Art, music and more. Had the opportunity to attend "Salt Lick Sessions" at the Umbrella Arts Center…read morein Concord. The venue is intimate, seating is comfortable, acoustics are first class. Peruse a visual art show on the lobby before entering the auditorium. The evening was capped off by three outstanding musical artists who performed their hearts out: Olivia Barton brought her melodic voice and guitar, and crooned the audience with folksy songs about everyday life such as simply making the rent. Carter Benjamin energized the audience with his 3-piece rock group that evoked funkaledic influences of REM. Last but not least, Kiernan Rhodes serenaded us on the piano, with songs of youth and family, in a style and energy reminiscent of Billy Joel meets Hollywood. The talented musical trio capped off the evening by uniting in an unexpected encore, covering James Taylor's "You've Got a Friend."

My higher grade is more for the art center itself rather than the performances. There's always a…read moresmall exhibition at the center of the building and it's nice to see artists can work on their projects late into the night. The facilities look clean and orderly, including the bathrooms and artist studios. I liked seeing all pottery made by the various artists. I also enjoyed the theater itself. While the seating itself isn't all that special, the acoustics are quality. If you expect something significantly higher than community theater here, you may be disappointed. While the performances were fine, they're not really all that polished and feel rather barebones (two actors playing one role in a production was rather strange). If you want a more grander theater experience but without going into Boston, consider Reagle in Waltham. (For all you Yelp police out there, yes, I paid $ here for tickets so I can review)

My nine-year-old daughter has been going to ActonArt for over four years and I can't recommend it…read morehighly enough. It's well worth the drive from Cambridge, and judging from the number of other folks who come from as far away, many agree. Whenever we have to miss a week due to illness or vacation, my daughter is more sad about missing art than anything else. I also appreciate the diversity of subjects they have in the drawing classes; many different objects and people from world cultures are represented, and John always gives a little talk about what they're drawing, whether it's a famous building or a particular species of animal or an important historical person. I'm impressed with the quality of teaching both in terms of skills and how much the teachers seem to care about the kids.

From the owner: ActonArt provides drawing and fine art instruction to students ranging in age from five years to…read moreadults. Our curriculum driven program is designed to teach to the strengths and abilities of general age ranges, however our class sizes are limited and small so we can focus on the needs of individual students as well. Our program and class structure has evolved over the years into a comprehensive presentation of core concepts and developmental skill building projects built around student friendly topics and drawing subjects. We offer classes that are specific to elementary, middle-school, and high-school children, intermediate and advanced level students, and even students who are developing portfolios for further study in art schools and colleges. We also have procreate, home-school, and adult classes for people looking for personal enrichment and individual skills development.

Great place for small events, interesting exhibits. But…read morethink twice before paying for a series of classes. It is not inexpensive, and the instructors have NO reviews (puzzling) so you are flying blind. I got a real dud. (understatement) Caveat emptor.

Amazing place! They have fantastic exhibitions, classes/ workshops, and so many resources for…read morelocal artists. Whether you are an arts enthusiast or just someone visiting Concord, Concord Art is definitely worth a visit.

Im bummed that it too this long for us to visit, but Im so glad we did! A very easy drive from…read moreBoston, we got there early on a fall Saturday morning. You pay your entrance fee, park your car, get your map from the giftshop and your off to explore the grounds and the art it contains. We spent about 2 hours wandering and it was such a fantastic experience. Im glad the items were tagged so we could learn more about each piece and the artist. The pictures just dont do justice to the beauty, serenity and scope of the grounds. The staff was very friendly. There is a small gift shop and café on the grounds. It never felt crowded. Will definitely be back!

My husband and I had a nice Saturday with nothing to do so we grabbed the dog, hopped in the car,…read moreand drove half an hour to this park. The park is very well organized with different walking paths to see all the art installations in order. We chose the white path, there is also a red path, but it was hot and our dog wasn't super thrilled about it. There are dog water stations all over which is fantastic. We brought his water as well for simplicity. We saw people having picnics all over the park and some taking naps. Such a peaceful location to just hang out and read or spend a quiet afternoon.

Loved Valerie! She came to the child care center where my younger siblings go to and did a very…read moreengaging and fun activity with the children. I could see that they were all having so much fun and I would highly recommend Jumpstart Art Club to anyone looking for a great teacher. Valerie is the best!

