Great teachers, great environment, a wonderful place to learn. Recommend 10/10!! Best art classes…read moreI've taken in Boston

Amazing Delicious Thank you Great service Tuesday offer…read moreis great too Recommended

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!

I loved going here! I haven't painted since I was a child and this was a very fun class... we…read morelearned the basics and techniques on the first night and produced paintings in other classes. It was a relaxing and fun way to learn and be creative.

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.

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.

The Katherine Martin Widmer School of Painting is just an example of the many wonderful things that…read moreare right before you waiting to be discovered. I have lived in the Somerville area for years now and in that time thought about how nice it would be to have a creative space. I dabbled in the fine arts in school, but without the physical space and guidance, lost the motivation to explore further. This school has allowed me the opportunity to do so. The instructor, Katherine, is a wonderful teacher, providing just the right amount of instruction and is one of many reasons why the school has such an encouraging environment. The studio itself is lovely. It's on the third floor with lots of windows and a sky light. Usually the soft voices of Billy Holiday or Nina Simone waft through the air. In addition, the students (many of whom have been attending for years) are from all different backgrounds/ages and are a pleasure to get to know.

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.

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!

I would recommend The Artful Bachelorette to anyone looking for a fun activity to do (whether…read morecelebrating or not!). Like our host said, they do it all from engagement celebrations to happy divorce parties! All skill levels are welcome, and your host will walk you through a variety of different exercises at different speeds. Our model was graceful, poised, and cool as a cucumber. I would love to do this again someday with a group of friends for a girls night! (P.S. I would love to see photos from the Boston event if the host has them!)

Vibes were cool & didn't think I could have this much fun drinking & painting definitely coming…read moreback for future date nights

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.

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.

I've lived in the South End for about a year now and haven't done nearly as much exploring as I had…read morehoped to (school, always getting in the way!). So last weekend, boyfriend and I decided to stroll down Harrison to find Gaslight and get to know the neighborhood better. We passed Ars Libri and I was drawn to the stacks of books inside. Typically when stores have doorbells, you ring them...so we did. Soon after, a man let us in and left us to explore without giving us a snooty attitude just because we're on the young end of the spectrum--something I've encountered in many snobby art bookstores before. Before I could comprehend where I was, I noticed a large table amid the stacks with open bottles of wine so that, presumably, you could sit and sip on something as you read. Sweet, I thought. And then I realized that I had found the holy grail. Most people like art, so an art bookstore would be a cool thing to find. But as an art history major who is minoring in museum studies, the realization that the place was solely dedicated to books on art, ethnography, and architecture led me to hold in the loudest squeal that would have ever left my lips. I flitted from bookshelf to bookshelf, seeing titles that I had read excerpts from for school before but had never been able to hold in my hands. I was in heaven. The store is impeccably organized, and the selection is amazing. I didn't speak much to the shopkeep, who I understand is a book dealer, but I imagine that he could find anything you might ever be looking for. And depending on what you're looking for, the book prices are actually pretty reasonable; there were a couple of out of print titles that I had been stalking on Amazon for upwards of $50 that were for sale at Ars Libri for less than $30. Not bad at all, especially considering the fine quality and excellent condition they were in. I highly recommend this bookstore for any lover of books or art, or anyone looking to expand their horizons a bit. The space is beautiful and light, a soothing respite from the bustling city. I will most definitely be returning and hope to gradually fill my bookshelves up with the phenomenal wares this store has to offer.

An excellent dealer in fine and rare used books primarily in the fine arts…read more Ars Libri is located in an unassuming storefront on a quiet part of Harrison Ave. Stumbling upon it one Saturday morning I couldn't tell if it was even open to the public. I tried the door, and finding it locked, began to walk away. Just then a gentleman popped his head out and asked if he could help me. I was just passing by and curious, I said. "Are you open?" "In a few minutes," he said. "Come on in." Inside it felt more like the back room of a museum or a fine library. Historic and arcane books in all manner of languages lined the shelves of aisle after aisle, ranging from small manuscripts to huge leather-bound catalogues. Along one side, the owner sat at his desk, making deals on the telephone with other dealers of rare and delicate volumes as I just walked the aisles in some awe, occasionally daring to remove and inspect a book here and there when I wasn't afraid I'd somehow ruin a treasured artifact. I have to admit, the whole place was a little bit intimidating, and I felt a little, well, unqualified to be there. The cheapest of books here are not at all cheap, and the low-key display and location made it feel almost as if I should have had an appointment to be there. But he let me in, so I tried not to let it bother me. If you're like me and your heart rate picks up a little when surrounded by mysterious, intriguing old books, or if you're just passionate about the fine arts and want to see some books on the subject that you probably won't find in may other places, it's worth hunting this place out and having a careful look around.