ICA is a large cool funky art space that also hosts events…read more Among the many cool restaurants and bars along south First Street are the cool artsy venues. The Institute of Contemporary Arts (i.e. ICA) is fantastic. It showcases local Bay Area artists' works among others. Super friendly staff are on hand and have the latest scoop on upcoming happenings. Go online to see upcoming events at the ICA. You may discover some cool-funky talks and art shows. Happy adventures!

Feeling arty-farty, I decided to go check out the Institute of Contemporary Art. It's located in a…read morereally cool area of First St. Admission is free which is always nice. I wanted to donate and the friendly guy asked if I wanted to sign up to get information, but I declined. I was the only one in there. The exhibit was called "Allegedly the Worst is Behind Us" which featured 12 artists and their work expressing intergenerational trauma. The work was very personal and moving and inspiring too. The work was much more interesting than the San Jose Art Museum. I felt the work would definitely resonate with others who may have experienced the same thing. Since I saved $20 on the last museum, I put it in the donation box in the front. Great place to come to!

The San Jose Museum of Art is a wonderful place to spend a few hours exploring and appreciating…read moreart. I enjoyed the variety of exhibits and the creative, thought-provoking pieces throughout the museum. It has a welcoming atmosphere and is a nice size, so you can take your time without feeling overwhelmed. The downtown San Jose location also makes it easy to combine a visit with lunch, dinner, or exploring the surrounding area. A great local museum and definitely worth visiting if you enjoy art and culture!

What a fun Art Museum. We are really glad we made the time to explore this museum. We explored for…read morearound an hour or maybe more. They have 3 rotating exhibits upstairs where we started as the permeant collection will be here next time we visit. The elevator didn't appear to be working, but they mentioned they have an employee elevator that you can enter in though the cafe. We didn't try it, so we're not sure if this was true or not. Upstairs had an exhibit about women who are behind the scenes in the technology field. I enjoyed the video of women making mechanical sounds as a choir. They had several interactive features, such as movies you can sit on the provided bench and watch. They have a really dark exhibit behind closed doors so you wonder if you should go in or not. It's about the ocean. They have a unique video playing with a person in a mask with the backdrop of a dam. I enjoyed the resin pieces of art work. Downstairs was their permanent collection. They had earphones set up on a bunch of benches. I didn't listen, but there was a great opportunity to. They had a cool maybe icy cart with an umbrella. I enjoyed the Mobil that moved slightly over time. So slight that you could barely see its movement. The museum gift shop is wonderful. Thy have so many good things. Wool Flowers, fun socks, bags, jewelry, books, notebooks, cards, and so much more. I really wanted one of their journals, but resisted as I have too many at home. The last two places we traveled to I got new ones and I have yet to break one open. Adults can see the museum for $20 or you can join NARM, North America Reciprocal Musuem Program and the price of admission is included. If you like visits museums this is the way to do it. Instead of paying out of pocket for each individual Musuem you pay one upfront fee and you can see as many as you like. So.. What you want is their family membership. FAMILY - $180 (fully tax-deductible) All Dual benefits, plus: Free admission for four on each visit Reciprocal admission at over 900 museums in the Western Reciprocal Network (WRN) and North American Reciprocal Museums (NARM) 10% discount and priority enrollment for Kids Summer Art Camp Get it you won't regret it. We love our NARM membership and use it all over the USA. We've paid for it many times over. We've used it all over California, Michigan, New Orleans, and soon to use it in Arizona.

Free art gallery in downtown Saratoga area!! Open to the public! Arrived with some friends around…read more2:30 pm on a Sunday afternoon. Sundays are the best days to visit any downtown area since parking isn't a struggle and it's free. We stumbled upon this art gallery since we were enticed for the free art magnet if you visit the gallery. It houses up to 25 artists and they're one of the few exhibits that survived throughout the pandemic. Faye, the caretaker, for the day was super kind and descriptive in the art gallery; great conversationalist and knowledgeable about the art and artists in the gallery. There's about 4 rooms from jewelry, scarves, ceramics, and prints. Breathtaking art from abstract, landscape scenery, small prints of flowers and plants, and so much more. Seeing recently produced artwork is awesome; my friends had such a blast that two of them bought some art prints for home decor, especially some cat art prints. It's a great sight to see in downtown Saratoga! Take a quick stop to enjoy the art!

Local talented artists contribute to and staff this little gallery in quaint downtown Saratoga. The…read morepaintings, drawings, photographs, and ceramics are all lovely. The prices are low, in comparison to the high end galleries in SF or Carmel. Currently (Jan 2022) there is a sale. This place is a great find!

