Disappointing. Walnut Creek Recreation broke the CA "Honest Pricing Law" (SB478). Walnut Creek Rec sends out a catalogue every year for the camps they offer. There is pricing in these catalogues- just like the catalogues you receive for clothes or Costco or whatever you get- they list a price, the store needs to honor it. We get the catalogue, we have a budget, the kids are excited to pick their camps within that budget. I register the kids for camps. Usually there's no issue. But this year the price on the website for one of the camps was more than what was advertised. Walnut Creek Rec thinks it's OK to increase the price and write in the camp description that "the price is different in the catalogue". I registered my kids because I thought the "Community" Center would honor their original pricing, but no. The option I was told was, "We can unenroll your child if you don't like the new price." Even after I told them this was "bait and switch", this was still their only option offered. This is an audacious and patronizing response and doesn't hold anyone accountable. The difference is $16 or $17 dollars, so it's not like they messed up 1 number when typing out the catalogue. An employee from Walnut Creek Recreation signed off on the printing of this catalogue with specific prices. The lady I spoke with and her staff member claimed this was a printing error. This was not a printing error- at no point did the printer mess up. This is their error and someone needs to hold them accountable. The lady who called me confused "accountability" with "acknowledgment". If you're reading this- look it up. You claimed you were being "accountable" when the words "the price changed" were included in the camp description on the website. "Acknowledgment" (with no corrective action) means you know you messed up, you admit it, and you do nothing about it- like this situation. You shouldn't be in a job that has a direct impact on other people because you do not value the community you work for. "Accountability" means you understand you messed up and you do what you can to make the situation better. The person who does this knows and values the impact they have on their community.. they also value their community. This review is for the staff and the lack of respect they have for the law and their community, and the lack of understanding how their actions can negatively impact their community. read more

A great place for the whole family to learn a new craft. Everyone was super helpful and the kiddos had a blast in the music class with John. We will definitely be back! read more

such a wonderful place to learn new mediums of art! I had such a great time and the staff was so helpful at making sure I didn't feel self conscious about my art skills. I only wish I could give 10 stars!! read more

Love taking the art classes here, thinking ceramics is next. Great resource for the community and I love spending time there.

I'm not an artist so I went in not expecting to enjoy myself much and boy was I wrong. The staff was great and pumped me up every step of the way and actually had me enjoying painting! Everyone was so nice and I can't wait to go again! read more

This program is truly a gem in the community! I have taken several classes here over the years and have enjoyed all of them! The preschool program is also great. They practice the Reggio Emilia Approach which really focuses on early childhood learning. Thank you Center for Community Arts for all you do! read more

This is regarding the Clay Studio in Civic Arts: This studio has been my home away from home for a long time before and now after covid. I used to take classes here from my early years in high school/college to now my adulthood since I have a little more free time. While this studio is wonderful and the teachers are all patient, sweet, and very knowledgeable, the crowd of students is not. There is a group of mature women who I am assuming are retired, who feel a very heightened sense of entitlement over the studio and act as if they are the owners of it. Today, one of them would monitor my every move and would often have a correction to make, even though I have been doing ceramics for almost 12 years. Not only was my time there unenjoyable because she was monitoring my every move, she made an assumption that I was going to steal something from the studio, which really offended me and urged me to try and finish quickly and leave. I come to the studio to make art and enjoy the peace and quiet outside my job and personal life. That is very hard to do when someone is correcting me, giving me unwanted feedback, and being passive aggressive. This interaction is really making me think twice about continuing with the Center of Community of Arts. The saddest part is that I know I am not the only one having these uncomfortable interactions with these "clay police" students. read more

Yep- 5stars! Here's the deal, kids are hard, when I find something that entertains them, gets them out of the house on a rainy day, and allows them to be messy and creative... Mommy WIN! Why 5 stars? - for $10 we got 2 art canvases, paint brushes, all the paint we could want, an amazing and patient art teacher willing to teach kids how to create a self portrait, and 90 min of pure creativity and messiness! My son drew a train, the teacher was totally cool with it and appreciated his creativity! How to sign up? It's easy: www.walnut-creek.org Class called: Kids Open Studio - one class It fills up fast so sign up in advance when the next one comes available! Parents, you're welcome! read more

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My son took the Teen Clay class with Ellen Sachtschale during the summer at the Civic Center. This class is for 12-17 years old and my son was 12 years old. At first, I was very excited for him to attend this class. Then, I had a bad taste in my mouth after The last class ended. At the very end of the last class, I entered the classroom to see how it was like since I never had a chance to see it earlier. As soon as I entered the room, Ellen came up to me. Instead of being an encouraging and inspiring teacher, she told me how horrible my son's behavior was during the class and how she was frustrated that she couldn't control the kids. "...that's all I wanted to say." And she left my side. WTF??? I was stunned that she bothered to come up to me and told me that. How Pathetic and immature... A teacher is whining about how incapable she is. It appears that she does it with other kids' parents as well. What my son told me was that Ellen doesn't really teach nor instruct kids when they are off task. She sits and makes her own clay and kids are left with doing whatever. That's not teaching. Kids do stupid stuff sometimes and need directions with assertive manner. As a teacher, you have to be able to address and discipline them when needed. If you don't know how to teach younger kids, stay away from teaching the class. If you are getting paid, that becomes part of your job. It's sad that only the old teacher has the territory and nobody else new is able to come in to make changes. This type of class with younger kids needs more patient and assertive instructors who are willing to make them have fun and learn at the same time. I am sure everyone feels the same way, but nobody is willing to speak up. Here I did it. Do I recommend this class? "NO" Refund please. read more

