Online Courses - Help and FAQs
How to Register Yourself or Someone Else for a Class
Add any paid or free class to your cart and complete checkout — you’re registered!
Purchase a Gift Card to let someone else register themselves or if you purchase a class for them on your account, please contact martha@winslowartcenter.com after checkout is complete to switch the registration to another account.
Create an Account
The first time you register for any class at Winslow Art Center, an account is created.
You’ll need this account to access your online class materials, zoom link, message board and recordings.
Change Your Password
Our site sends emails out within seconds but it can take 10-20 minutes for emails to be delivered by large mailservers like icloud or gmail.
Each successive password reset email invalidates a previous reset link, so if you request several password reset emails, you have to wait for the final one to arrive to work properly.
We recommend waiting at least 10 minutes (20 minutes for gmail addresses) and also checking your junk folder before requesting another email link that will send a new email and invalidate any previous links sent.
If you’re already signed-in, you can bypass the reset email and change your password from your Manage Account page.
Martha can set a temporary password. Please text or phone 206-715-6663 if you need urgent help to get signed in at the time of your class.
Sign In and Manage your Account
Click the round avatar in the top right to sign in, sign out and manage your account. From your Account Dashboard, you can access classes you’ve registered for, view your orders, manage subscriptions and gift cards, change your email, billing address and payment method, edit your profile, change your avatar, reset your password, view bookmarks and more.
When you’re logged in, your profile photo will appear in the menu bar.
Your profile photo will also appear along with all your posts in your online class message boards.
Everyone is assigned this default avatar before personalizing their profile photo.
If you see this, you’re not logged in.
Personalize your Avatar/Profile Photo
Click the button above or follow these steps:
1. Click the round avatar Manage Account button in the top right corner.
2. Click Edit Profile
3. Click Profile Photo
4. Drag and drop or use the file menu option to browse your computer to chose a new avatar.
Find your class Zoom link, Recordings and Message Board
By Email
Zoom and recording links are emailed to students approximately 5-7 days before the first session of a class and no later than the night before the first class.
On our Website
Zoom links are posted on your class pages no later than the night before the first class.
Recordings are posted within 24 hours after a class.
Click “Online Classrooms” in the middle of the site header (or in the middle of the expanded ‘hamburger’ menu on a phone) to find a listing of your classes.
If your online class has a private message board, it will be the landing page for your class. If your class does not have a message board, the recording page will be the landing page for your class.
Infographic
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Click “Online Classrooms” in the center of the header (or middle of the expanded hamburger drop-down menu on a phone) 1.1 If you are not logged in, the login screen will appear and after you are logged in, you will be directed to the page with all the classes as shown in stage 2.
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Click on your class icon or title.
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Find Zoom, supply list and recording links near the top of the message board page.
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Post!
How to Get Help
Urgent help at the time of your class
Martha and dedicated class monitors are on duty during all class times. Please phone or text Martha for urgent help at the time of your class.
206-715-6663
Help with Classes and Orders within one day
Please email or use the form below and we will reply promptly, usually within one business day.
martha@winslowartcenter.com
Help Request Form
Message Board Help
Martha or a dedicated class monitor will be available to answer any questions about how to use the message boards before and after the first session of a class.
For online help using the message boards please visit our Message Board Help page.
Please do not leave help requests in class message boards
Message boards are for class-related instructor and student communications. Our admin and support team don’t check them for administrative or technical help requests.
Winslow Art Center Gallery Selection
Zoom Help
The first session of each class starts 30 minutes early in case anyone needs help with Zoom. We can’t use class time to help with Zoom, so please come early to the first class if you think you might need assistance. Martha or the class monitor will give a quick run through of how to use Zoom right before the start of the first class and there will be time for technical Q&A immediately after the first class as well. Martha will assist anyone privately who needs help during class.
Visit Zoom’s Help Pages for installation and usage instructions.
To screen share an image on Zoom, you have to have the image you want to share on the same device that you are using for the Zoom meeting. (ie if you are using zoom on your laptop, you can’t screen share a photo that is on only your phone.). Have the window or image you want to share open before you click Share Screen on Zoom.
To get photos from your phone or camera to your laptop, there are many ways including Photos, AirDrop, SMS, iMessages or emailing yourself. If you are using Zoom on an iPad, you should be able to share any photo that is on your iPad.
For Zoom’s Audio, Video and Sharing Instructions, please click here.
We ask that you please mute yourself while on Zoom when you are not speaking because background noises cause audio and Speaker View visual interference.
Desktop Zoom Controls
You must hover your mouse over the zoom window to get these controls to appear.
Speaker View: See the speaker large (as opposed to gallery view which shows all participants in thumbnail size.)
Mute: Click to turn your own microphone off. Please keep yourself muted except to speak or else background noises can easily and inadvertantly interrupt the class.
Stop Video: Turn your own video off if you don’t wish to be seen. Turning off your video can sometimes help if you have a slow connection.
Chat: Opens the chat window so you can send and read messages from everyone. When a screen share starts you may need to click chat again to get the chat window back.
Contact Tech-Support
If you have an urgent problem at the time of your class, please phone or text Martha at 206-715-6663.
If you experience an error message or unexpected result, please email techsupport@winslowartcenter.com including screen shots if possible and a description of the error and what you were doing when you encountered it. Please include specifics such as what page you were on, what link you clicked, etc. We will get back to you promptly.
Technique Takeaways
Q: Why does a past Technique Takeaway show as a "subscription" for two months?
A: It's a one-time charge that grants access for two months and then does not renew.
How to see if your subscription is going to end or renew:
- Click your avatar (sign in if needed)
- Click Subscriptions
- A dash (-) under Next Payment means the subscription is ending and will not renew.
