I did a pinch pottery workshop with Hue. It was 3 weeks, one session for two hours each week. The class was nice a small (handful of people or so), the format relaxed and Hue was so helpful, sweet and encouraging. I had such a great experience - this was my first time doing any type of pottery. The first class we just got the basics and played around and made a few small pieces. The second class we were able to add color to the clay itself, and then also in tandem, begin a "final project" aka bigger piece. During the third and final class, we learned about glazing and got to glaze our pieces! A week later, we were able to swing by the studio to grab our pieces at our convenience. I was able to make 5 pieces - some people probably made more like 8-10. I signed up for a full length class (two months) next session since I loved it so much! Can't wait to be back! And shoutout again to Hue who is awesome!! Would love to have her again as an instructor. read more

Berkeley Art Studio - This was my "final project" and big piece that I made from the class. - Art Schools Near Me - Berkeley, California

I love the Berkeley Art Studio! I took two classes here last year; one in Painting Fundamentals with Oil and another in Figure Painting with Oil (both with Scott Leddy). The first class is a great introduction to painting with oil, and the second was a continuation with live models. Having had been away from art for years, these classes were able to bring the connection back. They definitely made my one evening a week. Scott is a great instructor; he has a relaxed style of teaching that I definitely enjoyed. I also liked sharing a class with other art enthusiasts with different skills and styles. It was so fun to walk around the class and see how everyone would interpret the same model! The classroom was spacious, equipped with the tools we needed, and had amazing views of campus. Classes can be a little bit pricey if you're not a student at UC Berkeley (like me). Remember, you need to buy all of the materials. But, they're definitely worth it. If you're a student, you should definitely take advantage of them. I miss these classes! read more

Berkeley Art Studio - Art Schools Near Me - Berkeley, California

I came here with a group of 13 people. My friend organized a POTTERY CLASS for her husband's birthday. We learned how to make mugs! Instructor was very helpful in teaching us the basics of shaping clay since we were all noobs. He was pretty flexible in assisting us individually, especially since a few of our friends arrived a little late. We didn't do any work on the wheels, just making hand mold mugs. We got templates to shape the mugs, stamps for decorations, and paintbrushes to put on colored glaze. You could also make other clay items of your choosing (someone in our group made little bowls instead). We all had a really fun time and it was a great way to celebrate a birthday in a unique way! I would recommend this as a social outing or company team event, which is a great way to spend a couple of hours. It was $38/person and covered all materials and glazing/firing of your creations. read more

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I took a beginner pottery class here and had a truly wonderful experience. Compared to other ceramics studios in the area, the Berkeley Art Studio is very affordable, especially for students. Class includes open studio hours, which means you can really get a lot out of one class session. I have a handful of friends who have taken a variety of the pottery classes offered and all of them found it a worthwhile experience. The studio is clean, well run, and makes its own recycled clay and glazes. Be aware that pottery classes fill up almost instantly so sign up for the newsletter to be notified when registration begins. read more

Took a darkroom photography class here and Dana is the best instructor. He has years of experience and really knows how to help you. Will definitely take another class here! read more

Saw a photography class that is right for me.,saw it started in three days, and signed up. Get to the class last night, guy tells me "oh, yeah, that class was canceled... didn't you get the email?" My answer was no. He asks, "When did you sign up?" I said... I signed up on Monday and showed him my confirmation receipt. He then said, "Oh, yeah, we sent out the notice before this". Somebody needs to do a better job on the website. So, for now, they get two stars (at least my card hasn't been charged yet). When I actually sign up for a class that isn't already canceled, I will then provide an equally honest review of it. read more

I miss taking classes at ASUC Berkeley Art Studio. Over the years I have taken several drawing and painting classes, a B&W photography class, and the last one was the poetry writing class that led me to attempt writing poems such as this: Apparently people were offended by my poem, so I had to replace it with the following condensed version: (blah blah blah... blah blah blah blah) I think it's necessary for the soul to engage in a creative process to grow and thrive, even if you might not be great at it (case in point here). I love that UC Berkeley offers this option for a wide range of interest for artists and writers in all of us, and with the recent fee hikes and funding cuts in the UC system, I fear for the future of this great creative community. read more

