CAMBRIDGE – January at DCA offers new classes, workshops and exhibits as well as returning favorites. The H. Theodore & Barbara S. Wilson Gallery, the Graham & Judy Slaughter Hall Gallery, and the Main Gallery will all feature the work of youth from the E.L Haynes Public Charter School in Washington, D.C., guest curated by Deborah Johnson. Featured will be dozens of agamograph works.

An agamograph is an art form that uses optical illusion to create artwork that changes when you look at it from different angles. An Israeli artist named Yaacov Agam developed this kinetic art style around 1953.

Depending on the position of the viewer, a single work shapeshifts between several compositions, producing holograms. “My intention was to create a work of art which would transcend the visible, which cannot be perceived except in stages,” Agam said of these works.

The exhibit will open on Jan. 5, 2024, and run through Jan. 30. A second Saturday reception will be held Jan. 13.

In the classroom, new classes beginning in January include “Abstract Interpretations: Gouache or Acrylic with Abby Ober.” Students in this six-week class will work in a limited palette to create small contemporary works. It will be held Fridays beginning Jan. 5, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Ober will also offer a one-day workshop “Abstracted Landscapes in Acrylic or Oil,” which will explore ways to abstract a landscape from the student’s own image on Jan. 13, 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

“Drawing for Beginners with Naomi Clark-Turner” will begin Jan. 21, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. This four-week class will teach the essential skills – line, value, perspective, etc.

Returning instructor Jan Boettger will offer two classes in stained glass for both beginners and intermediates. These 10-week classes will teach the techniques for creating a stained-glass panel. Two classes, Tuesdays beginning Jan. 9, 4-6 p.m. and 6 p.m.-8 p.m.

Open Mic returns for the season Jan. 9, 6-9 p.m., with guest host Sam Pugh. Free, all are welcome. Open Mic is sponsored by Crosby & Associates and Marianne Styles Music.

For more information on other activities and events at DCA, stop by 321 High St., call 410-228-7782 or visit online at dorchesterarts.org. DCA will be closed for the holidays Dec. 24-Jan. 1.

Programs are supported by the Maryland State Arts Council. Find us on Facebook.