Great selection of local art, chocolates, cards & more but the staff is not friendly or welcoming…read moreat all. I wish I could say otherwise because I'd really like to support this place & the local artists represented. While shopping, another guest asked the cashier about if any weaving classes were available in the near future but the only response was a grunted "no." Seems like a friendlier response was warranted so I stopped the shopper on her way out to tell her & her daughter about "A Place to Weave" in Fitchburg, MA. My point is, isn't the Worcester Center for Crafts mission to support the craft community? It isn't hard to do and a friendly word goes a long way.

I discovered this place last year and am so glad I did. This isn't crappity ass crafts. It is a…read moreplace to learn artistic crafts. I took glassblowing and flame work. Glassblowing was very interesting but too hard for me. I'm really glad I took it for the experience and I would probably do it over again just to try it out. It requires a lot of coordination, so if you are as klutzy as me, you might find it too difficult too. As described in their catalog, flamework is: Tthe process of shaping glass rods and tubes into small objects over the flame of a torch. Begin by making beads, pendants and marbles to establish a foundation of technique. As the class progresses, projects will advance to include the creation of solid sculpture and hollow forms such as flowers, holiday ornaments, and perfume bottles. Small class sizes and one-on-one instruction allow students to work at their own pace. I love this class and the instructor, Jake Vincent, is patient and a great teacher. You don't have to be quite as coordinated to do flamework. In addition to glass classes, they have classes in clay, metal, fiber, photography, wood, and design and multimedia. They have a gallery too. I haven't been yet, because the glass studio is in a separate area of Worcester. I've heard its great and intend to go soon. I'll update this post when I get there. Oh, and it isn't as far from Boston as you think. Check out their catalog on their Website.

I've worked with the owners and a number of their visiting artists, who teach kids STEAM…read moreprogramming afterschool and during the summer and I find them to be great with the kids. Their projects are innovative like the science of ... series including the science of ice cream, which was a big hit! I highly ArtReach and their team for children and youth, and even for some family/parent events.

ArtReach is a fairly new business located on West Boylston Street in Worcester. The venue caters to…read moreBirthday parties and other special occasion events. We hosted a birthday party this afternoon for our 1st grade daughter (turning 7) and approximately 25 of her classmates. The theme of the party was a jewelry making experience for the girls ... with pizza & cupcakes. (NOT included!) The party was scheduled on a Saturday afternoon from 4pm-6pm. My wife, my mother-in-law, our birthday girl and our 4 year old arrived approximately 10 minutes before the party was scheduled to begin. At 4pm, they were advised that they couldn't enter the studio because there were 3 young adolescents (13/14 years old) who had not been picked up from the previous party. So they waited outside in the cold. As our daughter's first-grade classmates, and their parents, arrived at 4pm they were told they couldn't enter the studio until the adolescents from previous party were picked up. Finally, they were permitted to enter the studio around 4:15pm (15 minutes AFTER the party was scheduled to begin). More offensively, however, was when the owner/host informed my wife that the parents of the FIRST-GRADE girls were NOT WELCOME to stay for the party. She was further advised that if the parents stayed, that we would be CHARGED not only for the kids but ALSO for EACH & EVERY MOTHER who wanted to stay at the studio with their daughter. Each of the mothers left the venue and indicated that they would return at the end of the party to pick up their daughter. While many of the Mothers wished to stay with their daughter, they expressed reluctance in having our family CHARGED EXTRA for them to remain. In a City where there are SO many great venues to host your daughter's birthday party, unfortunately, I would NOT suggest hosting it at ArtReach Worcester. Buyer Beware!!

Suppose if you rent the place out, this is the business but for classes, not so much. Everyone…read morewho's rented or who's a resident seemed to be very happy. We did two classes so far, neither teacher was great. The glass blowing class was super hands-off. We only got to actually manipulate the glass 3 times for the cost we paid. The flameworking class was better, but we moved too fast and I don't think I took away any skills outside of just having a generic overview of it. If I went back tomorrow, I probably will have forgotten anything I got from it last weekend.

