My teenage son has attended Art School 99 for nearly two years, first in one-on-one instruction and…read morenow in group classes with Alexandra Rozenman. The growth in his artistic skill, confidence, and portfolio has been tremendous. Ms. Rozenman is an exceptional teacher--deeply knowledgeable, hands-on, and thoughtful in how she balances instruction with creative exploration. The atmosphere she creates is both calm and inspiring. This has easily been the best instructional experience our son has had in any activity. We are incredibly grateful to have found Art School 99 and would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone exploring or seriously pursuing art. A. Dorfman

I took Alexandra's Art Lab class for three session. I learned a lot and at the end of it, I had a…read moregreat painting that far exceeded my expectations! Alexandra taught us about color theory, color mixing, and a bit about composition. I'd definitely take a class at Art School 99 again!

Bob and Deb started us off with a fun tour of the school including the wall of lies and the kilns…read more Bob's demo was easy to follow along even though I forgot everything as soon as he was done explaining. With lots of help I managed to turn out an interesting cup. After cleaning up I picked my favorite piece and glaze. I got my piece back in a month and it turned out amazing

I came here last year, so my review is overdue…read more Fantastic studio with fun, informative classes. Fair prices for classes as well as firing your pieces. Lots of glaze colors to choose from. I no longer live in Boston but I wouldn't hesitate to return here if I ever move back.

Katherine's painting school is THE hidden gem of Somerville. Katherine hosts a small group of…read morestudents on weekday evenings and on Saturdays (scheduling is flexible) and, in just two hours per week, effectively spreads the message that passion and expression exist within you and can flourish if you're given the right tools. I approached the painting school as a self-proclaimed "left brain" with "no painting skills and no creativity," grudgingly committed to devoting some time to expression on a weekly basis. From the minute I set foot in my first class, I fell in love with both the charm of the room--the cozy top floor of a home in a classic Somerville neighborhood--and the warmth of my classmates, all strangers but many of whom have quickly become my friends. The best part of the painting school is that we all have the freedom to be ourselves, and to be excellent at it. Whether or not you consider yourself a "painter" at first, within a matter of time, Katherine will help you understand that you CAN make a picture come to life, learning is EASY, and our creations are BEAUTIFUL because they are born from patience and self-love. It's impossible not to believe in yourself when you pour energy into a painting from week to week and inevitably watch it come to life. Katherine injects positive energy into every class and was clearly made to be a teacher. I've never felt confident as an artist, but learning to paint (or, rather, that I could already paint!) with Katherine's guidance has done wonders for my overall state of mind. I highly recommend this school for anyone even remotely interested in dabbling in painting, no matter how seriously you want to explore it. You will learn new techniques and ways to approach the painting process, and if you join with an open mind, I promise you will become more in touch with the part of yourself that's been yearning to create.

I just completed my second term and Katherine was amazing, once again! This term, summer, is…read morecondensed into 6 weeks, but because I am moving out of the state, Katherine did all she could to help me start and finish my painting in 3 weeks. The painting was a gift to my sister and not only did the recipient love her gift from me, I loved the gift that Katherine gave me. She helped me to understand that time is precious and if it is spent wisely, any goal could be accomplished. If you are even considering taking a painting class, I would give this school a chance. It will change your view on your own creativity and your view on what it means to teach. Katherine is a gem! She, and her school, cannot be replicated or duplicated. I am sad that I will probably not be able to find anything like them where I am moving. Oh, and the ice cream breaks in the summer aren't so bad either.

NEMPAC is a wonderful organization that imparts quality music education to children and adults…read more They also provide successful music performing events throughout the year. They are a great treasure for the North End and surrounding communities in Boston. I absolutely recommend them!

From the owner: Our Mission The…read moreNorth End Music & Performing Arts Center is a 501C3 community arts organization that enriches Boston's North End Waterfront and surrounding neighborhoods by enriching lives through quality, accessible music education and performing arts programs.

We did an Artful Bachelorette class for a friend's bachelorette in Boston and couldn't have had a…read morebetter time! Both our instructor and model were a delight while also really professional. We all laughed so, so much. The bride said it was the highlight of her weekend! Nobody really knew what to expect - most of us can't draw at all - but it was all relaxed and lighthearted and proved to be a great way to gently bring some quieter girls out of their shells. Several girls even came away thinking they might start life drawing classes! If you're trying to come up with a good bachelorette activity, I'd urge you to consider this.

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!

Recently, I went as part of a work outing. We ordered a couple of bites and drinks at the bar, and…read moreit was a really fun time learning how to paint. Although I never really love my painting at the end (because I'm a poor painter), the entire experience is still very enjoyable! The instructors are helpful and will come around if you need anything.

I came here for a date night last weekend and had such a great time painting these little Pikachu's…read morefor Valentine's. The paint was pre-provided for us which was really nice and our instructor was also super friendly and attentive. I will say that you only get 2 hours per session which was enough for this simple painting but I could definitely see not being enough time for more complex landscape paintings. So, if finishing your painting here is important I would keep that in mind. In addition to the painting, we also got food and wine which was decent but definitely not the highlight of our time here.

Oh my goodness where to begin? !!! I've been doing calligraphy for years and years and in 5…read moreminutes I learned more from Liz than any other teacher. She's a joy to work with so much so that when my kids couldn't figure out what to get me for a gift they made a handmade gift certificate to study with Liz cause they knew I'd LOVE that for sure! Her styles are so much more fun, playful, varied (including romantic and modern) than anyone I've met. Her passion for lettering makes the time fly. In my first class with her there was a woman who had never calligraphied before and me - we both learned a ton and I was amazed at what a newcomer could accomplish in one class!!!! Many thanks and see you soon!!!

This review should be 2 stars but I feel bad tarnishing this page solely because I have zero…read morepatience for individuals being unable to effectively communicate via email in 2015. I will start by saying that I was perfectly satisfied with the work Liz did for me. If this review was based on quality vs. price, it would have been 5 stars. What I was not pleased with was how many times I had to poke and prod her to get an actual result. I had been working on a tattoo idea for about 3 years. Finally committed to some text and wanted a professional to draw it out in pretty font. Nothing on Microsoft word was jiving with me, so I decided to look into a calligrapher. Liz had the highest ratings on yelp. 2 stars seems really harsh, but when I write a yelp review, I think about whether I would recommend the business to a friend. In this particular case, I can't say that I would. After initially reaching out and getting no response, I sent a follow up email 8 days later to see if she was even interested in doing the work for me since it was such a small project. Frankly, overcharging someone for doing one sentence worth of work, versus hundreds of envelopes for a wedding seems kind of a no brainer to me...whatever amount she would have suggested...I would have happily paid. Courtesy is also another big thing for me--it's 2015, I know you have a smart phone and, as such, nearly 24-7 access to email. A simple "Hey, thanks for your email. Sorry I'm super swamped for the next couple of weeks, can I touch base then?" would have been more than OK. After Liz confirmed that she would do the text for me, it took another 6 days to set up a paypal transaction. I paid within half hour of receiving the email prompt and then it took another 3 days to actually get the file via email. Again, all if this would have been OK had she not emailed me that I'd have the file the next day. Again--nothing wrong with the quality--at the end of the day I got several options to work with, but I cannot tolerate this level of slowness/unresponsiveness. I can't imagine paying her to do wedding invites and then sitting on pins and needles waiting to hear back.