Okay, I may be a bit biased because I'm a pretty regular member of the studio, but this place is wonderful. If you really want to get into ceramics, this place will provide not only the facilities to do so, but also a warm friendly, and encouraging environment for you to express your creativity. However, if you're not prepared to invest time into the art, then it may be kind of frustrating. Ceramics, especially throwing, takes a lot of time to get some working proficiency. Although the classes are expensive, you get access to the studio during all opening hours and it's still wayyyy cheaper than the Berkeley Potters' Studio. All glazes and firings are free. You only pay for clay, but even that you can recycle from the recycle buckets. The facilities include: wheels (electric and kickwheels) kilns extruder slab roller lots of plaster molds for general use lots of different kinds of glazes, oxides, etc for general use. read more

I took two classes, photography and drawing. Teachers were very laid back and I was not impressed at all with the courses. The photo guy spent his classes showing his own pictures and commenting about the different people... then next day he tried to do the same with the same pics and we had to tell him we already saw them. I mean, he was not prepared for his class in any way. The drawing guy was better, but still I did not have the impression of learning much, it ended up being just an excuse to spend some hours drawing. The prices are fine but I would expect a bit better for $140 read more

The Book Binding class has been worthwhile. I was able to learn a number of stitches and methods. The teachers were knowledgeable and generous with their time and resources. As a result of the class. I finished a 300pp hand bound, hand stitched "Wedding Guestbook" order. I have also grown to respect handmade books. read more

Berkeley Art Studio - book stitching in book binding class - Art Schools Near Me - Berkeley, California

The ASUC Art Studio is an incredible community resource, and a fabulous place to spend time. It's open to the public in addition to Cal students, and in my mind it has "best-kept secret"/"really-shouldn't-miss" status when I think about the things I love about Berkeley. I started taking ceramics classes there last fall and love it there. To gain access to the studio, you have two options: 1) you can pay a flat fee for unlimited studio access, including unlimited access to their glazes and unlimited firing, or 2) you can pay $10 more and register for a class, which includes six two-hour classes and unlimited studio access. They're both great deals if you throw a fair amount. The ceramics studio has a great range of classes, from beginning/intermediate classes where you learn and solidify your basics, to special topic classes that focus on one particular issue (like a type of form, firing, or glazing) for more advanced students. They're mostly focused on pottery, but there are classes for figure sculpture and handbuilding, etc. as well. The teachers have all been excellent. They're experienced, thoughtful, and great at pitching their observations and critiques to your experience level. I feel like they can look at what I'm throwing and know immediately how I'm (in)experienced, and their feedback's always completely on point. One of my favorite things about working in this studio is that many of the teachers also work as studio techs (handling firing and other maintenance in the studio), so when you're at the studio during "free time" and have questions/problems, there's always somebody on hand and happy to help. There's also just a great sense of community being here. As a beginner, I was a little intimidated coming in; pottery was something I'd always wanted to try, but I was honestly kind of scared to do it. There are potters in the community who have been coming here for years, and they're modest, approachable, and friendly. People are always bringing in snacks and leaving them on the shelf for everybody else to share. People are constantly giving each other ideas, or asking each other what they did when they see something they like. A woman whose name I didn't even know lent me a book because she overheard me say I wanted to try something. I've been there when the atmosphere's focused and quiet, and when it's chaotic and chatty, but it's always a welcoming place to be. If I could just find a gym with the same vibe, I'd be set. If you've ever wanted to learn to throw pots, or if you've been meaning to get back into it, this is the perfect place to do it. read more

I took the photography class. I should be honest and say I only went to three of the six classes because I was not impressed with it at all. The instructor seemed like they did not want to be there. The whole class was taught via Tumblr, and was 50% show and tell, where the instructor would *not so* politely say you picture sucks. The rest of the class was 40% reblogged info-graphs or pictures of other professional photos and 10% product recommendations. For $250 I was expecting someone to show me the features of a DLSR, and have a studio area to practice in class and ask questions. No, for this class you don't really need to bring your camera cause you never use it during class time. I would ask a question, and be answered with "I already said early"... uhm ok. I felt like the class was not serious at all, overpriced, and at times rude and combative. Buyer beware, after the first class I knew right away this was not going to be what I expected. You can get a refund if you cancel before the second class, but good luck getting a hold of anyone, I tried calling and emailing during business hours and never got a hold of anyone because of the remodeling they are doing. Only when I emailed saying "nevermind I'll continue the class" did I get a response. read more