Recently several friends and I signed up for Friday Night Fun with Glass Blowing: Saint Paddy's…read moreBeer Glass with the Worcester Center for Crafts/New Street GlassWorks. Both the Center for Crafts and New Street GlassWorks are affiliated with Worcester State University. The New Street GlassWorks is equipped with a glass furnace that keeps 400 pounds of clear glass melted and ready for instant red-hot use. Three "glory holes" are cranked up as needed for glassblowers making use of the hot shop. There's also a cold shop, a mold shop, a flat shop, six rental studios and a flame working studio. The cost for our class was very reasonable (about 80$) and it was a fun way to spend a Friday night with friends. Our instructors were Caitlin , Emory and Ian. After a quick safety lesson, description of the tools and equipment, Caitlin got to work demonstrating what we would soon be doing ourselves. They regularly reminded us about safety because of how easy it is to get burned. If you are not careful with molten glass heated to about 2000 it isn't hard to see how you could get burned given how closely you are while were working with the materials. We had two options; we could make a colored beer stein with a handle or we could make a clear beer stein with a green shamrock. I decided on the clear beer stein since I didn't want a handle and I thought it would be cooler to have a clear glass to see my beer in. I went first and I was paired with Emory as my instructor and assistant. Emory had a great personality and immediately put me at ease. He made the process both fun and informative. I am absolutely going to take another class here and can't wait for my next experience.

Sooo much fun!!! I'm still a terrible painter but it was a great time and the instructor made me…read morefeel like I had more talent than a 3rd grader haha. Can't wait to do it again. I highly recommend easel does it for a night out with friends or family.

Great place to go for a Girls Night Out! Everyone was really friendly and helpful! I love all…read moretheir paintings! I will definitely be back!

Elsie Kaye's is full of unique and beautiful gifts. From jewelry to kitchenware, there are so many…read morespecial finds. I attended a bead-making demonstration with the owner Holly. She showed us how to make several styles of beads and at the end let us each make 2 of our own. She offers several classes at her studio. I highly recommend visiting her studio to check out her classes or just top shop!

A bunch of friends and I met up at Elsie Kaye for a metal stamping party... oh my goodness, how…read morefun. (And we made some pretty awesome jewelry too.) What a different, interesting and memorable way to spend an evening. Holly is not only a perfect hostess... (fun, joyful, entertaining) but a great teacher and guide... and she is patient beyond measure. Her shop is gorgeous -- white fur rugs and a little jewel box of a sitting area -- and all the bells and whistles and glassblowing "things" to make magical little pieces of art. What a great place to spend time with friends and make some pretty cool memories... (Thank you Holly!)

Our team had a lovely experience with Canvas n Cup for a virtual paint party! Mahsa made…read morecoordinating the event a breeze, and was always very responsive to my questions. Jean curated a wonderful painting experience for us, our group found it totally zen and relaxing. If you are thinking about doing an event with them, you absolutely should!

This was a fun little company event. Highly recommend.read more

Brush and Easel is the way to go! My 9 year old went to a friend's birthday party at Brush and…read moreEasel when she was 8. She had such great memories (and such a fun picture to bring home) that she asked to have her 9th birthday there.. Working with Irina was smooth sailing. Planning, to hosting was so simple because of her help and simplicity. Kids all had a blast! I often think it would be fun to have a girls night out, or a fun surprise family outing! Irina is great and looking forward to the next time! Definitely recommend!

I met Irina in March, and four weeks later hosted an evening birthday party at B&E that included 12…read moreadults. Stressed professionals walked in, three hours later happy relaxed men & women walked out. Each with his or her own masterpiece! Irina makes it very informal and easy. We brought in platters of food and adult beverages, then sat at our easels and followed her instructions. Each attendee has a canvas on a wooden stretcher, brushes, and acrylic paints on a paper plate palette. Irina provides the smocks. So easy to plan and execute a wonderful, memorable evening. Highly recommend!