TL;DR - A fun art studio with a date night pottery class option. I'll be going back again…read more For those still reading... My wife and I had been interested in checking out a pottery class. We found that Summer Studios was in the area and had different class options. We went in to check it out and get more details. David was very friendly and helped answer our questions. A date night class sounded like the best way to try it out at a reasonable price to see if we enjoyed it before signing up for a full class. On the night, we got there and the dog Sokkit was there to welcome us in. David talked us through the process and then he demonstrated the process for us, including explaining the "why" behind the steps. With that sorted, we got to get our hands muddy (covered in slippery wet clay) to throw a pot. David was watching over us and helped us with the steps as we had first-timer issues and questions. The setting was a nice way to try out pottery, and is a fun activity on a date night. We had the chance to make 3 different pots each, and they were each quite different but not too bad for a first time. David told us that for these classes, he does the work to finish off the pots (drying, trimming, firing, and glazing) and then we can come back to pick up the finished pieces. I'm quite curious how they will look when finished. Overall, very enjoyable and fun. We're probably signing up for one of the 4 or 6 week classes soon.

We had a family night, instead of a true date night, and it was great. Our instructor, David, took…read moreplenty of time to walk us through all of the steps, and he also took great interest in everyone's work. It was challenging, in a good way. I'm excited to see the final results in a few weeks after all the firing and glazing.

This is the most complete and wonderful art studio I've been to. They have pottery making, pottery…read morepainting, glass and fabric art to do. The teachers are very friendly. The owner's dog is also super sweet. I painted a pottery, didn't make it from scratch but picked the unpainted one from the shelf and paint it. They have special colors that can make very pretty texture and requires no skill whatsoever. It's very relaxing and fun. They'll fire it for you in 1-2 weeks, then send a text for pick-up. It's a long drive from me but the pottery I got is really worth it!

We went for a Valentine's Day throwing class! It was the best time!!! Alyssa was such a great…read moreteacher!! We will be going back to paint our pottery and will definitely take another class of some sort! Sarah the owner was also an amazing host!

I cannot BELIEVE I didn't leave a review for this gem of a place! So my husband actually found this…read moreplace and suggested it for our daughter's 6th birthday. I contacted the owners, Terri and Sarah, and they were so incredibly gracious! They invited me over to check out the space. I really like the layout of this art studio because it's divided into different sections/rooms. One room would be where the kids do their sketching, and then another room is where the kids would take their sketching to go paint. The third room is where you can put all the food for your party and they have an awesome patio area that's right next to the food room where parents can also hang out while the kids can sketch and paint for the instructor in the other rooms. There were 19 kids total and it was so nice not to have the parents stand behind their kiddos the entire time to watch them paint because there's no where to go!! All of the parents told me they had NO IDEA this place existed. Because it's on Artesia , which is quite a busy street that people take to get from one place to the next it's really not the kind of place that people stroll around on. Sarah and Terri will work with you on what kind of theme/ sketch to guide the kids. It was an amazing party! Everyone loved it! And my daughter said it was the best birthday ever! Yay! Success! If you're planning a birthday for your little one! BOOK THIS PLACE!!! Cheers!!

My two children attended camp at SBAD for one week during the summer. My biggest regret was not…read morebooking more weeks. My son, aged 5 (who I was worried wouldn't be able to sit still), learnt so much about different artistic methods. SBAD focus on a different topic/theme each day so the children have plenty of time to be creative and really think about what they would like to make. My daughter, aged 7 loved going each day and came home with some stunning pieces of art. She also LOVED the teachers who are not only skilled artistically, but are genuinely kind people who make all the children feel welcome and at home. This is the only camp (ever!) that my son and daughter have attended and been very grumpy that I only booked one week! Needless to say, we will be returning for the Thanksgiving camp!

Hosted a birthday party here for my daughter. Ms Lin was incredibly attentive and easy to work…read morewith. The girls all had a great time. I highly recommend this studio.

