I cannot say enough good things about Art School of SF Bay! The instructors, Maria and Lana, are…read moreabsolutely amazing--they have been incredibly helpful and supportive throughout both of the courses I've taken (Key Elements of Fine Arts for Beginners and the Realistic Open Art Studio). Even though I had some prior experience, the classes on portrait drawing and proportions were highly valuable. While the abstract art component wasn't for me, every single skill they taught was ultimately put to use in my final project. Thanks to their wonderful guidance, I've created paintings I never thought I was capable of making. I highly recommend this school!

My almost 7-year-old has been attending this school since she was 5. Why? Because she genuinely…read moreenjoys it. She loves that she is never bored. Every week she learns something new: new styles, materials, and techniques. Sometimes they focus on painting, other times on sculpture or different forms of art. Katia and Sara have both been her teachers, and she has felt happy and supported with all of them. Like with many activities at this age, it took a couple of weeks for her to fully adjust and feel familiar with the environment but consistency made a big difference. As parents, we appreciate seeing her come home excited and proud of what she created. It is easy to notice how much she has progressed over time and we get very excited when we see her project. We also appreciate the communication style of the school. They provide a high-level overview each week of what the kids will be working on, which keeps parents informed without overwhelming us with too much information. On the administrative side, tuition payments and renewals are simple, and the staff has always been friendly and helpful whenever we have had questions or needed help resolving any mistakes on our part. We also love the location. Depending on the day and who is with me, it is easy to wait nearby at the library, a coffee shop, or a restaurant while class is in session.

I have no words for this awful school. PLEASE DON'T EVER ATTEND A PRIVATE ART SCHOOL, it's a total…read morescam. Ignore overly positive and short reviews its probably an admin or staff from CCA trying to cover the truth experiences of students. Initially entered for animation but that department along with illustration and other craft related programs are a joke. THERE IS NO INTERNSHIP or connection to Pixar like they promised during the interview. You can't go back on it because whoever told you that info left the school for a different job. The Graphic Design dept is pathetic. A lot of people quit cuz the school wont pay plus most have given up on teaching. They do the bare minimum for students. Often rushing to leave after class these are the tenure prof it doesnt help their old disconnect from the modern world. They also admit they dont know current programs and teach critical theory based bs which is useless. Right now its all adjunct prof with little to no teaching experience this is across all programs. I heard it from friends plus its hard to monitor who is still working at CCA. They dont consistently update their website. All the positive reviews for this school are from 5-20years ago listing prof who arent here anymore. Look up Cca lawsuits they've had quiet a few and tried to dismiss it. *Currently theres a lawsuit for antisemitism on campus where they allowed students to bully a jewish professor. The programs at this school are a joke since they don't pay faculty the prof treat classes like its a chore. I've had classrooms with no ceiling so its loud, classmates sing out loud, bullying is a common thing among students /teachers. YOU'RE LEARNING ON YOUR OWN. Forget this place if you want to learn current programs they dont teach any technical programs. Its all critical race theory and their specifc agendas on politics and its relation to SF. Each class is reviewing your work with a prof everyone gets 20min total out of a 2-3hr class. I've heard tangents to not answering questions. Prof say you'll have to talk to someone else for help. They throw random problems at you and its up to you to solve it. I had a professor who retired this year offer an off topic project an interactive one and asked if anyone wants to do it for free, its great experience. We asked him if he knew a program we could render or use but he straight out said IDk...but im sure you'll figure it out. THEY LIE ABOUT CAREER HELP. Hate to admit but they had a decent center but like CCA fashion they wont tell you when theres a drastic change. The school fired the entire center moving it on handshake with a beyound pathetic dept. No one even knows what they do but they run the career center. They hired odd people as career counselors. We had a gallery curator who can barely find a job, a random industrial prof, and a rock star. Yea they did, they hired some bootleg rock star with an english background to help all majors. They were not helpful from deflecting on students to projecting their own opinions on job preferences. I wanted to apply an internship at meta and one of these idiots told me off saying why would I want to work for such an immoral company. Lady, you work for a diploma mill fcking up ppls finacial stability. Everything they mention on their site is 100% a lie they dont help you at all with internships in fact we havent had a career fair in 2years. If we do its only for architectures, graphic design, and industrial. The sad part about career fairs its mostly adobe or other design companies am to sell you products. The portfolio reviews are only 15-20min each. 80% is panel bs from people in the industry talking about their success. It feels like an MLM where they fill you with nonsense and basic free merch. Adobe even spent 30min presenting a new mobile PS app for us to pay/download there was a raffle but its completely inappropriate. The school just wants to make $$$$$ while helping other companies to exploit our desire to enter the field by pushing us to buy more stuff. Overall, theres no opportunities. YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN. Lastly the saddest part we are robbed our last $100 because we have to pay to print our own degrees. Its $200 if you want it framed this applies to graduates too.