Free art exhibits, live music, delicious food and drinks... this is definitely my kind of event!…read moreVarious musicians performing at participating venues during specific times throughout the day, it was enjoyable entertainment. First I stopped by Whole Foods, cuz ya know, I could fit in a little bit of grocery shopping in between songs. Lots of outdoor seating around, and David Jesitus (duo) performing for passersby. Then, off to Visual Philosophy Studio, where I got to check out the opening reception for Encode-I art exhibit by Yue Xin, and met the artist while listening to the sounds of Asher Stern (unique covers of songs like Santeria and No Diggity). Afterward, Hop & Vine made the most sense since it was just a few minutes walk away. Had some really great wine and snacks here, specifically the house made jalapeno poppers were delicious. Peter Martin wowed the cozy-sized crowd with his electric guitar and vocals, playing a range of songs, including instrumentals for hits like Ed Sheeran's Thinking Out Loud. He played till 7pm, an hour later than the listed time for Second Saturday on The Alameda. Many of these artists did a lot of folksy music and renditions of songs, and I was loving it. My final stop for the night was J. Lohr Vineyards, the only one with live music later in the evening on this day, two hours of duets and harmony by the Complements... so many covers on the keyboard, guitar, and vocals including How Deep is Your Love, Don't Wanna Miss a Thing, Hotel California, Your Song, Can't Help Falling in Love, Take On Me, and I Wanna Dance With Somebody. I was able to experience so much in just a few hours. Even without stops at the tattoo parlor, coffee shop, or pancake house (other spots that had live music on this Second Saturday as listed on the schedule), I was more than satisfied with my visit to this event. A great opportunity to explore and support local businesses along the Alameda while appreciating the work of various artists and entertainers at no cost, with bonus freebies offered by specific venues as well. I'll definitely be back.

Visited the De Saisset Museum this past weekend, which can be found in the middle of campus at SCU…read more The main level included photography showcasing Muwekma Ohlone tribal members, youth dancers, and noteworthy figures, celebrating historic traditions, as well as a screen room which also featured photos and informative descriptions of interesting monuments in the bay area that I've never paid much attention to while passing in the streets and parks (ie. the Eagle, Coyote, and Hummingbird bronze sculptures at Park Ave Bridge in SJ, central to the creation story of the Muwekma Ohlone tribe). The lower level exhibition details the life and history of the Ohlone tribes in Thámien (what we now know as Santa Clara County), great setups and displays for viewers to explore and learn about village customs and the use of resources along the water, as well as religious and cultural artifacts associated with Mission Santa Clara and an interactive exhibit honoring the native people (life, death, emancipation, etc.). Of course, the history and founding of Santa Clara College (now SCU) is also recognized, being the first "institution of higher learning" in California, items like Santa Clara College paper money displayed as part of the permanent collection in this museum. With a lot to compare it to, this wouldn't exactly be at the top of my list for art/history museums (especially with several galleries closed for installation), but it still had plenty to offer, and doesn't cost a thing to visit, plus parking was free and easy on a Sunday, so I'm giving 5 stars.

This is a museum that features art by staff and students. The admission is free. Unfortunately,…read morethey made me leave my purse in a cubby. I wish I had known ahead of time about this so I would not have taken it. I could not really take my time enjoying the exhibits whilst worried that my purse would be stolen. Upstairs are two galleries featuring paintings and photographs. Downstairs is a nice group of historical exhibits.

visited color me mine for my sibling's birthday and it was nostalgic! we actually grew up on color…read moreme mine and went to celebrate many of our birthdays! it was nice to see how despite color me mine relocating a couple times, they're still in business. we love color me mine! it's been nearly 10 years since we last visited a color me mine and so much has changed. it's so much more organized and neat and the ceramics to paint have upgraded and are trendy to modern day decor/style. it's a $12 studio fee per person + the cost of the item you select to paint. we visited on a thursday late in the day around 6pm and stayed till closing. with the studio fee payment, you're able to come another day to finish if you unable to finish your piece. we needed a lot more time to finish. the staff helped wrap our pieces in paper and bagged them for us so that we can bring the pieces back to paint. during our time here, the staff made sure to constantly walk around and refresh our water bowls for our brushes. they were super attentive and knowledgeable on how things will appear when the paints are glazed. everything is super organized and clean and there's so many tools available to help you achieve the best possible outcome for your piece. it takes about 7-10 days for the pieces to be fired but we actually were able to pick up 5 days later. it was super fun and would highly recommend!

We had my daughter's birthday party here and honestly it exceeded my expectations. Aimee, the…read moreowner, was so accommodating and helped make the whole thing feel special. She worked with us on some requests that really made the difference. The staff was great too, super friendly and actually helpful (not just going through the motions). They jumped in to help us set up our theme and everything came together really nicely. Since the place is new, its a really clean facility, which as a parent I always notice and appreciate. My daughter had a blast and that's really all that matters.