I've been taking ceramics classes here since my first year of graduate school at Berkeley (2012). I had never taken a ceramics class before. ASUC ceramics classes have the perfect number of levels to incorporate all people. Now, I just completed a project over the last year during which I made one piece of pottery for each party that came to my wedding last week. One of the most amazing parts is all the open studio time. If you have the time, you can come in for as many hours as you want to improve your craft and do your work. Like with any skill, ceramics and art is something that only improves with time and practice. If you don't practice and push yourself and explore, you won't get better. The studio time is really key, and not all ceramics studios offer this so generously. Because the studio is used by people at so many different levels, as a beginning potter I got to learn from those around me who were more experienced. I would sit around and get helpful tips and hints from some people who had been taking pottery classes for years and even decades. It's a multi-generational learning space, but one without (bless their little hearts) any little kids running around. I think my pottery improved much faster because of this. Another amazing part is the teachers. Nathan, Hue, Rachel, and Vanessa are all such skilled and dedicated ceramicists, each with their own approach and their own specialization. While I know them all, I've only taken classes with two. I couldn't be more pleased with the level of interest, friendliness, help, and the skills of the teachers. I couldn't recommend ASUC ceramics classes more. They've complimented my grad schooling - which is such a mental endeavor - by adding the element of creativity and tactile play and production. Wonderful. read more

I took an 8-week course on beginning digital photography. The instructor was very friendly and a skilled photographer, but was a very poor teacher without any apparent teaching plan. Minuses: - Class routinely started 15-30 minutes late - Assignments were not well thought out (final project: take pictures of something you are passionate about) - Instructor seemed unprepared for class each day, with no lesson plan - Most classes consisted of viewing student work, but with almost zero constructive criticism (too friendly for that) - Incredibly slow pace. Spent the entire first two-hour class introducing ourselves - Had to sit on decaying, once-over-stuffed couches. Ick. Pluses: - Really friendly teacher - Convenient location read more

Life drawing class pluses: - Three hours a week of drawing, with occasionally insightful remarks by instructor about drawing practice, handling media, and formal elements like line quality, contrast, and composition - Slides of figure drawing before or during class - Drawing can really improve over the course Life drawing class minuses: - Desultory critiques - Course is short, just 5 weeks or so - Instructor uses the time for her own drawing, and gives very little individual feedback or attention - No course evaluation form at the end of class -- which gives the impression that these classes are just a cash cow for UCB. read more

Ok - this studio has it all: courses in photography, ceramics, fashion (as art), and much more. I took the beginning dark room photography class here and had a great time. The exciting part about the studio is that the darkroom is open to the public and the fees are minimal. read more

Such a great deal overall in the Bay Area. You can take classes in pottery, darkroom photography, pinhole photography, etc. Or you can just get a semesterly membership have total access to the labs anytime. You just sign up and show up (with your own materials of course) and pay a very small fee per hour. I took black and white photography a couple of times and used the darkroom on numerous occasions - best prices in the East Bay for darkroom use. read more

I've been doing ceramics here for over 2 years and this place is an amazing resource in the East Bay. The staff and the open studio hours are just the beginning to how wonderful this place is. I've looked into many of the other ceramic studios in the area, of which there are plenty, and none of them give you the amount of open studio hours for anywhere near the price. This facility is available to both students and the public with classes throughout the year in 6-week sessions. read more

This review is based on a photo editing class only ... the instructor fortunately was very knowledgeable and was the best aspect of the class, but the studio itself is obviously pretty checked out with regard to the condition of the computers (daisy chained power strips "attached" to tables with duct tape, several never seemed to be working), the availability of necessary passwords to log on for the class (only provided in the third of seven classes after requesting by email), and inkjet photo printers attached to old (slow) computers and ink supplies not attended to. In other words, no one is minding the store here and it puts the competent, engaged instructor in an awkward, apologetic position. read more

I would marry this place if I could legally marry a ceramics studio. Oh yeah--look for the awesome genitalia mobile at the front door.

This semester is the worst. They know the place is going to be closed for renovation but yet opened so many classes and we kept getting reminders what we needed to do right in the middle of stressful end of semester exams. i took the class thinking i could have some fun, but hell, no. awful place. i feel cheated of my money when told i cannot make too many things even though i need to practice and want to keep my stuff. not nice feeling. read more