Did a workshop with them through Critical Grind Board Game cafe in Shorewood. It was a phenomenal…read moretime! Our teacher was very knowledgeable and made the workshop a very fun time, encouraging all of our ideas and helping us bring them to life.

This art festival takes place in Schaumburg on the grounds of the Al Larson Prairie Center for the…read moreArts. It's a festival that has vendors ranging from the more arts and crafts end of the spectrum to fine art. There were lots of different categories of art represented, including photography, painting, jewelry, and then of course different forms within each category of art such as oil, paintings, watercolor, etc. There were crafts, including handmade hats, knit and felted items and other textiles and fiber art. There were folks selling soaps, a booth was selling plants and moss art, and a couple booths selling fudge and another selling cookies and baked goods. They had quite a few food trucks as well, at least half a dozen of different types, so a little bit of something for everybody. It was pretty extensive. At first glance when you come through the main entrance, it seems it's just a few booths that they have use their parking lot to host, but it goes all the way towards the back of the building down by the little pond and the grassy area. There were well over 100 artists showcasing their works here. They had a local blacksmith here with an outdoor forge both selling and demoing, and per their booth they also host classes if you are interested in learning how to forge metal here in the suburbs. Inside the art center building, they had cocktails and wine and alcoholic beverages. I believe they also had children's activities, but I'm not sure where those may have been. They had at least two spots with musicians, as we passed by someone playing a steel drum and then in another area saw someone playing the hammered dulcimer as well. Parking--at least this year--was directly across the street at the school district building, though it's possible that's not typical (I thought I saw some reference to construction changing the parking situation). There were Schaumburg police officers directing traffic to allow people to safely cross the road at various intervals. We went early to avoid crowds and to have the easiest time with parking and were successful on both counts, and were here about an hour. I really liked that this art fair is a bit more of a home grown fair and not one of the ones from local production company, since I see some of the same artists at those ones and I like that none of the artists I saw today were familiar.

There's always a lot going on here at the Al Larson Prairie Center for the Arts. I've been there…read morefor a couple of musical productions. The quality of the performances was always very high. The stage can be rented out by local theater companies to be used for their production. Outside of the building is a bandshell where concerts are help during the summer. One the day that my husband and I were there, there were people taking wedding pictures and quincenera pictures on the grounds in front of the pond that is there. There are also sculptures and art on the ground to be seen and take pictures of. I highly recommend the Al Larson Prairie Center for the Arts.

Love the classes I have taken. Super nice staff, too. Very relaxed atmosphere. The instructors are…read morevery knowledgeable about their craft.

This place used to be a fun summer activity for the kids, but now not so much. They are not…read moreflexible and don't seem to care if my children enjoy their experience. The prices are getting out of hand too. I heard there are similar newer options in Palatine. I think I will look at those before returning here.

Best art class! Our 7 year old has been attending the weekly art class and loves the experience! Ms…read moreAlayne is so talented and has a great way to communicate with kids. She teaches step by step and uses different techniques , which gave our kid great ideas to create his own masterpiece. Our house is filled with these creative and unique art pieces - so nice! Thank you Ms Alayne!

what a delightful experience it has been to spend multiple sessions with Miss Alayne. I have…read morelearned so much about the various medium and also how to look and process art . Miss Alayneis funny and smart and insightful and a great teacher and creates a lovely Zen like atmosphere for you to learn and enjoy. It is peaceful and calm and supportive and nurturing and has been just a wonderful experience.

Located inside the Berry House in Geneva this artist owned glassblowing studio has many pretty hand…read moreblown glass pieces for sale. More interesting is that classes in the art of glassblowing are held here. You can learn to make everything from swizzle sticks to ornaments, pendants and more. Live demonstrations were going on when I popped in and a visiting artist from St Louis was holding an advanced full day workshop.

I have been taking classes for many years. Victoria's patient teaching style has helped me progress…read morefrom literally knowing nothing to making beautiful sculptural flowers and more! If you've ever wanted to try melting glass, I highly recommend taking a class. Or if you're in need of a gift or just want to treat yourself, there's a variety of unique handmade items....earrings, pendants, sizzle sticks, straws, marbles, icicles and candy canes, wine stoppers, bottle openers, serving pieces, cute glass animals and more!! Check it out!!

