t available to take your call, please leave a message including your name, phone number, email address, and the workshop(s) you’d like to take. Registration is not complete until a full payment of both tuition and materials fees has been received.

Gift certificates

To register with a gift certificate, call (612) 215-2521 or email workshops@mnbookarts.org. If a staff member isn’t available to take your call, please leave a message including your name, phone number, email address, the workshop(s) you’d like to take, and the gift certificate number. Registration is not complete until a full payment of both tuition and materials fee have been received.

Requests to withdraw from a workshop or Studio Lab* can be processed by calling (612) 215-2521. If a staff member isn’t available to take your call, please leave a message including your name, phone number, email address, and the workshop you’d like to withdraw from.

• Withdrawals 15 or more days before the beginning of a workshop will receive a full refund of tuition and materials fee, minus a $25 processing charge.

• Withdrawals 4-14 days prior to the workshop will receive a 50% refund of tuition, minus a $25 processing charge. Materials fees for workshops cannot be refunded 14 days or fewer prior to the workshop since materials are being prepared and shipped (for virtual workshops) during this time.

• No refunds are possible for withdrawals 3 or fewer days in advance of the first day of class, or for no-shows.

• Withdrawals from a Studio Lab* requested 48 hours or more in advance will receive a full refund.

• Registrations are non-transferable and MCBA does not issue credits.

• Exceptions to this policy may be possible to prevent the spread of contagious illness. Contact Workshop Manager, Kirsten Olson at (612) 215-2521 or workshops@mnbookarts.org.

While MCBA makes every effort to ensure workshops run as scheduled, MCBA reserves the right to cancel a workshop if enrollment has not reached the required minimum. Registrants will be notified via email if a workshop is canceled at least three days before the start date. Registered participants will receive a full refund of tuition and materials fee.

On rare occasions, workshops are canceled due to inclement weather for the safety of staff, teaching artists, and participants. If MCBA closes or workshops are canceled, a notice will be posted on our website and participants will be notified by phone and email. We make decisions about whether or not to cancel workshops based on conversations with Open Book partners and by watching local universities for cancellations. An announcement on MCBA’s website will confirm cancellations by 3pm weekdays and 8:30am on weekends. When MCBA cancels a workshop due to severe weather, the workshop will either be rescheduled or participants will be refunded in full.

It is the participant’s responsibility to attend each session of a multi-session workshop and to manage personal scheduling conflicts. MCBA and MCBA instructors do not offer make-up sessions or phone/email consultations for any missed workshop session. Participants are encouraged to return and participate (as is possible) for the duration of the workshop, but may not be able to finish the project. If you find that you are not able to attend a workshop, please see the cancellation policy above (under “Can I cancel my registration?”).

Participants who would like one-to-one instruction to learn what they missed in a workshop may submit a request for a private tutorial (pending instructor availability). Please know that the tutorial may not be scheduled until after the multi-session workshop ends.

Materials fees are part of the registration fee for most in-person workshops. Materials fees cover materials you will use during the workshop (paper, linoleum blocks, book board, etc.) and expendable studio supplies (solvents, rags, safety supplies, small tools, etc.). Tax is applied to materials fees. Some virtual workshops include a materials fee when kits of materials are mailed to participants (shipping available within the US only). The fee covers materials included in the kit as well and shipping within the United States.

To register for an adult workshop, individuals must be 18 years of age or older. A youth under the age of 18 may attend an adult workshop with a parent or guardian who is also registered to attend the workshop, but the youth must be 15 or older. Adult workshops are designed for adult participants and Teaching Artists have limited time for one-to-one support. It is expected that adults attending adult workshops with a youth participant are responsible for their youth's behavior and any additional support their youth may need during the workshop.

Since many MCBA workshops require participants to work in pairs, each youth participant must register with a dedicated adult participant. For adults who want to register with two youth participants, reach out to MCBA’s Workshop Manager for approval before registering.

Family workshops are for children to attend with adults. Youth workshops are designed for kids to participate with other kids. For youth workshops, we ask that parents and guardians drop off and pick up youth promptly as we do not have staff available to supervise participants outside of the scheduled workshop time.