Subscriptions
How to see when your subscription is going renew.
How to cancel, change payment card or use a gift card for a subscription
- Click your avatar to get to your Account Dashboard
- Click Subscriptions
- Click View next to the subscription you want to manage
- Toggle this to pay with a gift card balance that has been applied to your account
- Click Cancel to stop an automatic renewal. After clicking the cancel button, the subscription will show as “pending cancellation” until the end of the billing cycle. Your access to the group and recordings will continue until the end of the billing cycle.
- Click to change payments to a different Credit Card
Please contact us if you have questions or need assistance to manage or cancel a subscription.
Pay Pal does not work for subscriptions and will not appear as an option at checkout if you have a Past Technique Takeaway or any subscription product in your cart.
How to switch a 52 Art Rules subscription
Please contact us if you’d like to switch from one option to the other. Pro-rated credit will be given when switching to Lessons Plus Community and can be done at any time. No credit is given when switching to Lessons Only and should be done near the end of the billing cycle.
Store Credit
Introducing our new Store Credits! You can view your store credit balance here (soon to be linked to the my account dashboard).
If you have Store Credit, there will be a checkbox on the checkout page to apply store credit.
Manage emails from Winslow Art Center
MAILING LIST EMAILS: Our newsletter emails all have an unsubscribe link in the email footer so you can unsubscribe at any time.
TRANSACTIONAL EMAILS: After you register for a class you will receive emails specific to your class with important information such as Zoom links and class notices. You can’t unsubscribe from these emails as they are needed to participate in your class.
CLASS MESSAGE BOARD AUTOMATED EMAILS: When someone replies to your post in a class message board or mentions you with @ and your username, you receive an email to let you know. Click here to select your message board email preferences.
Are all the classes live in real time?
Live, real-time classes are our specialty! All our online courses are offered first live using Zoom so you interact with your instructor and use a private message board to post work for critiques or discuss questions and give and receive feedback with fellow students between live sessions.
Are live classes recorded?
Live courses are recorded and available to watch as many times as you like for at least two months after the course has ended. If an instructor does not want classes recorded, we defer to instructor preferences. If a class is not being recorded that will be clearly specified in the class description.
How long are the class groups and recordings available after a class ends?
You will be able to access your message board and watch class recordings as many times as you like for at least two months after the course has ended.
Message boards, including all posts and images of student work, are deleted from our servers after they expire unless they are part of a free group, ongoing group or so noted in the class description. Please screenshot any comments or parts of the message board that you would like to keep within 60 days after the last day of a class.
Do you sell pre-recorded videos?
Yes, we sell selected introductory courses and Technique Takeaway recordings. Click HERE to view recorded classes for sale.
Do you offer free classes?
We have several free live-over-Zoom festivals every year and a weekly free live-over-Zoom Art Chat with Martha and different instructors and artists each Thursday morning. Sign up for the mailing list if you’d like to be notified about our upcoming festivals and live events. We have a growing archive of free class recordings and Art Chat recordings — all free!
When is the next free festival?
Spring Fling Festival April 4-7, 2024. Sign up for the mailing list to be notified when registration is open.
How do I access the Free Class Recordings?
Click HERE to register for the Free Class Recordings. After registration, you will find the link on your Online Classrooms page.
How do I access Art Chat Recordings?
Click HERE to register for Art Chat. After registration, you will find the link to Art Chat on your Online Classrooms page.
Do you sell gift cards?
Yes! Click HERE to purchase a Gift Card.
What are Winslow Art Center's data and video privacy policies?
Most of the time in most of the classes, the Zoom recording is set to record the instructor and the instructor’s screen share for lectures, slideshows and demos. During class, while on speaker view, student video feed or artwork may be visible to other students and could be recorded depending on the context of the class, such as a critique class where students are sharing work and conversing. Class videos are created expressly for private viewing by registered students only. Students may keep their video feed off if preferred. No student video feed or stills will be used in a public or promotional way without an individual’s consent.
We do not share or store personal data except as needed to complete financial transactions and manage online classes and the Winslow Art Center. No credit card numbers are stored on our site. Please read our full data privacy policy HERE.
How to Enter a Coupon Code
What time is it in Winslow?
Pacific Standard Time (UTC -8)
Next clock change in the USA: Spring, 2025
2024
PACIFIC/SEATTLE TIME
January 1 – March 10 at 2am
UTC -8 Pacific Standard Time (PST)
March 10 at 2am – November 3 at 2am
UTC -7 Pacific Daylight Time (PDT)
November 3 at 2am – December 31
UTC -8 Pacific Standard Time (PST)
Is the website open 24/7? How to watch a class recording during site maintenance
Winslow Art Center closes for scheduled maintenance approximately once a week for one hour. Message Boards and the cart/checkout must be closed during updates. Most scheduled updates occur overnight between 10pm and 3am Pacific Time (1am-6am Eastern, 6am-11am UK) on weekends.
To watch a class recording during maintenance:
Before the site is closed: open the recording page as usual, pause and play the recording as usual.
While the site is closed: use a direct link to the recording page (such as the one in an introductory class email or a browser bookmark) to open the recording page. If the recording page shows “Closed for Maintenance” with the Winslow Art Center splash screen or if you don’t have a recording link or for any reason you can’t open a recording page, please email katod@winslowartcenter.com and request your class recording. It will be unlocked within a few minutes and a direct link sent to you.
For best results, do not refresh the recording page while the site is closed. Play and pause the recording as usual.
If you refresh the page you may get locked out briefly with a grey message that maintenance is being performed In that case, please wait 10-20 seconds and refresh the page again.
On very rare occasions there may be several minutes where recordings can not be watched if the page is refreshed while the site is closed.
