The North Shore Art League's current exhibition, "Summer Open," has been extended through August…read more24, 2026, making it the perfect destination for an inspiring summer outing. With the exhibition now spanning nearly the entire season, there's still plenty of time to experience this wonderful showcase of local artistic talent. Admission is free, and the gallery is open to the public every day from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, even when the office is closed. Since 1924, the North Shore Art League has remained dedicated to its stated mission of "enriching the human spirit through art education and exhibitions". We found that the art gallery space of the North Shore Art League was bright, airy, and pleasant, with the exhibition thoughtfully and professionally curated. All the staff whom we had encountered were friendly and welcoming. If you are in the area, I highly recommend you stopping by the Northshore Art League, on the second floor of the Winnetka Community House, to see "Summer Open". Part of the exhibited art work were even for sale. There is a great variety of beautiful 2D art to choose from. A portion of all sales supports the North Shore Art League, a not-for-profit, 501©(3) organization.

My mother-in-law is on the board, so I'm a little biased, but we sent my daughter to art camp this…read moreweek and she's having an absolute blast! I'm so relieved because we pulled her from an Oak Park-area ceramics camp that just wasn't her thing. Great job of engaging the kids!

Sarah Kaiser-Amaral offers small group classes in her spacious, well-lit studio, as well as…read moresponsoring life-drawing sessions twice a month. I've worked with her for several years, privately and in classes. She's both an inspired artist and an inspired teacher--generous, engaged, articulate, funny, and committed to meeting each individual where they're at and helping them to progress to the next level of accomplishment. Great for beginners as well as more advanced artists.

Classes at Studio 215, have a peaceful environment that allows you to develop at your own pace with…read morethe great guidance of the artist Sarah Kaiser-Amaral. Studio 215 also provides long sessions with live models!

I have been going to the Mosaic School since January 2025 and have taken 3 classes. The teachers…read moreare great, the atmosphere is welcoming, and I tell all of my friends and family about this place! Nowhere else in the U.S. is there an art school that has such a focus on mosaics. I've learned so much -- they provide the materials and the expertise. I've met some really wonderful people and friends and am already signed up for their stained glass class in September!

Just spent the most amazing weekend at the Chicago Mosaic School. I traveled over 500 miles to get…read morethere and it was well worth my time and effort. I felt the atmosphere to be warm and accepting, accommodating those with little experience and those who spend their lives being creative. It was a perfect balance of informational, historical and hands on Glass work. All my questions were thoroughly answered and I left feeling inspired and eager to utilize what I learned. I would recommend this school to any and all. An added bonus is the eclectic neighborhood, warm and charming teacher, Lydia, inclusive atmosphere and creative vibe that persisted throughout the class.

My d did one of the week long summer sewing camps that meets 2 1/2 hours Mon-Fri. The instructors…read moredo all of the fabric cutting and prepping so no experience is required. On one hand this is great, but on the other hand one doesn't get experience with cutting or using a pattern. My 14 yo did enjoy it, but it was very basic and she didn't really pick up many skills. What was super is that they made a new project every day. Just know some of the sizing will be enormous as it's not really tailored to your kiddo. This is ok, just an fyi. The pj pants probably fit someone 6'4" (luckily her dad is this height!). Overall, enjoyable experience and very nice instructors. The summer week camps would be ideal for tweens. We will be back to try a more advanced class.

amazing I would highly recommend the teachers are so nice and it is so fun to do you can make…read morewhatever you want and the teachers cut out the fabric stuff for you. Sometimes you don't have to worry about cutting it out. in the advanced classes you can make pretty much whatever you can think of. in the beginning classes, they have a bunch of fun projects to make, and will help you through every step.

This was such an incredible night. So much fun and laughter. And the memories will last a life…read moretime. I can't recommend them enough. If you're thinking about it, just do it. You won't regret it.

This was THE PERFECT event for a bachelorette party. My best friend didn't want to do the strippers…read moreand bar crawl type of things but I still had to do something cheeky for her. I'm so glad I found TAB in my research. It was without a doubt the biggest hit of the party! Vanja and Malik both clicked with our party almost immediately, it was like having new friends hanging out with us. Except one of them was an extremely attractive guy posing nude :D Don't worry if you're bad at art-- the whole thing is super easy to enjoy no matter your skill level. This fully satisfied the 'silly, a little raunchy, but still classy' vibe I was going for at a reasonable price per person. They were very responsive via email with any questions too! I can't recommend them enough.