I'm currently a junior at the school, studying illustration. Almost all I have to say about CCA is…read morehugely positive. I can only speak for my own department, but I love the professors here. Learning about becoming a better artist and professional has been a life-changing experience. They care about the students, and they're in it to give back and be mentors for others. I was lucky to have amazing teachers, amazing advisors to fall back on, and a student population that's engaged on stuff that really matters (diversity, social justice, equality). I'm an international student too, and CCA has shown more than just hospitality to me. I've also gotten the chance to meet and work with several people in the administration of the school - the Admissions Office, the Office of Student Life, and Student Affairs. I haven't met a single person that isn't excited about creating an awesome community for students and making sure that they feel like they feel cared for. If I was pressed to say what the downsides are, there are very little. The main one I can think of is the division of the two campuses - one in Oakland, and one in SF. But they're also going to consolidate everything in SF anyway, so I'm not even mad. I wish I had applied a few years later so I could get to see the new campus!

My 7 year old daughter has been attending art lessons at Artworks for over a year now, and we've…read morebeen happy with her progress. She has been learning a variety of techniques and working with various mediums like watercolor and oil pastels. Our daughter sometimes complains about the classes being too prescriptive, but we try to explain that mastering different techniques will be valuable down the road. Overall, we've been happy with the quality of the instruction. We were on a waitlist for a year before we got in, but I understand it's easier to "get in" these days!

Staff there are amazing! This art shop helps my son with his creativity. Teachers are super…read morepatience.

Its not the same school after 2020 and I'm applaud by CCA self serving attitude towards any BS they…read morecommit. First of all theres been at least two major on campus protest towards the previous president and his money laundering. 90% of your 250k total tuition goes toward the board of trustee. Cca has over 50 since 2021 (last I checked) while faculty werent paid and forced to take adjunct position.l, the first protest was for staff. The second by students who got tired of tuition increases while CCA gave us little in return. They didnt mention the school had a few labs 2021-2024. We were promised job fairs and assistance for internships but I found out were on our own. CCA also forces u to do an internship but if you cant find one yoyr forced to PAY THE SCHOOL FOR AN INTERNSHIP in order to pass. Cca does t care if you dont graduate the only consistancy is asking for $$$$$$. Everything else is a series of pathetic excuses, miscommunication, ans deflection. If you wana be academically challenged and learn technical skills which are important in the industry Id avoid this place at all cost. The only redeeming field left is maybe architure (6yr program) or Interactive (over saturated). Being a UX designer today is hard Id recommended a camp instead its the same equivalence. A lot of these course are hard to judge since they dont update the class summary on workday nor is it transparent. The class experience verse summary are two different things. Ive had low effort classes and the teacher is quick to leave. No office hours unless u demand it and they have a ridiculous on time policy. You'll spend wn extra $500-1k in class materials so aim for digital courses avoid the craft ones, unless your in those field. I hope your rich and have mega support cuz the rest of us its a huge finacial burden with little return. The campus is shit.... Like literally 20 million bucks and the new building is mostly for labs. Btw you cant use these labs unless you pay for a class thats attached to the lab. The only labs for everyone to use is the rapid prototype and 3D printing. The staff working there is somewhat helpful but mostly annoying useless students. I've met awful students working eager to give attitude or dont care. Inside hooper the main building its ugly and cold. Its also noisy because some classes dont have roofs. You can hear people screaming laughing and being disrespectful. CCA hires and accepts trash people. The network here is nonexistent as most of these students are talentless and self serving ppl. Ive met gen z who didnt know what is a stock img. Jesus and ppl who cried over drawing with paper and pencil. Obviously the school only looks for passionate and naive ppl who wana pay for their dream. Its a pity because CCA acceptence rate use to be 30% and they recruited some of the best. Either way its hard to accept after paying 20k a semester after scholarship this is the type of bs anyone can deal. *Look up current and past lawsuits towards this school. They are not a diverse thinking or whatever dei bs they wana hide behind. Lawsuits from a disabled student where they were called "Retarded" by trash campus staff. A jewish professor Fiss was fired for defending her beliefs there were posters of antisemitism on campus before the school took it off but still enjoy deflecting like they didnt do anything wrong. Overall, take the negative reviews seriously and consider choosing a private art school. A university would be better since this school is now an exoensive dipolma mill.