I never ever write a review, but I think it is worthy to mention how terrible the customer service is here. Both cases I talked on the phone, they were very unapologetic and sarcastic in their tone. First, they accidentally signed me up for a wrong class. They said only the person who signed me up can change that information, so I should wait for her call back. She did not do so. When I called back, she was very irritated by the fact that I called back. I have to be extra nice to have her change the class for me. Afterall, she was caplable to do so herself. Then just now, today's class was canceled and they called me to notify me. I was asking if there is an alternative class that I can attend instead. She just flat-out said no and gave me no explanation or apology for the inconvenience. Once again, she was irritated by the fact that I am asking the question. She just repeated her saying and said, "do you understand?" It felt very rude and upsetting. Especially as a city-funded program, they should have better customer service. They dont seem to represent "community" on the phone. read more

I am currently taking an art class here and am THOROUGHLY impressed thus far. I have been wanting to get back into art for the last few years, but just have not made time or conjured up the effort to actually do so. I decided on the "intro into different mediums" class which I felt like would help me get back into the swing of things, then I could choose what direction I wanted to take myself in. I am very impressed with the instructor, Patsy Taylor. After my first class, I already felt like I learned and refreshed years worth of knowledge and techniques in just a few hours. My experience with this program is so good, that I look forward to taking more classes from them in the future! HIGHLY suggested!! read more

I should preface this review with the disclaimer that I have only taken classes with Patsy Taylor, so I don't know much about the rest of the facility, though I've heard good things. Patsy is a dedicated, tireless advocate for her student's progress and is also a lot of fun to be around. I greatly appreciate her direct teaching style and she brings a great deal of energy to the room (which is so helpful!!) I have a degree in Art from UCSC, and Patsy's approach is definitely more focused on technical skills versus the conceptual approach that my instructors had there, but that's something I really appreciate about her, and I don't feel that it limits her as a teacher. She also leads day- and week-long plein air painting trips, for very affordable fees. If you're looking for someone to help you push through your comfort zones into areas you've never been previously brave enough to explore, I highly recommend Patsy! Thank you, Center for Community Arts, for providing an affordable place to continue our creative lives and have access to great teachers like Patsy! read more

In the first two and a half months as a Realtor with Keller Williams Realty - East Bay, I've been here for three different trainings. The space needs some updating and the bathroom needs a bit of lightening up. Black stalls and dark walls and no windows. Pro's are that the parking is plentiful and it's pretty easy to get to, although a couple of miles from the freeway. read more

There are so many classes to choose from. This winter session I decided to take the Monoprint workshop. It was a 6 hours class (today I went out for lunch but it's best to bring a bag lunch) for about $86 & $6 payable to the instructor. I spend another $20 on the monoprint paper and other supplies on the materials list. Art is the best form of therapy I know. When I release creative energy I feel empowered, beautiful and free. The Civic Arts Program is a great outlet. I highly recommend any of their courses. read more

Civic Arts Education is the only place in the bay area with such a great program for teens who want to further their art skills and build strong portfolios for college. The program is called Make Your Mark and is an 8 month intensive program for teens: 5 different sessions with 5 different skilled instructors teaching from animation to sculpture. There are also great field trips to art museums, artist studios and galleries as well as in-class guest speakers presenting their work as fully professional artists. read more

I used to come here for a music class. I don't anymore because I'm busy with schoolwork. I had a great time while I was here. The restrooms could be a bit improved though. read more

I'm sorry to have to write a bad review but I would have really appreciated had someone done this before and saved me money and time. I took a collage class this summer with Peter Brown. I expected to learn about the craft. I expected some instruction and guidance. We all did, but we got little to none of that. Peter Brown is a nice man but he doesn't instruct, or he didn't in this class. On the first day he talked a bit about the history of collage. The next week he demonstrated how to make marbled paper and that was about it. From then on, for six more weeks we were on our own. One class I asked if he was going to show us something new or lecture and he shrugged as if he'd never even considered such an idea. I know I'm not the only one in this class who walked away disappointed. If you don't mind paying over $100 for time and space to work on your own thing, then this is for you. If you're looking to learn something, forget it. read more

Quiet space, I wish it had some sort of raised stage area. I did a seminar here and it certainly served it's purpose. I'm sure it's a hell of a lot cheaper than the other walnut creek alternatives. read more

Digital artists will be also interested in a wonderful Mac and iPad drawing app named MyBrushes. The whole drawing process could be saved as drawing video and playback anytime. http://mybrushes-app.com/MyBrushes-MAC.html read more

We had on wedding here on 10/01/2011. We were so happy with everything! The staff was so accommodating and helpful. We liked being able to bring all of our own vendors in, as it saved us lots of money. We used the patio for cocktail hour and hors d'oeuvres. We also used J and J Events to drape the ceiling, very pretty! Thank you Shadelands! read more