I've taken a number of classes at Gage and am so impressed by the caliber of the instruction. The…read moreinstructors seem genuinely interested in assisting students to improve their art, whatever their past art experience may have been, if any. I studied art at the university level and have found Gage classes to be far superior. And the new building is wonderful! Gage is not just an academy, but a community. Kudos to Director Kathleen Allen for her efforts in establishing Gage in its new location in the Westlake area, the heart of Seattle.

Gage is my favorite place in seattle to learn and practice art, and hang out with other…read morearts-centric folk. The instructors are all incredible, and provide such thoughtful teaching whether you're an advanced student or have never touched a paintbrush. I've been taking classes for years in capitol hill, and I'm excited to take more at the new location in south lake union. The art instruction you get here is unmatched, and its cool to see artists who have come out of Gage have their work in galleries and other professional establishments.

NW Encaustics is an amazing little gem of a studio. It has…read morea fantastic set-up with all the tools, instruction, and house-made wax you'll need to learn this super fun medium. It's also affordable-more affordable than Pratt I believe. Also, the people who take classes there and teach are really fun. It's a laid back, relaxed, and welcoming atmosphere, which I really appreciate. Encaustic painting is easy to do, but there are some techniques that are really helpful to learn, and it's not a completely non-toxic art; the fumes need good ventilation. Also, you use blow-torches... so, having a studio to paint in is a necessity, especially for an apartment dweller like me!

I love both this studio and the community of friendly artists that instruct there. Laid back, yet…read moreprofessional; NWE is a great place to take beginner classes and beyond. Well worth the price if you are ready to dive into the wax!

I have taken two classes with Barbara and just signed up for my third. Classes are excellent - a…read moregreat blend of hands-on teaching and self-directed work. Barbara is patient, attentive, and really cares about the work she's doing. I'd highly recommend taking classes with Barbara - the studio is cozy and small, with just enough room for everyone to have a wheel or a spot to hand build. It's a great way to create things that are useful, and even to make awesome holiday gifts!

Barb is an incredible teacher. I love the mix of beginners and returners in her classes. She has…read morelessons each day for beginners, and returners can just throw for three hours if they'd like. She is also available to more experienced people for advice and suggestions. She runs a tight ship and I have so much respect for the system she has created.

I just completed the fall class at the Alliance (French 201) and am happy with the experience. I…read morehad also taken the French for Travelers course there. Before starting at the Alliance, I had some previous private French lessons with a tutor. If you have had any background in French and don't want to start at square one, you can take a placement test. Fill out the form online and then you will be called by the Alliance director who will have you come in for an assessment. The assessment (about 30-45 minutes) is a made up of a multiple choice test and a couple of short essays. Based on your results she will place you in the appropriate class. If when you start the class you find that you are not comfortable at that level, you can always change classes (which is what I did). The teachers at the Alliance are mostly native French speakers, some are native English speakers who spent a lot of time in France and are completely fluent. The two teachers I have had so far were great - very patient! My only gripe is that you can't really choose your teachers i.e. depending on who is teaching that particular course during any particular semester, you may end up with a teacher from Quebec or another Francophone region outside of France and therefore you are learning French with their accents, which are different from the accent of the Motherland and often the difference is huge. I like that the classes are not big (up to 10 or 12?). The classes are not high-pressure and it is ok if you miss a class here and there. These are adult classes in the evening after all. Almost all of the students have full time jobs. The atmosphere is pretty relaxed. The curriculum includes a mix of grammar, vocabulary, comprehension and culture. It's not like your dry high school French textbooks. Once you reach the 200+ level, the entire course is taught in French, with complicated grammar rules explained in English if required. It's a great way to immerse yourself in the language, if only for a few hours a week. The Alliance is located at the Good Shepherd Center (built in 1906) in Wallingford, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The classrooms are nothing fancy but it is cosy in an old-school kind of way. I plan to continue with the next level course at the Alliance. There is ample free parking outside the school. There is a library where you can borrow French books, DVDs, CDs.