When I first arrived at CCA, a counselor told me that the training was so strong, graduates…read morewouldn't need an MA. She also said every student is guaranteed a paid internship. However, during my transfer year, I was informed that the animation department doesn't qualify for internships--we were basically on our own. A friend in industrial design was told her department was too small to provide internships. Job fairs only offered positions in architecture. I was also shocked to find that around 90% of the faculty did mot know any industry-standard software! The dean, who proudly identified as a traditional animator, seemed unaware what is the current state of the field. Since I transferred during COVID, it was incredibly difficult to understand how to navigate the industry post-graduation. The results speak for themselves: not a single student from my class has secured a job in the animation or any related industry, and it's been three years since we graduated. Most alarming of all was reviewing the faculty portfolios in the animation department. I strongly recommend that anyone considering CCA--or thinking about staying--take a few minutes to look into there work. You may come to the same conclusion many of us did: the animation program at this $50,000-a-year school feels like a scam. Chair Christoph Steger: https://christophsteger.com Chair Meghana Bisineer https://meghanabisineer.com

This review is based on my experience with the instructional classes at the studio…read more I'm not an artist but I strive to live in touch with creativity. For a long time, I've made art but struggled with feeling like what I was doing was really creative. Michael, the owner and instructor at the studio, has transformed the way I think about the creative process through the avenue of figure drawing. His classes are the most meaningful part of my week. If you're looking for an instructional class focused on technique for drawing more accurately, this may not be the right place for you. Instead, the classes offer a new connected way of living--engaged with beauty both around you and internal to you. So much of the class is about unlearning not just how you draw but also how you value the creative process. It is the most challenging class I've ever taken and there's no amount of brute force I can apply to get it other than trusting the process and the instructor. Nonetheless, as frustrating as it is, there's nothing else I do that is more rewarding. It takes a lot of effort to strip away your aesthetic value system to get at the core of what you find beautiful, but if the result is a more meaningful existence, then that investment is priceless. Some practical aspects of the instructional sessions. Michael strives to provide only the best models to inspire you not to capture their poses but to feel something in yourself. The medium is stick charcoal and newsprint is available cheaply at the studio. The class is a lengthy commitment of 20 weeks of three-hour sessions but is highly structured and builds on successive lessons. Michael also allows you to make-up classes. Although there is a high upfront cost, for the hours of instruction and model time spread out over the weeks, it's a steal.

Excellent in all ways: location, furniture, back up supplies, equipment, atmosphere and,…read moreespecially, the models.

Caring and helpful staff assisted the kids in doing their very best!…read more The variety of choices, materials and activities challenged their creativity! Street metered parking close to many cafes and stores made the wait pleasant and enjoyable too!

Kim was a great instructor and made oil painting look easy even though I struggled. She gave great…read moredirection and suggestions to each student throughout the class. The studio itself was kawaii. Great playlist by the way! 5 stars, would do it again someday!

I have actually just graduated from this school, class of 2026. I did online music composition…read moremajor. This school had taught me a lot of great things with music and also a few not so great things. Most of my teachers online were great and I did the work and passed well. I had one teacher, in a music harmony class, I spent hours doing music theory work for and he gave me a D or an F on every single homework assignment. I reached out to him on email and zoom multiple times but sadly ended up with a D- in the class and waisted $3,000. I was really upset I tried my best out of any class in this class. I had to take his class again and he was already giving me D's and F's in the first 3 weeks of class. My counselor was really great and helped me transfer out of his class. I took another class in place and passed that one. All in all every teacher I had at this school was pretty great and helped me pass each class except this one. Most of the councilors I had were good too. This school is more on the pricy side so there is that as well. But I do use my degree already and I am a music teacher with it. I actually had a good experience at this school except with one time so it was overall good for me :).

