Creative Gift Making with Tanya Herrera

Come to Downtown SF for an afternoon of art making with Bay Area artist Tanya Herrera. In this creative workshop, you’ll get to design and craft your own holiday cards, ornaments, and small art gifts using collage, mixed media, and drawing materials. All supplies are provided—just bring your curiosity and a willingness to experiment.

Tanya will guide participants through approachable techniques suitable for all skill levels, offering tips and inspiration along the way. It’s a chance to slow down, make something meaningful, and connect with neighbors in a relaxed, supportive setting. Whether you come solo or with a friend, you’ll leave with handmade pieces that come from the heart.

Free; donations to support KALW’s community programs are welcome.
Space is limited—reserve your spot today!

Born and raised in the Bay Area in 1984 as a first-generation Costa Rican American, Tanya Herrera has been fascinated with creating for as long as she can remember. With knowledge of more than 40 artistic mediums, she has explored a wide range of traditional and contemporary practices since childhood. Her journey with pyrography began at age 10, inspired by Costa Rican artisans, and became a central focus in 2008 when she began burning on wood, later expanding to leather in 2013 and bone in 2015.

In 2016, Herrera pioneered “Fire Stenciling” and “Fire Drawing,” a chemical burn method that mirrors the aesthetic of painted or stenciled work while embracing a striking monochromatic finish. Her most recent exploration is a series of heat-molded vinyl records, embellished with gold, copper, or silver leaf and finished with a protective resin coat.

Herrera’s practice is rooted in reviving antique techniques for a modern age while emphasizing sustainability through the repurposing of materials. Each piece she births reflects her evolving talent, building on skills handed down through ancestry, creating every piece to reflect the rarity that is her.

Follow me on social media!

General Art Page:@TanyaHerrera.O.R.C

Adult Art Classes for Beginners:@PuffandCreate.SF

Cat Themed Burned Wooden Jewelry:@MeowBitchSF

Your RSVP includes admission to Mission Grafica: The Public's Voice, a collaborative art exhibition produced with the Mission Cultual Center for Latino Arts. tracing the evolution of social justice movements in the Bay Area. Through posters and prints — many produced in MCCLA’s community print studio — the show is a living timeline of how Bay Area artists have responded to power, injustice, and change for generations.

There is a $10 - $20 sliding scale suggested donation for this event. Nobody will be turned away for lack of funds.

Please become a KALW member today and receive your first drink on us at all 220 Montgomery events.

KALW Public Media is not just a radio station — it’s an experiment in what public media should be. Based in the Bay Area, KALW serves as a catalyst for civic engagement, a home for groundbreaking storytelling, and a training ground for the next generation of media-makers.

We exist to ignite conversation, nurture new voices, challenge conventions, and empower communities to strive for and celebrate a better world. Through music, journalism, live events, and a deep commitment to inclusion and innovation, KALW amplifies stories that shape the future of democracy, justice, and belonging.

Live, free, and open to the public, KALW’s 220 Montgomery event studio and art gallery reinvented a long dormant storefront as a thriving culture hub as part of the Vacant to Vibrant program’s first cohort in 2023. Since moving downtown, we’ve hosted more than 150 live events serving thousands of people and become a key contributor to downtown revitalization programs.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher KALW Public Media