My daughter and I saw a play here that we really enjoyed and it encouraged me to get on their…read moremailing list and follow them on social media to learn about future events. But what impressed me yesterday was that my cousin passed away and the venue where my family planned to have his celebration was booked for the date we wanted. His sister called around and learned that Noyes Cultural Center rents space for special events. We got a room that was perfect for our event. We were able to bring food, music and a slideshow and the staff there were very helpful. They have a small (metered) parking lot adjacent to the entrance and additional street parking nearby, plus a park on the side of the building. They have art classes, the theater, and a lot of other offerings that we weren't aware of, making this center even more impressive.

Sometimes you need to go out of your comfort zone. We bought tickets to Circus in Progress (part of…read morethe Actor's Gymnasium) and found ourselves in the Noyes Cultural Arts Center for the very intimate and impressive show. What we first noticed was the large space. The building is obviously older and has the wide halls and high ceilings you can only get in an older building like this. Upstairs there is an open art gallery which we enjoyed checking out before the show. It would actually be a cool place to host a party or two there as well. There is a small parking lot. I mean tiny considering how many people can be there. But it's literally a jump off of the L and you are there. And there is public parking just a block away. Classes abound in this local arts community. There were tons of flyers, brochures and post cards for upcoming shows, classes (for ALL ages), productions and art shows. Noyes Cultural Arts Center is located in Nothern Evanston and houses a number of art-related organizations, including The Actors Gymnasium, Evanston Children's Choir, Piven Theatre Workshop, Arlen Music / Ken Arlen Orchestra, Art Encounter, Evanston Art Center and the Next Theatre Company. Next time you're in the area, take a peek inside. Or check out what's playing. Tickets are ridiculously cheap and the production we saw was a lot of fun.

Such a cool place and such a cool concept! I've gone to events a few times and the staff has been…read morenothing but sweet and accommodating. We need more places like this in Chicago! The atmosphere and art on the walls is also gorgeous.

I take classes here and love it. Love the environment and the teachers are Great. Would recommend…read moreto anyone

We recently hosted my daughter's 7th birthday party here and had a fantastic experience. There…read morewere a number of options (ceramic painting, canvas painting, slime, and more!) - we chose canvas painting. The owner, Robin, and one of the other employees were fantastic at leading a group of 21 first grade girls through painting a mermaid tail (there were so many choices for the canvas painting - my daughter happened to choose this one). They can do them more or less complex based on the age group of the party. Robin was truly fantastic to work with. She took care of everything, including ordering pizzas from elsewhere in the mall. I brought the paper goods and cupcakes and everything else was handled. We were in a party room in the back that is utilitarian but also decorated. I definitely appreciated that there were separate tables for the art and the eating! I was perfectly happy to not be out in the front of the store with the general public. And the price was totally reasonable given everything that they did for us. Would definitely host another party here! We've also come on a random day just to do a walk in ceramic painting, which was also great. Lots of selections at all sorts of different price points. You can also do walk in canvas painting.

Haven't been in the store yet to experience, but was planning on holding my daughter's birthday…read moreparty here. We eventually ended up forgoing this year because she's still so young she wouldn't fully appreciate the experience, but plan on going for some Mommy and me time. The staff that I was in touch with while planning the event were all so helpful, responsive, and friendly. Even when we decided to pass on holding the party there, after we had filled out the form and not yet put in the deposit, they were so understanding. They get high ratings, they're located conveniently in a mall where if you have youngers you can go to the playgrounds in the mall, and if you have olders, they can walk around and do a little independent shopping. Looking forward to visiting soon!

We are so fortunate to have found etc music school!! Mike O'Mara is a phenomenal teacher. My…read moredaughter takes private lessons and is also in the choir. The school community is wonderful. My daughter absolutely loves the other kids. In her words: "They are welcoming and open." I personally love the choir because they tackle incredible music. Mike does terrific arrangements of a variety of music from modern to classical. When I pick up my daughter after choir practice the room is alive...there's a buzz in the air. We are a family of musicians and we have nothing but the upmost respect for Mike and his establishment. Top notch.

