3rd Ward Has Some Really Cool Classes

Brooklyn-based 3rd Ward, which is opening a second location in Northern Liberties this summer, differs from many coworking spaces because it offers instructional classes to both guests and members on everything from culinary skills to woodworking.

"It's interesting because when I met Jason [Goodman], who owns 3rd Ward, for the first time, he said, 'Why Philadelphia?'" said David Belt of design firm Macro-Sea, who partnered with 3rd Ward to make the move. "I said, 'There are lots of people into what you would call the creative process in Philadelphia — lots of art schools and students.'"

"Jason said, 'I started 3rd Ward because I hate the term 'creative class.' I want everyone to come do things – not just artists, but general members of the public, too, who want to do something besides go to bars.'"

"And a lot of people may not want to take a college class, but want to learn something - Photoshop, Illustrator, how to cook - this is a great way for them to do that," Belt said.

3rd Ward has said that classes in Philly will be similar to those at their flagship location and will include wood and metalworking, screenprinting and jewelry-making. In addition, the new location will have expanded workspace for fashion and textile training, culinary skills and circuitry.

Some other cool classes in Brooklyn that we hope may make an appearance here?

Cardboard furniture making: "Cardboard may not be the first material that comes to mind when imagining high concept furniture, but if properly constructed and finished, cardboard can do the job and last a lifetime."

Finding Funding: Grants, Fellowships & Other Forms of Hidden Treasure: "This hands-on workshop covers the grant-seeking process from start to finish. Topics include research, submission management, and stewardship. This class is for both newcomers and those with prior grant-writing experience."

Bike Sculpture: "Explore creative uses of bicycle-generated energy. We'll review past innovations, current trends and future potentials of the relationship between human and bicycle."

Intro to Makeup: "Time to stop trusting biased department store clerks; instead, learn to work with the makeup you already own while achieving fabulous results."

How to Homebrew Beer: This class will be a hands-on guide through every step of your first batch of beer, from conception to consumption."

Night Welding: Intro to the Metal Shop: "This course will cover the use of all the tools in the metal shop ... We guarantee at the end of this three week course, you will feel like more of a bad ass."

Chickens in the City: Fresh Eggs in Your Fridge:It is perfectly legal to raise your own hens in the city. You will learn how to warm your neighbors to the idea, choose a coop plan, select and order chicks, what to feed your birds, handle hens and much more."

Physical Computing with Arduino: "Ever wondered how to make a giant cube of LED lights, a custom controller for your VJ or DJ application, or maybe your own robot?"

Yes, yes we have. And we hope to learn soon. Because that laundry-doing, fridge-cleaning, waiting-in-line-at-the-post-office-to-pick-up-packages-for-us robot isn't going to built itself.