What an enjoyable experience! I'm thrilled about the class's social atmosphere, with the instructor…read moresharing lots of amusing jokes and attendees engaging in lively conversation throughout the evening. The class setup was excellent, with ample room and neatly arranged cooking utensils for easy food preparation. I appreciated that the instructor handled some of the more laborious tasks before we started cooking. He prepared ingredients in front of us, sharing interesting facts about the cuisine and demonstrating excellent knife skills to ensure freshness and engagement. The 90 minutes flew by as we learned various techniques and explored different ingredients. The instructor guided us through each step, from managing the cooking flame to perfecting our knife skills, ensuring a well-prepared and delicious final dish. As someone who has no experience in the kitchen and was very scared of cooking, the instructor Alex made sure everyone was at ease and would walk around to help as needed. I'm eager to attend more classes here in the future and bring along some friends to share in the experience.

What a fun experience! I'm really glad that the class is so social, both with the instructor…read morecracking lots of fun jokes and between attendees who had plenty of chances to talk and interact throughout the whole night. The setup of the class was quite nice, with plenty of space in the room and all the cooking utensils neatly laid out for food preparation. I was quite glad that some of the tedious parts of the meal prep like thinly slicing cucumbers, cooking medium grain rice, and filleting the chicken were done by the instructor prior to our cooking. To ensure maximum freshness, he prepared this is front of the class while talking about fun facts that related to the cuisine (and demonstrated excellent knife technique). The 90 minutes went by quite quickly as we were introduced to a variety of techniques and ingredients. The instructor made sure we were guided through every step from managing the cooking flame to following good knife techniques to ensure that the final product would be prepared well and delicious. I'm looking forward to trying some more classes here in the future and bringing along some additional friends with me.

I went to watch Les Miserables by Schaumburg On Stage as I'd recently missed the national tour in…read moredowntown Chicago. Realizing that Drury Lane and Paramount had done their version a few years back and Marriott Theatre had done it a bit before that, I wanted to watch a live version in case I can't make the next big stop in Milwaukee. I watch quite a bit of theatre, both professional and amateur. Not sure why, but until this show -- I wasn't aware of Schaumburg on Stage which has been around since 2016. To my surprise, the quality of the production was similar in quality to other highly acclaimed groups like the District 214 all-district group (which recently did The Wedding Singer). Here were my thoughts on various aspects of the show: Staging: It really surprised me how many sets were used in the show and how they were fully functional. They were designed and painted well and items were hardly reused. They also did a very good job of quickly changing sets to make sure the showtime was kept to a reasonable length. Vocals: Two things I like about this. One is how they kept the complex harmonies -- which worked great in group songs. The overall balance lacked baritone and bass voices, but that's expected with younger actors. I also liked how they did not shy away from the challenge of the very high notes for male or female leads. They could have easily changed the key, but it's great to see them embrace the challenge. Orchestra: A bit smaller, not sure if it's due to space limitations or that's the way the school version is written. A bit more reliant on piano and common woodwind/string instruments than the full version. I did like how they played at a level not to overpower the vocals. Lighting and fog: I liked all the varieties of lights used. Not just in general stage lighting from the top, but also from lights on the side and spotlights. There were quite a bit of variations on lighting, which helped to tell the story. I did not like the excessive use of stage fog though, which tended to linger for more than a single scene. Overall, a great group to watch a show from. It's much better than the typical amateur group and prices are very reasonable. It's also great how they incorporate actors and actresses from all different ages and help them to build interest in theatre. Based on the quality of this performance, I can't wait to watch another show when they get a new digital microphone system.

The experienced people at SOS really see the value and potential in each kid. They are like family…read morein that they really connect and care, but they also hold the kids to a high standard and help them achieve it. This is definitely a step up from park district community theater in both production quality and experience.

I recently completed a 5 days training course at Chicago Academy of Permanent Makeup and it was…read moregreat!!!! First of all, Gina is nice and patience; she had pastry, coffee, and juice every morning. We jumped right into the training with no delay or interruption, which was important to me, since i was visiting from out of state. We had live models, as advertised, for hand-on experience. Although, I am on the other side of the country, Gina responses to my texts within a timely matter and even video chats. I will definitely be returning for additional training.