I've had the pleasure of meeting Teacher Lin while teaching at a local Chinese After School in the…read morefall of 2017. I got to observe while she was teaching kids ages 5 and up in a weekly art project class. Her patience and creativity was inspiring! Not sure why it took me so long to visit her art studio in Torrance, and I fell in love at first sight!! I had organized an art painting event at church. So I had to learn how to paint some mountains so I could teach some folks at church. I'm no Picasso or Monet, but Teacher Lin taught me some basic concepts of painting and how to use light and airy brushstrokes to paint tall trees. It's been several years since I've even picked up a paintbrush and painted for fun and I had a blast! If I can learn how to paint for fun and let my inner child come out, so can you!! Definitely give this place a try and you won't be disappointed. I highly recommend to all of my students and their family and friends. Private and group lessons are available and please inquire about their summer camps or after school classes. Thank you Teacher Lin for showing me and igniting a passion in me to create and paint and do crafts and combined with a coachable spirit and attitude we can learn new skills and hobbies no matter what age in life! =)

We started the teen curriculum for my 11 year old over the summer. The program was well done and my…read moredaughter loved it and learned new techniques. She really looked up to her instructor/mentors and enjoyed seeing them work on their own projects. We would have loved to continue but unfortunately we had to move out of South Bay. We know they have a second studio in Santa Monica so we hope to join that one once we can move back to our home in West LA. The tuition prices were a great deal for what we gained from the classes. Thank you for the inspiration and a great program for my budding artist!

This studio was not a good fit for my 6 year old…read more I stayed for the entire 90 minute intro class. My daughter completed her butterfly artwork within the first 20 minutes, after which she was left with nothing else to do. Unsurprisingly, she became bored and restless. Afterward, I received feedback framing this as a focus issue and inability to remain seated, despite the fact that I had already disclosed her speech delay and autism to staff upon arrival. Rather than offering accommodations, enrichment, or flexibility, the studio treated her boredom as a readiness issue and suggested another trial to "evaluate" her. Expecting a six year old to sit still for 90 minutes after finishing the assigned work with no additional engagement is unrealistic. The program appears rigid and not well suited for younger or neurodivergent children.

My son and daughter have been taking piano lessons here for nearly a year. The setup at this studio…read moreis that parents wait outside in the waiting room while the children go in with the teacher. There are cameras in the lesson rooms, but parents do not have access to them, only the business owner does. Occasionally, I would sit in with my children, but later I was asked to remain in the waiting room as the teacher felt the kids distracted each other. Recently, a very concerning incident occurred. My son told me that during his lesson, his teacher showed him an image to demonstrate "good posture." When he first described it to me, I wasn't sure what kind of picture it was, and I initially gave the teacher the benefit of the doubt. However, when I later asked Miss Lee (the owner) and the teacher to show me the same image, I was shocked to see what it was. The picture had no real connection to piano playing or posture and, in my opinion, was completely inappropriate in the given context, especially considering it was shown to my son alone in a room with his male teacher. To be clear, the photo itself was not offensive on its own. What made this troubling was the context and lack of relevance to piano instruction. I felt it crossed a boundary of professionalism. I brought this issue directly to both the owner and the teacher on Friday, August 29th, and was told that it would be reviewed with their board. I am sharing this so that other parents are fully informed about the environment and practices here. Every parent has the right to decide what they are comfortable with for their child's lessons, and for me, this situation raised serious concerns.

I have had both my young sons attend for lessons here for almost two years now. I've had nothing…read morebut wonder experiences with all staff there. Nick was my son's piano instructor and he was absolutely brilliant and patient. My son has learned so much going once a week with Nick. I saw nothing but professionalism with my son. I recommend this place to all colleagues and friends with children. You can see how talented the instructors are and how well the children learn and grow from watching the performances every year. My son grew so confident thanks to Nick who encouraged him so much. As parents, you could most definitely sit-in on with your child during lessons. It's a choice you make as a parent to wait in the lobby is sit with your child. There are cameras in every classroom. It feels safe and comfortable environment. That has been my own personal experience here.