Awesome art show! I loved seeing the pieces, the music wasn't obnoxious, and I'm looking forward to…read moreseeing and hearing more from this place! :)

I was a small business owner who rented a studio space for almost 4 years at Citadel. In 2017 I was…read moreevicted over a suppose visitor violation, but under law I was not given any official reason for contract termination which I believe should be illegal. The 'Office Managers' that issued me this eviction at the time were two women by the name of Jackie and Sally. They were both highly unprofessional and unqualified to manage the building and tenants. Since their employment, I had seen an increase in pest disturbance and security issues. In my specific unit there were bird and rat feces littered everywhere, despite both Sally and Jackie emailing the tenants saying they had hired pest control and were handling it. I believe I was evicted because during a phone call, I stated to Sally that her behavior towards me and the very few people I've allowed as guests in my unit, was unprofessional and inappropriate. I have witnessed and heard Sally verbally scream and threaten other tenants who were in compliance. I would not recommend renting a space at Citadel as long as Brown Associates is still allowing these women to be employed there.

First time at Art & Craft Workshop! Went with a group of 4 for the Mosaic Lamp 2 hour workshop…read more Great experience besides the minor bumps. Contacting via email with the team was seamless when asking for a discounted price and ensuring our reservation was confirmed. Going in meeting our instructor, Jamie, was great. She was very chill & let our creativity speak. She was very helpful when it came to teaching and explaining. Her lamps were super cute ! The lamp making itself is worth the cost, you come out with a beautiful piece of art that you created. Once you turn the light on the design looks amazing, even if you originally think differently ! As for the minor improvements. We had to call to figure out how to get in. They said they we should have gotten an email about how to enter, but we did not. The other party that came in also didn't get instructions. So we walked the whole square. Entrance will be the gate closest to the main parking lot, on your right. Ask the staff for the code before going in. Also, DO NOT park in that parking lot or you will be towed. The signs were so small, we didn't know but Jamie informed us. Plenty of street parking ! Last, no Turkish coffee or sweets were offered though it said they were on the website. Not a huge deal breaker, but just don't advertise it. Other than that, great experience. Would come back to try a different craft event !!!

DO NOT BOOK HERE!!!…read more THE WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER!!! Jamie - you are a terrible person. My company and I booked a team fun event and let me tell you.... Our appt got pushed out to 3:00pm because they were running behind. Parking was terrible and hard to locate the location because it's literally inside another building with no clear signs at all, so we were FIVE minutes late due to parking and searching for the location. We enter... no one warm welcome. Just a "you're late". Totally bad attitude, not friendly at all, and just giving us the worst customer service ever. We all wanted to leave before we even started but we paid and there were no refunds so we stayed. She was giving us instructions but gosh, the way she was instructing us sounded like we were in boot camp or something. Extremely rude and not enthusiastic about being there. This place must've been desperate to hire anyone. I'm gonna let my team leave their review but my experience was on another level. I chose to make a freaken duck okay... at 4:05 pm i was done with my rug, so i decided to outline it in black.. I had more than an hour left. I go over to ask her if it was better to outline it before or after all the coloring. She tells me that I won't have time? Ummm yes I do! I have a whole hour homegirl. So i ignore her and I go back to my area and start outlining. At 4:45pm I decided ... I don't really like the bold look and she walks over and says that it looks better without the outline. I said okay... I see some blank spots on my rug so I'll add some more teal color after I pluck the black outline off. She says "you won't have time to do that"... like again with the time. So then I start to pluck the black off, and I did finish. She comes over and says: "I told you not to outline your duck in black but you did anyway. I told you not to pluck the black and you did anyway. So you're wasting my yarn and I can't let you use any more" I'm thinking ... WTF? I paid how much to be here and I can't do my artwork? I must've used like 50cents worth of black yarn. The audacity ... She was extremely rude to others around me, my team, and the other groups there as well. This was supposed to be fun but we had such a bad experience. Oh! One more thing. She lied. She said we were late and that she had a hard stop? She had a "mandatory court order appearance". Okay bish, courts closed, and also at 5:15pm there was a lovely couple waiting for their appt. So she had another reservation but made something up about needing to leave. The website says 2-2.5 hours, so what is the rush? Why couldn't I finish my cool duck rug? Why was she scolding everyone like a little kid? No she is not the owner because I asked. Damn... what a waste of time, money, and to Jamie... "her yarn". Oh and the place was hot asf... didn't even wana turn up the AC a little bit. Felt like I was working in third world sweatshop. Here's my duck photo in case you forgot who I am Jamie.