Amid a landscape filled with screens and online connections, the Franciscan Life Process Center (FLPC) in Lowell, presents a unique and essential offering: an engaging, hands-on creative experience. Led by Art Director Kathleen Bechtel, a graduate of Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University, the FLPC’s 2025 art workshops invite artists of all skill levels to enhance their techniques, discover new methods, and reconnect with their inner selves and the artistic community around them.
A workshop lineup that inspires/challenges
This year, FLPC will host 40 multi-day workshops featuring nationally and internationally recognized instructors across various disciplines, including oil, watercolor, pastel, acrylic painting, children’s book illustration, monoprinting, and iconography. One of the hallmark events of the season, the Collective Series, brings together three contemporary painters — Scott Conary, Patrick Lee, and Jon Redmond — who specialize in an abstract realism style. Their four-day workshop in September will challenge participants to experiment with deconstruction and expand the boundaries of traditional representational painting.
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Photo by Tommy AllenFranciscan Life Process Center Art Director Kathleen Bechtel
“We pride ourselves on offering high-quality workshops for nearly every interest with world-class instructors from Michigan and beyond,” says Bechtel. “Each workshop offers meaningful connections in the art community, incredible inspiration, and hands-on learning. Participants learn from experienced artists who are eager to share not only their techniques but what gives soul to their work.”
The power of art in a screen-focused society
In an era when our lives are frequently mediated through screens, the significance of tactile, immersive experiences cannot be overstated. Bechtel regards the workshops as an antidote to contemporary life's fragmented attention spans.
“Creativity flourishes when people step away from distractions and engage fully with their materials,” she says. “When you’re painting, mixing colors, or working with pastels, you enter a state of mindfulness. It’s a way of slowing down and being present in a way that digital spaces rarely allow.”
The Lowell campus's rural location enriches this experience. Situated on a working farm with well-maintained trails and expansive landscapes, the campus of more than 200 acres offers a peaceful refuge for artists to immerse themselves in their work.
“Nature calms us,” Bechtel says. “I’ve seen so many students arrive stressed and leave transformed. Being surrounded by nature, away from the noise of daily life, allows them to truly immerse themselves in their work.”
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Courtesy Franciscan Life Process CenterThis year, FLPC will host 40 workshops featuring nationally and internationally recognized instructors across various disciplines, including oil, watercolor, pastel, acrylic painting, children’s book illustration, monoprinting, and iconography.
Art, design, and Michigan’s creative legacy
Rapid Growth's Designed in Michigan series explores the intersection of art and design, and FLPC’s workshops exemplify how artistic disciplines not only provide a solid arts foundation from which one can build but also promote a broader design thinking mindset, as many of these educational offerings push creatives beyond their comfort zones. Workshops on mono printing, children’s book illustration, and iconography bridge the gap between art and functional design, reinforcing Michigan’s long history of creative innovation.
“Design and fine art share a common foundation,” Bechtel says. “Every great artist understands composition, color theory, and form. These workshops give participants the tools to not just create beautiful pieces but to think critically about how their art functions within a larger context.”
Michigan has long been a hub for artistic and industrial design, from automotive craftsmanship in Detroit to contemporary furniture design innovations in West Michigan. Spaces like FLPC cultivate the next generation of creative minds by providing hands-on experiences that foster artistic expression and technical mastery.
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Courtesy Franciscan Life Process CenterMany FLPC workshop participants return year after year, forming lasting friendships and professional relationships.
A community built through creativity
One of the most remarkable aspects of FLPC’s workshops is the sense of community they foster. Many participants return year after year, forming lasting friendships and professional relationships. Bechtel recalls a group of watercolorists who met at a workshop led by artist Eric Michaels and continued taking classes together annually.
“These workshops are about more than just learning technique,” she says. “They create bonds that last well beyond the time spent in the studio.”
The intimate class sizes — capped at 15 participants — ensure that everyone receives personal attention from instructors. Advanced audiovisual technology allows students to follow demonstrations closely, enhancing their learning experience.
“We’ve had students tell us that attending a workshop here is a gift they give themselves,” Bechtel says. “It’s time dedicated to their own growth, creativity, and well-being.”
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Photo by Tommy Allen"At its core, it remains a space where artists — beginners or seasoned professionals — can gather together, learn, and be inspired," FLPC Art Director Kathleen Bechtel says.
Looking ahead
As FLPC enters another season of workshops, Bechtel remains committed to expanding the program’s reach while maintaining its high standards.
“We’ve grown so much over the past 11 years,” she says. “What started as a local initiative has become an internationally recognized program. But at its core, it remains a space where artists — beginners or seasoned professionals — can gather together, learn, and be inspired.”
For those looking to explore their creativity in a meaningful, hands-on way, the Franciscan Life Process Center’s 2025 workshops present an exciting opportunity. In a world that often pulls us in a hundred directions at once, FLPC offers a place to slow down, concentrate, and create — demonstrating that great design and great art begin with intention.
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To sign up for a class or to inquire about how a teaching artist can get on the radar of the Franciscan Life Process Center, please visit their
website.
Photos by Tommy Allen, except images of artists and classroom (currently under renovation) supplied the Franciscan Life Process Center
.
From furniture to shoes, from arts to education to even policy creation, design is everywhere you look. Designed in Michigan, a story series coming out of West Michigan, is devoted to sharing the expansive role design plays in Michigan's past, present and future. It is made possible through the support of Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University.