This school is not student focused. It is money focused. No support for students with disabilities…read more No support with financial aid. The calls to each department are screened to one person so if they are out or absent or no longer there students are not updated so messages go nowhere and student needs are not met. As far as financial aid no assistance is given if a stumbled thru process. The level of support you receive is minimal at best. But they will bill you continually.

My 6 year old daughter has been attending Xing Xing Art since she was 5. Sean has been a wonderful,…read morekind and flexible instructor. My daughter started with color pencil sketches progressed to pastel drawings, and is currently working on watercolor paintings. She always looks forward to going to class each week. I love how there are so many class slots, and appreciate the flexible make-up policy. Sean is also very easy to work with and a patient instructor. My daughter also wanted to write a review: Xing Xing Art is amazing and fun because you learn skills in the art class and Sean (the teacher) is very nice! I think this is the best art class you can ever imagine and if you love art it will be a fun place to go. I have been here for over a year so I know. I recommend to go to this school because if you love art like me, this school will make you happy. I think Xing Xing Art earns 5/5 stars and more.

Sean is an amazing art teacher! He has a strong background in so many different mediums including…read morewater color, pastel, sketch, and oil painting. I have been at his studio for more than 8 years and he has always been a supportive and patient teacher. The classes are informative and fun having the option to choose from so many drawings to paint. He was also able to help me get into a local art high school, Ruth Asawa SOTA by preparing me for the drawings and having me practice. Would 100% recommend this art studio!

I was a student at the Asian Arts School for 8 years and I loved every moment I was in the studio…read more Teacher Lin Wei and her amazing group of dedicated teacher assistance made sure to prioritize every student's potential to grow and excel in their artistic skills. The studio is an environment where students learn from the teachers and peers to be inspired to diverge into their individual style. That is why there are often engaging activities the studio hosts such as art galleries, live portrait drawing sessions, art competitions, outside landscape drawing. When I was planning to audition for San Francisco's Ruth Asawa School of the Art (SOTA) high school, Mrs. Wei gave helpful tips in finalizing my art portfolio, which ultimately got me into the completive school. I highly recommend checking out Asian Art School!

My 5 year old (almost 6, rising 1st grader) attended a weeklong summer camp and enjoyed it since…read moreshe already likes art. I was impressed by the art that came home at the end of the week. It seemed like there weren't any kids in after care, although it's offered. Ms. Wei spent time on the phone with me walking me through the daily schedule (also posted on their website), and addressed my questions prior to registration. The kids also learned Chinese dance, Irish dance, and Chinese singing. There's a little performance at the end of the week, although I think I was told the wrong time so just clarify that when you go. Would recommend for anyone looking to improve their child's artistic ability.

I had a wonderful experience with my first formal painting training at Jean Henry School of Art…read more First of all, Mike Ritch is everything I could possibly have asked for in a teacher. He is a talented artist, is excellent at conveying his ideas to all the students who ask for it, and was always able to encourage me with letting me know what I needed to do in order to achieve the best results I could possibly have. As a new student, I was not always aware of what supplies I needed to have with me. Inevitably, I forgot something that I needed in order to accomplish my work for each class. Mike was not only patient with me, but was generous to let me use what he had on hand in the studio. The ambiance is excellent. There were usually anywhere from two to four other students working at the same time. For the most part, it was a quiet environment, with everyone working on their own canvases. But there was also friendly and supportive banter occasionally. It was encouraging for me to hear kind comments from the other students, all of whom are adults.

I've been going to Jean Henry School of Art for many years now. It's a great crowd, a fun…read moreenvironment, and the owner, Mike Ritch, is a gifted artist and wonderful teacher. Infinitely patient, he makes everyone feel welcome and works with students to hone their strengths and overcome their weaknesses. Without a doubt, Mike has helped me become a better painter and artist. Classes are three hours long and there are sessions throughout the week. Sometimes the whole class works on a specific theme, like a still life or in black and white, but often students work on whatever project they want. Each class generally has a critique where students can show their art and get both positive and negative feedback. If you've thought about getting into art, expressing your creative side, or just de-stress from a sit-at-your-desk-and-stare-at-a-computer job, check this place out!