I have visited in person the local Alliance Francaise in Seattle several times over the years. The…read morestaff is pleasant enough, especially the French director. I did find that the courses would be too easy for me. There seemed to be several volunteers possibilities as well. * * * * * Does anyone in school learn --not even actually speak--a foreign language any more? There are insanely ugly languages--Cantonese with its braying, cacophony, American English with its outlandish diphthongs and tendency to be grunted or shouted (compare Jamie Foxx to Ralph Fiennes), Spanish. And then there is French (Parisian, Swiss, or Belgian, but not Quebecois). ...Certainly not on a par with the Alliance Francaise in Boston or San Francisco (or New York, which I have not visited but assume is the largest in the U.S.), the Alliance Francaise de Seattle is a cozy outpost located in Wallingford. It offers classes in conversational French at various levels as well as a program of social/cultural activities for mostly beginning learners. Particularly good for those who want to brush up on the French they took in high school or college, as well as for those planning a trip to a Francophone country. A small staff headed by the directrice Misa Bourdonneau is gracious and welcoming ensures that the classes are small and personalized. Whatever the global reach of the U,S. is in the decades to come (as well as the concomitant dominance of the English language), the French language will always maintain its peerless reputation as the the language of culture in the traditional sense of the word (America obviously dominates pop or mass culture). It is important to live in a multi-lateral world, politically speaking, and to have a counterweight, culturally, to the United States. **** Why study French? Once you fall in love with this language, it lasts a lifetime. It is spoken by an estimated 200 million people around the world and one of the six official languages of the U.N. and one of the two working languages of the Security Council ('English being the other). Guyana (once French Guyana) in South America is actually part of the European Union, with representation in the French National Assembly (it is actually a part of France in the same way that Hawaii or Puerto Rico are part of the U.S.). Language and culture are inseparable, and I am tempted to believe that if Americans had less distrust for nuance, less certainty that we are "sui generis" as a nation, we would have less of a "bull in a china shop" approach to world affairs. It should come as no surprise that the French over a century have been attempting to restore Angor Wat and other ancient Buddhist temples in Cambodia to their original splendor. Compare to the early days of the U.S. invasion of Iraq when the soldiers ostensibly guarding the National Archaeological Museum in Baghdad did NOTHING to prevent the shocking looting and pillaging taking place right under their very eyes. The respect the French have for their language is in sharp contrast to the general sloppiness with which Americans employ their own (how many Americans could profess a love of the English language?). **** Maybe if the U.S. (George W. Bush) had listened to France, which, with Germany, refused--on principled grounds--to "go along" with the invasion of Iraq, we wouldn't be in the mess we are in today. Former prime minister Dominque de Villepin's speech to the United Nations Assembly before the U.S. invaded Iraq was extraordinarily eloquent ("Yes, I come from an OLD Europe, one that has known great suffering...We believe war is an admission of defeat and ought to be used as the last resort" brought tears to my eyes. (This was also the occasion, as I recall, of Colin Powell's infamous "Saddam has uranium enrichment..."). http://www.ina.fr/archivespourtous/index.php?vue=notice&from=fulltext&full=Dominique+de+Villepin+&num_notice=2&total_notices=158 On the other hand, many, if not most Americans truly believe that freedom actually began in the year 1776. However, the American Revolution was followed by another equally important revolution 13 years later. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/28/opinion/28furstenberg.html?em&ex=1193716800&en=6fe9bb653edfa0b5&ei=5087%0A French chateaus (Chenonceau, Chambord, et. al.), museums, cuisine, art, and cathedrals are also magnificent repositories of its rich history and culture. And yes, many French have a rather distorted, knee-jerk anti-Americanism combined with a doltish love of the worst aspects of American culture (hip-hop, Sylvester Stallone, etc.). Republican Party strategists interpreted the victory of Nicholas Sarkozy over Segolene Royal, the socialist candidate, to the presidency of France as a blueprint for them to win in 2008. Sarkozy was the successor of a very unpopular president (Chirac) from his own party, in the way that GWB has become an albatross for the Republicans.

I like my time in ALPS. It started to feel like a place to hangout and be at peace. The community…read moreis really nice and it's very easy to make friends. The teachers have interesting backgrounds so they provide insight in many topics from different areas of knowledge. I highly recommend ALPS

Excellent teachers, a friendly environment, great learning resources, and my determination were the…read moreperfect combination for significant improvement in my English skills. I highly recommend ALPS to anyone looking to learn or further enhance their English proficiency. The small class size is the best thing about this school!

My wife and I decided to try this out, and we had a great time. We had a lot of fun painting and…read morethe instructor was really helpful, and she is a super nice person. I highly recommend it. We're definitely going to do it again sometime.

A fun time. A great instructor. A cool location. You should bring your friends and hang out, drink…read moresome wine, learn about the different styles of art, and try your hand at them. We had a great time and my coworkers want to organize a team-building exercise around the event soon. Reserve early, there are only limited slots and they book up quickly.

I was looking for a good place to have my daughter, and found the best teachers. Now they open this…read morenew place Cielito Lindo right at the heart of Wallingford. I recommend a visit to their brand new place, and see for yourselves. Your children will be in the best hands and work on their Spanish and social skills. Highly recommend

I have so many positive things to say. I looked for a long time and visited, interviewed and…read moreconsidered many options before selecting this academy. The curriculum is advanced and individualized to a degree you won't get in public school. The staff takes time to ensure all children are taught how to learn, learn, and (most importantly) to enjoy learning and staying curious. I won't say more about the academics, you can look up how great they are online. But I will say they don't break kids like other aggressive academic private schools, they make them love learning. My son is so motivated in kindergarten to do his schoolwork! The nutrition is top notch. They feed them "home cooked" healthy organic meals 4-6 times a day. Allergies accounted for. No cakes or sweets allowed and each child gets a classroom bday celebration. Arts are built into the curriculum: culinary arts, painting, music and dance with performances, gymnastics and you even get a speech therapist. Kids are with two teachers: English speaking and Russian speaking. This was a major deal for me in terms of importance. My kid was doing advanced math that kids in first grade are doing in prek and not on a tablet! By 5 he was reading and writing in two languages! The school is high in security and cleanliness. I know my kids are safe and I get photo updates of their time here. The school doesn't teach religion, politics, or gender stuff. That stays with the parents. I love this. It's one of the main reasons I'm here. But they are still teaching kindness, diversity and are strict on anti bullying. The school has hundreds of options for after school programs and care inclusive of science, robotics, musical instruments etc. But most importantly... I love the people. Everyone knows my kids from the daycare to the administration to the cooks to the director of the school. It feels like a warm and safe home. My kids feel comfortable and safe. They are welcomed with kindness. And I feel like they really care. The director of the school called me on the phone to tell me about my son's Iowa test and how she was concerned that someone as smart as him wasn't trying harder to take it. That level of care is so impressive to me. Hands down one of the best decisions I've made for my kids coming here. It is expensive! But very comparable to other private schools in the area. Only thing I can say is I wish the administration for the private school was as organized and on top of it as the administration for their prek and daycare. One thing to note that this private school does do school uniforms. But the policy is quite flexible. It's mainly colors and no prints / graphics or jeans. And on Fridays it's free clothes day.