From the owner: etc. Music School is a new kind of music and theatrical training experience dedicated to…read morecollaboration, team-learning, and confidence-building through affirming, creative training that respects and celebrates each student! In addition to offering theater classes for students of all ages, etc. also offers private lessons in Piano, Flute, Voice, Violin, Viola, Guitar, and Music Composition.

The following is a series of text messages I received from my friend Sammy during the month of…read moreApril 2020. I touched it up a little and turned it in for a social studies paper. I got an A! (Note: No Schlitz cocktails were harmed in the making of this Yelp review.) --- So naturally we found a stray beat-up pit bull yesterday and he loves us. Like I usually hate these rescue dog things but this maniac was actually running with traffic and dodging cars after wandering onto the I-90 Kennedy Expressway yesterday. Last night we had him stay overnight at the vet in Skokie, IL because it was the only place open and she basically said that he's got a litany of problems to deal with but that he's generally healthy and fixable. Shane named him Kennedy after the stretch of the I-90/Kennedy Expressway where we found him, but I just call him Kenny. He seems to like watching the expressway from a car window more than running along it in 70-mph traffic. -- We asked about the weird growths on his hind legs and figured that they were horrible tumors and that he was in a lot of pain and would probably have to be put down out of mercy. But apparently they're just benign cysts that don't hurt him and he's fine. Miracle dog. She said he's maybe four years old. He's 90 pounds of pure muscle. And he's got old bite scars on his face which the vet said probably came from years ago when he was maybe attacked by another dog, but she said that he probably wasn't used in any dogfighting situations. Possibly used as a breeder dog. Really messed up. The main problem is that he has a torn ACL which we need to get fixed and will cost us some. Looks like he got hit by a car recently and messed up his hind leg. We've got him taking some pain meds but this nutcase doesn't even care, he just wants to run around regardless of his limp. Just the sweetest guy ever. He hasn't barked once, has no problems with other dogs, and just loves to lick our faces while we drink beers and play loud guitars. I just love this guy. We were walking down the street with him yesterday, and between the two of us and this terrifying-looking pit bull, everyone was just crossing the street and getting the living hell out of our way. Weirdest thing that makes me know he was abused in some way is that we'll give him cheeseburgers and loads of dog food and he won't eat it in front of us. Like he gets really nervous when we give him food. Shane and I have to pull him toward the bowl and whenever he takes a bite, he looks back at us like we're about to punish him for eating. I got down on all fours today and pretended to be a dog eating dog food  out of his bowl to show him that being a dog and eating food was okay, and then he seemed to get the joke and just licked my face and started to chow down. Definitely our spiritual animal. But he eats when we leave him alone. Otherwise he just wants to hang. By the way, I was just acting. Didn't have it in me to actually take a bite but hey, Kenny took a bite. -- Schwarzenegger dog is so afraid of Shane's cat... He likes other dogs but just whimpers when this tiny cat stares him down. -- Well Kenny Dog had a pretty bad epileptic seizure last night... So that throws me another curveball. He didn't look like he was in pain but still concerning. -- So in a nice twist, it turns out that my cousin's wife didn't want to be a law professor at Northwestern anymore and preferred to run an animal shelter in wealthy Evanston, Illinois, where people apparently can't stop donating funds. So looks like Kenny-boy is going to get his surgery. And that's just a huge relief that this is going to happen. Probably headed for adoption. I want to keep this damn guy because I just love him but I'm freakin allergic. Never barks. Is that good? Probably good. But I feel like if I were a messed up pit bull I'd be barking quite a bit. -- Alright I miss Ken-Dog like hell but he's already been adopted by some rich family in Evanston, Illinois, probably learning about the virtues of Joe Biden, veganism, and intersectional feminism. He's got an awesome life. I guess his leg was actually way more messed up than we thought and he was in some pain which is why he was shuddering at night when we thought he was having seizures. Great to hear he already got some surgeries and that he's sleeping easily because I love that dog. I almost think I should take my chances just walking in traffic on the Kennedy Expressway and see how it works out.

Evanston Animal Shelter is a top-notch animal shelter that truly cares about rescues. They're…read moreprofessional and conscientious. If something were to happen to me, and with no other options, I have confidence that my beloved dog would be taken care of conscientiously by Evanston Animal Shelter.