This was sad, I really wanted to take vocal lessons from them but the experience in onboarding was…read morelow vibrational and lousy in customer service. I was rescheduled several times and when I came In there was No warm welcome and she didn't even confirm my name when I went for my trial session. The instructor was nice but super limited availability and i didn't really go over much technique in the trial compared to the last vocal training I had before. We also didn't get started until about 12 min into the trial lesson which was a paid 30 min session. My honest feedback is that there should be a quick client phone call to go over details and keep background and getting to know each other to a quick 3 min elevator pitch introduction because that took up paid time. I squeezed my hope for a positive interaction with reception when we finished and the lady in front hardly gave eye contact and wasn't naturally kind or welcoming. She scrambled to get me onboarded after I prompted her to get me signed up and she grazed over fees like I already knew everything even though we never went over any details about the academy. ( I did not ) Music is a fine art, I guess I was expecting to be ushered into the process with a little inspiration... the investment didn't feel worth it for me. The next day I read some of the reviews and the responses to them and was really turned off by what I saw. Honestly the 2nd star is only because it would have been really nice to work with Liz and Summer was nice on the phone when I spoke to her, but the energy was so heavy and dense in the onboarding process it really rubbed me the wrong way and I couldn't see myself coming to take lessons for the next 6 months.

We received a reply from the office informing us that per their policy, last-month deposits are…read morenon-refundable, but they ultimately agreed to issue a refund, which we appreciate. That said, we believe the situation could have been handled more thoughtfully. Busy families may not always recall every policy detail over time, so a simple, clear reminder at the time we gave notice could have made a meaningful difference. It would have allowed us to apply the deposit toward our final month and saved everyone the trouble of issuing a refund after the fact. We're grateful the matter was ultimately resolved, just disappointed in the amount of time and effort it took to get there. Updating rating to 3 stars to reflect our appreciation for the teachers and instruction, while also being honest about our frustration with the communication missteps upon our departure, and the lack of clarity around the last-month deposit.

Huge praise to Jen, the amazing owner of AR Workshop! Three gal pals got together for a creative…read moreouting and ended up making the most beautiful soft chunky blankets. The whole experience was engaging, calming, and honestly so much fun. We loved it so much that the three of us already made plans to sign up for another class. When a place makes you feel that relaxed, creative, and connected -- you go back! If you're looking for a unique party idea, want to learn a new skill, or just want a fun get‑together with friends, I highly recommend AR Workshop. Jen has created something truly special.

Fun laser wood painting workshop and a brand-new offering. We were basically the guinea pigs, but…read moreeverything ran smoothly. The artist/owner was very kind and even stayed longer than expected to help us get the results we wanted. It's clear they're constantly developing new workshops and trying to engage the community. Solid four-star experience. If you're looking for a hands-on studio activity to try something different, this place is worth checking out. It's on my radar now.

As a student here, they helped me develop my art skills as well as my portfolio! My art skills have…read moreimproved a lot since coming here.

From the owner: 26 years in business in Northern California with multiple locations…read more First location in Orange County! Join us for our seminar for all students and parents on June 8th, 2024. Contact us for more information

"You can make an original outfit in a day using a special sewing machine and techniques from…read moreJapan." What a fun place! If you don't know how to sew, you can actually learn to sew an item of clothing and have something to take home at the end of the class. You can take a trial class for $25 and it includes all the materials. Rika is a fabulous teacher! She is very helpful and very friendly. It's awesome to go home with something ready to wear. Of course, as a beginner, you won't make anything as complicated as a coat or jacket, but there are simple patterns to choose from to get started. People who sew at different levels, from beginners like me to those who are more experienced, are all welcome. Parking and entrance are behind the building. Don't enter on the Western Avenue side. I'd like to go again with some friends and make a fun afternoon out of it!