Great ceramic facilities. Flexible hours for drop in potters. Gallery has a fine mix of local…read moreartists.

The Art Center is a nice community of artists who are friendly and welcoming to newcomers. I've…read moremet so many great people here. I also really enjoy taking their classes and participating in the art shows. Membership costs are low, and provide a discount on classes. Top notch ceramics facilities too! The gallery space is lovely and offers an interesting variety of revolving art shows. The pictures I've shared here are from a recent show called "Pose." The theme was the human figure. I also included a photo of a pastel that painting I did in class. Currently the gallery is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday. A lovely facility all around. I highly recommend a visit!

The newly opened space at 123 Locust is yet another amazing addition to the Cedar Street art and…read morefood scene. Located between Art du Jour and The Red Room, Gabriela's Cafe and The Penny Ice Creamery it's like a deelicious loop of art, food and more art. This past First Friday showcased the entire Leeds family body of work- all brilliant, plus surf boards that look and function as art and the large scale figurative work as an opening salvo for Marc and Noah Gould. It's such a welcome addition to this already uber vibrant block of Cedar and Locust.

From the owner: Handmade pottery and sculptureread more

I have been to lille aeske many times now. The great thing is hard to say, it's either:…read more-The amazing people you'll bump into. Good people magnet. -The beautiful wine and other cool stuff you can get -The groups who perform- in your busy life you won't have a chance to find them. Anil finds them for you. Then you will listen for life. Wonderful. -The art. I was so inspired by the art here, some of it became part of my home. If I am able to go to a show here, I pretty much just go without trying to figure out too much about whether I will like it. I always do.

I had my wedding reception here at Lille Aeske last night, and it was the most beautiful night to…read moreremember. In the weeks leading up to the event, Anil was super helpful with everything in terms of planning down to the smallest details. I could tell he wanted to make sure that this was the most special of evenings for my partner and I, and in the end I can't have imagined hosting my wedding party anywhere else. Surrounded by gorgeous art on the walls and romantic fairy lights, we were served dinner and drinks while music played at the perfect volume in the background. I honestly felt like such a princess; every time I would try to adjust something to my liking it was quickly picked up for me and the hosts made sure to check in with me frequently that everything was going smoothly and on schedule. Even though I was very scattered and forgetful, Anil kept up really well and even walked across the street to buy us all champagne for the toasts that I had forgotten to bring beforehand. We had our first dance on the little stage by the door as per Anil's suggestion, and it was so intimate and lovely. It made for the greatest photos, too. Although I have yet to attend a music or art show at Lille Aeske, I feel like I truly got to experience the space at it's finest and feel blessed to have been hosted by Anil in his beautiful "little box" for my special day. Thank you so much for being a part of what turned out to be one of the best days of my life! I would highly recommend checking out Lille Aeske, for their own events or to host one of your own.

I really wanted a burl coffee table made of redwood and 'virtually' stumbled across this place…read moreafter many hours of looking at different Bay Area businesses online. On a Sunday afternoon, I called and left a message, and they returned my call the same day to confirm they had a few coffee tables I could look at. They mentioned they usually close around 5pm but would stay open since they knew I was coming down. So I drove down, parked on the street in front of the business (house across from the high school) and walked in. Inside there were sculptures, animal figurines, wall clocks, bowls, plates, and lot of other things - all made of redwood. Of course there were several tables made of redwood, all very reasonably priced compared to other Bay Area redwood table makers. They mentioned they had over 50 years of experience with table making and their beautiful work backs up that claim. The owner Norma and her daughter Nancy were absolutely wonderful to talk to and made the whole experience terrific.

Cliff Short and Norma, his wife of nearly 60 years, run this adorable little carved wood store in…read morethe Santa Cruz Mountains. Cliff isn't currently as involved in the day-to-day operations as he was at one time, but his beautiful wood crafts adorn the walls, counters and front yard. Beautiful pieces of trees are transformed into swimming dolphins and soaring eagles, tables and benches, or even clocks. Stone and metal are also used but the wood carvings are why we stopped as we drove down Hwy 9. My husband has recently started making crafts with his dad and they are currently playing with wood. He was looking for Redwood while we were in the area. They sell pieces of redwood here but none were the size/shape he was looking for so we left without purchasing any. Norma was happy to let us walk around, talk to her, and even snap some pictures of their fantastic work. If youre in the Felton area you should allot some time to walk around this store and it's surrounding property and admire the unique and detailed pieces. It is so impressive and definitely worth your time!

The Sesnon is an amazing little gallery tucked away above the Koi Pond at Porter. Visit on…read moreWednesday nights for special events related to the exhibition, like lectures or live music. Before you leave, check out the Faculty Gallery down the hall and the Porter room D-140 space downstairs. D-140 often has student shows from senior art majors. The Sesnon operates with UCSC's calendar, so be sure to visit when school is in session! Also, it's free to all!

This place always has interesting exhibits, the first time I went here was for my Porter Core…read moreclass. It's free and displays student and outside artists. Worth checking out, there is a koi pond outside too which is always nice to visit!

Part of "She-tail Row" (women artisan entrepreneurs) in Felton, Selena has made the most amazing…read morestore of artistic gifts and art! We bought several pieces from her as well as many Mala bracelets and necklaces. She is a prolific artist who takes inspiration from Mother Earth and sacred geometry...beautiful stuff!

I can't say good enough things about this store. I miss being able to pop in weekly and now that I…read morelive two hours away at least I get to visit now and then. Today was no exception because the staff always on point and helpful but also respectful to let you browse. They have some great pieces in right now. I can't wait to come back with my daughter next week when she's in town from East Coast

Walking around downtown, we stopped into Om Gallery because the lights and unique lighting fixtures…read moreattracted our friend into the store. They have some unique and original home decor, lights, art paintings, & sculptures. It fun to walk around and see all great stuff they have.

This place is a hidden gem in Palo Alto, in an industrial area surrounded by factories. It is a…read moremuseum of the work of Tony Foster, an artist from UK who paints beautiful watercolor landscapes. It's free, and a nice place to visit for an hour or so ... highly recommended.

We tried Story Time with Anna on Sunday. It was an hour experience that our grandson enjoyed. We…read moresigned up ahead of time and street parking was easy. There was also a sign that there is additional parking behind the museum. After checking in there was a craft/art activity with stickers and tempera paint sticks. Low mess :). Adjacent was a play area with colored scarves, a pretend campfire, felt board for the children to explore, and books. Before entering the museum area Anna gave an introductory talk describing what to expect. She made it interactive which was very nice. They also did a song to get their wiggles out. She then guided the group through the museum to the carpeted area with cushions for the kiddos. Ana talked about and asked questions about the art on the walls. She read Under the Same Sky to the children and made this an interactive experience also. It was just the right length of time, thirty minutes. This was just right for our 18 month old grandson.

Some amazing people bringing community and care to the SLV neighborhood. Excited to see the…read moreprojects and creativity coming out. Congrats on making your dreams come true!

Twin Flames Creative Space is a fabulous resource for the community! So excited that they are in…read moreSanta Cruz County and look forward to my daughter attending further events!