Get schooled: 10 killer classes to take in Brooklyn this fall

Oh the things you'll learn at the Brooklyn Kitchen. via Facebook — Oh the things you’ll learn at the Brooklyn Kitchen. via Facebook

Remember how cool you used to feel singing along to Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out” at the end of the school year? It’s not cool in retrospect, right? What, with all the awesome knowledge out there. Don’t worry. Brooklyn is stuffed full of classes you can take this fall if you’re feeling the back-to-school itch, but didn’t get accepted into that Twitter undergrad program you were so excited about. We’ve gone through those classes on your behalf to get you the low-down on some rad things to learn, like becoming a master chef, producing web casts and even faking your own death.
Food of the Dead: A Culinary History of Funeral Food at Brooklyn Brainery in Prospect Heights. This alt-ed center is is hitting its creative stride right now, and reliably offers courses on conversational topics that are evergreen in our fair borough (so if you already know about all funeral food, maybe check out their course on the history of the DJ or their survey course on punk rock), so if you’re worried of running out of things to talk about on your next OKC date, consider looking the Brainery up!

Cooking From the Masters: Julia Child Dinner Class at Brooklyn Kitchen. The Williamsburg storefront and kitchen is the brainchild of two amateur foodies who needed an outlet for their cooking habit, and they’ve been very responsive to the educational needs of their community. If you’re a part of the community that wishes they could cook like Julia Child but are too intimidated to pick up a spatula, here’s the class for you. Brooklyn Kitchen classes run a bit steep for your average brokester, but they definitely know how to pick their subject matter to make it worthwhile for the food-curious: in addition to hosting some of the Masters of Social Gastronomy lectures, they can teach you have to make everything from kimchi to doughnuts. Stop by sometime!

Intro to PhotoShop at 3rd Ward. This East Williamsburg art hub has the best interests of weirdo creative professionals at heart. Even though PhotoShop classes are a dime a dozen in this strange times, we’re guessing that their intro to the program is going to be a cut above other options out there. 3rd Ward has plenty of resources for someone who’s trying to pick up the skills that are at the foundation of modern freelance business; also make sure keep an eye on their events calendar for free and cheap events like their annual pig roast, freelancer networking events, and weeknight drink ‘n draw socials.

Web Video Production at BRIC arts. The Celebrate Brooklyn organizers want to teach you how to run your own TV show! After going through an orientation session, they can teach you everything you need to know to use the resources available at their Community Media Center to create anything from a hard-hitting investigative documentary about your block to another webisode of your vlog. Think more Newsroom and less Wayne’s World. Excellent!

The Lost Lit Writer’s Workshop at Grumpy Bert. If you are a writer in need of a writing workshop, we think you might be able to get down with this small-batch class, which is an affiliate of the Amherst Writers & Artists method. It takes place in Boerum Hill for 6 weeks each season; the next one starts October 17, so you have some time to get organized for it before it starts.

Tamale and Salsa-making at Brooklyn Artery. This family-friendly Ditmas Park community art space will be instructing novices on how to make delicious treats from South of the Border this fall. If you babysit, consider bringing the kids by for a toy design class or a halloween mask-making session on a rainy day.

Pumkpkin-Hacking at NYCResistor. Whether you’re white-hat, black-hat or grey-hat like most of us are in this complex world, this Park Slope techie collective is a good go-to for all of your gadget knowledge cravings: but who has time for gadgets when you need to spook your friends for Halloween with the perfect creepy carved pumpkin? You might not know how to now, but you’ll learn if sign up for this Halloween-ready course!

Silence of the Lambs-Themed Life Drawing Class at Dr. Sketchy’s. Figure-drawing classes at this ‘anti-art school’ founded by VICE columnist Molly Crabapple, are far from conventional: photos from a recent event show an audience full of sketchpads and boozy beverages studying a girl in a Sailor Moon cosplay costume.

Faking Your Own Death at the Pioneer Works Center for Art and Innovation. Operated out of the old Pioneer Iron Works Factory in Red Hook, Pioneer Works is as much an artistic project itself as it is a space for art, and it shows in the kind of classes the center offers. In addition to faking your own death (which sounds like something out of a Paul Auster novel to us), there are plenty of other courses that kind of sound like they could the next big thing in postmodern lit; our favorite examples include Higher Spatial Dimensions & Other Scientific Extravagances, Tiny Paper Robots: An Introduction to Muscle Wire, Fire in the Bowl: Hot Drinks for Long Nights, and What is Wood?

Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy at the School of Making Thinking. In case you’ve been feeling like your creative process isn’t introspective enough, this Williamsburg-based “artist/thinker residency program, experimental college and nomadic investigation in intentional living” is offering a group therapy session that goes for 10 weeks starting October 5. We’re guessing it’s cheaper than your other therapy options, and who knows, maybe you’ll even get some art out of it!