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!

Praxis is an artist collective & community space located in the heart of the Mission. Everything in…read morethe shop is handmade locally. The space is both a working studio & store front. They do their best to be here as the space is usually open seven days a week yet sometimes they need to take their time work in quiet or do other errands. They do sewing or stitching projects. Making unique clothing from a variety of materials. They also sell plants at a reasonable price. Friendly folks here & good vibes that are rare in the City! For enquiries about specific projects contact them at: norganics@gmail.com or 415.800.6601

I just did a sewing lesson here and Mary was SO nice and super helpful in getting me started on a…read moredress pattern. It was also clear to me while I was there that this is a well-loved community space!

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.

I've been to the hunters point area a few times for the new park and had no idea, until today, that…read morethere is so much artistic history and presence at Hunters Point. I learned that there are 3 open studios throughout the year at this location. Each open studio showcases 300+ artists work. It's truly something remarkable! I really wish I had known about this sooner. We showed up on the last hour but we managed to find our way to Roman Guillen's artist section (fine art street wear). They make high quality prints of fellow artists work and place the prints directly on high-quality, soft, attire (shirts, hoodies, denim). So glad we had time to at least see his work.. Really cool to see art printed directly onto the clothes. And the cost was really affordable for a custom piece. So cool! I can't wait for the next Open Studio.

I went to the Shipyard Artists holiday open house showing for the first time, and have to say it…read morewas fantastic. A friend who has long-term connections to the art community brought me. What I thought would be a quick 1 hour tour turned into a 4+ hour exploration. I'm generally not big on art museums, and felt that this was such a better experience for me - checking out all kids of creations right in the studios and having the opportunity to chat with the artists. It was a terrific experience overall, and both I and my friend came away with some items we're both very happy with.

This is my first time leaving a Yelp review. We had a group…read moreof 14 people, and Yi's class was very fun. Yi's a great instructor and an amazing singer.

A unique experience to definitely do in SF!!!…read more A bottle of red wine, chill music, homely atmosphere, & art. Yi is the shiiiz. Not only was she easy to talk to, she taught so well, and spoke to us as peers. She made it fun and chill, and had a glass of wine with us! 1 con - we got started late. 10,000 pros - her art studio was amazeballs, her art itself was brilliant, the music set the artistic mood, and then others in the class + the ease of learning Yi made it made the WHOLE NITE PERFECTO!!! :: melt my heart now!! :::

San Francisco Clayer's Club is located on the second floor of Cafe Alma. This is the new location…read morefor the pottery studio, formerly known as Third Street Clayer's Club. While the new space differs by being bigger and better, it is still the same in that it is a very low key amazing community. The staff and members here genuinely care about bringing art to the local community. Their Friday night classes are a fun and engaging way to unwind and explore your creative side. Mandy is incredibly knowledgeable and patient, sharing various pottery techniques with ease. She is hands off and lets you work on your craft (centering), but when you ask for help, she'll jump in and guide you as needed. The studio itself is well-equipped with everything you need (tools and glazes are included) to create beautiful pottery pieces. The spacious layout and ample natural light create a comfortable and inviting atmosphere. One aspect that sets this pottery studio apart is their dedication to fostering a sense of community. The staff and fellow artists are friendly and supportive, creating a warm and welcoming environment. It's a place where you can connect with like-minded individuals, share ideas, and learn from each other's experiences.

I started painting when I was 13 years old. I would paint with my dad to "The Joy of Painting with…read moreBob Ross". Aside from those shows, I never had any formal training or classes in visual arts. I wanted to improve my skills and get a solid foundation of techniques. I took a 'Drawing Fundamentals' class at UC Berkeley Extension and low and beholden, Larry Robinson was our instructor. The pace of the class was great and we spent most of the class drawing. He started us out with warm-up exercises, and then introduced a new concept (i.e. perspective, shadows, etc). And then we would get right into the drawing. All still life but he made it interesting by having us bring in items from our homes or he would bring in items (i.e. animal skulls). Very little "lecturing" occurred - which is totally what I wanted and I believe that is the best way to learn. The encouragement and the embracing of everyones personal style are encouraged. The final project was amazing. He handed out little cards with an image of something that was mostly unrecognizable; we had to draw it as we saw it. I had an eye. Later, I found it was actually the left eye. 16 students drew there pieces and each piece would become part of a whole image. Quite an amazing idea and we were all impressed with how far we had come. Everyone's point of view came out in the drawing yet, it was still one complete idea. I will be taking more classes from Larry. He is a true artist and an amazing instructor.

Larry Robinson has to be one of the best teachers I've ever had! It's fine to learn painting and…read moredrawing from a talented person but that doesn't necessarily mean they will teach you well. Glad to say, Larry is both talented and a tremendously nurturing and wonderful instructor. Unlike any other teacher I've had before, he has a keen sense of how to get you to where you want to go in a painting project. He is patient, kind, supportive and extremely humble (rare in the art instruction world, I've found!). His primary goal: help you to see things differently and let things flow naturally. Most important of all, he treats all of his students equally. Yes, trust me, he does! He works with you to develop not harp on what's wrong or not right but to improve! He has great "painting points", he's knowledgeable and incredibly well versed in both materials and art history! Trust me, take a course from him and you won't regret it. He's GREAT with beginning painters!!

Planned a corporate team building activity here and had a great time! We were 12 people and did the…read moreStreet Art Workshop. Ella was a great instructor and we really enjoyed the progression of the workshop -- getting free time to try out painting on the walls, more guided help with stencils and individual canvases, and concluding with the group effort piece. My team had an absolute blast and it was also very chill, easy going, and people could be creative. It was also fun that everyone got to bring something home!

Cam was an amazing host! We had such a great time and haven't laughed that hard in a really long…read moretime when we did the dj battle at the end. HIGHLY recommend to anyone looking to have fun with their team.

Thankful this place shutdown. The owner was an egotistical maniac and at one point literally had a…read moreswearing/screaming tell off session with our group. He also enjoys using his "status" as a way of putting down ppl and making them feel less than. All of the "lessons" you take at this "school" can be found for free online and there is absolutely no need to drop $14K or more. Not only that, you're expected to do all of your own work in terms of networking and finding jobs during and after. You're deemed a lazy, entitled brat if you're not doing most of the work yourself. So not sure what we're paying the tuition for? I'm not surprised by the reviews here. The owner uses bullying tactics to scare ppl from speaking out such as telling students he will ruin you and that knows all the CEOs and founders in silicone valley (I highly doubt such an assinine person would be accepted in those circles). Hence my need to make this account to avoid jeopardizing my own career that I built myself from scratch. If you contact alumni and ask for the real tea, you will find out these shiny reviews are a farce and I welcome you to do that to save yourself. I hope this review saves people a ton of money and emotional abuse caused by this establishment.

I am an alum, and I am so glad to hear this place is shut down. The founder and his team are…read moreegotistical, delusional, abusive, and rude. I had low self esteem when I joined which is why I tolerated their attitudes. I was once yelled at by the founder's mother, she literally yelled at me at the school. And the team bullied students who were so afraid of losing the network. 14K was not worth it. I wasted my time and resources there. My previous 1 star review was deleted, not sure why. I am adding another one here. If they represent Silicon Valley, I would not touch SV because the culture is toxic.