My lucky little toddlers have the pleasure of visiting Ms. Valerie in our Child Care Center's Art…read moreStudio twice a week and boy oh boy do they love her! Valerie always has unique, creative, developmentally appropriate activities planned for children of all ages at many day care locations in the Boston area. She definitely has a creative, fun way of teaching all types of art and the children clearly love her as they ask each day if it is an "art studio" day.

Scott is a great teacher, and he creates a wonderful atmosphere for learning at any skill level! My…read morepartner and I had no prior experience with sculpture, and we both had a blast despite being complete newbies. Regardless of whether I continue with stone carving, I left the class with fun memories and a new appreciation for the art form.

I took a weekend workshop with Scott and had a wonderful time. His studio is light and airy and…read moreonce we got into the groove of carving, he put on some classic rock music which was a great touch. Scott let us choose our own stones from his supply and encouraged us to visualize our sculpture and mark the stone with charcoal so we knew where to chisel. He was very attentive and helped us individually with our pieces, giving helpful suggestions along the way. Will definitely be coming back!

My 17 yr old daughter had an exceptional experience with…read moreCreate! Sewing Studio. During the pandemic, they were able to quickly step up to offering remote lessons. They took my daughter every step of the way to guide her with making a wedding dress. She had weekly remote classes with Rebecca and Christina for several months. I cannot say enough about their professionalism, knowledge, reliability, and flexibility. They even jumped on a zoom call at 8:30pm to help my daughter with a step that she had questions about. Towards the end, they prepared a weekly outline to be sure the dress was completed in time. I highly recommend this business and will surely use them again if my daughter needs more lessons!

I am one class from finishing the winter session at Create! Sewing Studio.AND.I.LOVE.IT!…read more Rebecca (the owner and instructor) is so super nice and knowledgeable. Her intern Darlene is a gem. I feel like I am learning in a warm and supportive environment, all fairly close to Marlborough. I would recommend Create! to anyone who wants to learn or brush up on their sewing skills!

This is my favorite store! All the merchandise is beautifully made, colorful and useful. It is…read moremostly contemporary, which is my style. I can't get out of here without buying something! I have purchased jewelry, ceramics, glass, candles and more.

They seem to have forgotten it is the holiday season. They wrapped a Christmas gift in orange…read moretissue paper (what happened to seasonal colors like red, green, white or blue?) and used yellow and orange ribbon on the unwrapped box and declared it is wrapped for Christmas. It looked like it should be presented at Thanksgiving. Defintely out of touch with the season. Also less holiday options. Had been a loyasl customer for years, will not return because of the attitude I received when asked for a Christmas theme wrapping.

This was so much more fun than I anticipated!…read more Sabrina (hostess/art teacher/lovely woman) led us through a fun filled 2 hours of my first ever nude sketching session! She was upbeat, informative, respectful to both the sketchers (us) and the models. Made sure there were no photography during class unless it's through them to make the models comfortable. (takes guts to be nude in front of a bunch of people drinking and looking at you!) She brought out the artistic sides of everyone in the room, guided us through different sketching exercises (1-3-5 minute sketch sessions) so we're busy drawing instead of JUDGING what we were drawing. such helpful tips! I think we were all VERY impressed with our own artworks! I really thought I'd be drawing a little more than stick figures before coming here. I had a blast and this would make any gathering unique, fun and explorative! I had an amazing time!

I would recommend The Artful Bachelorette to anyone looking for a fun activity to do (whether…read morecelebrating or not!). Like our host said, they do it all from engagement celebrations to happy divorce parties! All skill levels are welcome, and your host will walk you through a variety of different exercises at different speeds. Our model was graceful, poised, and cool as a cucumber. I would love to do this again someday with a group of friends for a girls night! (P.S. I would love to see photos from the Boston event if the host has them!)

Edward was very quick to respond. He responded within an hour of my reply to him. The information…read morehe sent was all inclusive. Had the services he was offering been what I needed, I believe he would have been very accommodating. I would give Edward a chance to prove himself based on his response time and information sent with pictures.

From the owner: The Grounding Loft is a light-filled, right-sized space on the second floor of the historic…read moreWinsmith Mill in Norwood, Massachusetts. Just about 500 square feet, this former photo studio is designed to feel calm, clean, and versatile — ideal for small classes, creative work, and meaningful gatherings. Book it for: Photo Shoots, Content Creation, Massage & Bodywork classes, Continuing Ed or Small Adult Ed classes, Yoga, Sound healing, Art classes, figure drawing, Photo shoots, Content creation, Commercial popups, photography, therapy groups, workshops, book clubs, etc. email hello@thegroundingloft.com