I took art classes at Kaleidoscope when I was a child (1990-ish!), so it made me very happy to…read moreenroll my children at the same school. The building itself has charm - it is an old house. My son took a drawing/painting class for 4, 5 & 6-year olds. I felt that the class was very well-rounded. It was not over his head, but I did feel that he was challenged just enough. He loved his teacher, and he was so proud of the art he made. It brought back a lot of great memories for me and made me remember how proud I was to show of my artwork from Kaleidoscope too. The teachers are very talented themselves and have actual art training. They aren't just hobbyists. I do some art as a hobby, so I could just teach him myself if I wanted him to learn that level of art, right? Kaleidoscope classes are at the next level (definitely a higher level than the park district classes too), and I think the price is very reasonable.

Love the classes I have taken. Super nice staff, too. Very relaxed atmosphere. The instructors are…read morevery knowledgeable about their craft.

Not sure why there are not more reviews of this place on here...truly awesome business. Did the…read morebyob woodwork event and having had no experience with this I was worried but the owner was amazing, patient and accommodating! It was great fun, turned out really nice and I will be a repeat customer. She didn't even mind I brought in snacks as well, super laid back. Overall great experience!

I have painted with Heather before at Duke's before she opened her studio. She is very…read moreprofessional, friendly and so artistic!! I love all of my paintings. The studio is cute, very comfortable and roomy. I'd recommend Muse Art to all!!!

Attended this studio for a corporate outing, and they were great! Super flexible and easy to work…read morewith. Such a great location and a helpful group of staff - especially Melanie! Great price and a wide variety of activities for varying skill sets. I appreciate their communication and enthusiasm. I would definitely come back to this studio and would recommend to anyone looking for a fun group or even solo activity!

Such a cute place! Came here on a whim when plans fell through for a friend's birthday weekend…read more Maddie was incredibly kind and great at explaining the whole process of picking out a pottery and all the colors of paint. There are so many pieces of pottery to choose from. Everything from kitchenware to holiday items, to potted plants. The choices of colors are endless. Its BYOB, so we enjoyed a few sips of wine and painted, and it was very relaxing! Once you are done painting your piece, you will get it back within 2-3 weeks after it has been cured. Will definitely come back here!

AWESOME!!! Welcomed us very nicely and guided us right away. She came in for us without us making…read morean appointment. she accommodated us and made us feel welcomed. Lots of things to chose from and create! i recommend this place for all ages and for special occasions! We love Sherri!

Great experience, so much fun hosting my event. Lots of creative ideas to choose from. Very hands…read moreon and friendly atmosphere.

We came here for the first time for a girls day with all the cousins and had a great time. They…read morewelcome walk-ins for the ceramics but we made an appointment ahead of time to do the glass fusing! We had a wonderful time. They walked us through how to pick out colors and use the tools and would loop back every once in a while to make sure we were doing well and to answer questions. We have a wide range of ability in our group (aged 18 to 82) and I know we can be very loud but they were very kind and patient with us. Once we got used to the technique with the glass cutters, we ended up very happy with our pieces and the experience as a whole. We would absolutely come back and we can't wait to see our finished pieces!!

What a cute family activity! We came in on a Saturday and it wasn't too busy, but boy did it get…read morebusy fast. We were making a birthday plate and mug for our little one. They had tons of ceramics to too from and the prices were fair too. Both pieces that we selected were about $25-30 and that included the firing and all of the supplies to paint. They had tons of options for colors as well as tons of supplies. We finished our painting and were told to come pick it up in a week. Can't wait to see how it all turns out.

My friend and I met up here for a class on a Sunday morning. This wasn't the first Board and Brush…read morethat we've been to, so we knew what to expect. The instructors were helpful and did a great job explaining everything. The studio is nice and clean. This location was convenient to both myself and my friend, so I'm sure we'll be back.

Our family celebrated some birthdays here. Kristen and Christy were our two instructors and they…read morewere both informative and funny helping us through the process of creating our boards. We would highly recommend Board and Brush as a fun activity to do!!! We all love our final pieces.

I've never woken up and thought, "Gee, I'm feeling good, I might go buy some art today." But that's…read morebasically how my day ended up unfolding this past Saturday. While doing the Groundhog Day walking tour, we decided to check out the Old Courthouse/current Arts Center just for the hell of it. I'm not really into art unless it involves renderings of cute animals or my favorite celebrities (I wouldn't mind a nice over-the-fireplace portrait of Bill Murray or Bernie Mac or David Letterman), but for the most part, when I hear people talk about art I just have to drift off to another place to keep myself from rolling my eyes at the pretension, but here, I didn't get that... at all. We walked around and were shocked with the collection of works here as well as the quality and lessn't we forget price. They had handmade unique pottery that was unlike any pottery I'd ever seen before and pretty much priced for a limited budget person such as myself. There were many rooms to roam though, leading in a circle around the main room with register and beautiful older ladies with long, stringy grey hair - exactly the way you'd picture older, artsy, free-spirited women. In the second to last room in the round-about gallery, I found something that basically stopped me in my tracks. It was titled 'Fortune Teler' and it was a relatively giant framed canvas, full of color, it had hanging beads, mini-lightbulbs, little sequins set into the partial gold-filigree'd frame with a the work itself being completely covered in bright but shadowy colors that had an orange/yellow-haired boy flipping over two unreadable tarot cards for a big, green cat and a magenta rhino (that at first I admittedly though was an aardvark - my favorite animal next to manatees). I couldn't be torn away from it. And it was only (and normally I would've shit my pants over this price) $150. I took a pics of it, spent another 4-hours with it on my mind while we walked the town and went back 15 minutes before close to seal the sale. The woman said she was sad to see that painting go but could tell from looking at me that we were a right match, which may have all been pillow-talk, but it really does feel like it was made for me. I do wish they'd had a bit more information on the artist and painting but, it was right on the dot when they were closing and they were able to take down my info so hoping I'll hear back, and if not, I'm fine with just having the painting, too.

I'm not really an art gallery person, but this was one of only a couple places open on a Sunday…read moreafternoon, so my husband and I walked around. The historic building holds several rooms with assorted paintings and sculptures from local and national artists. Some are landscape paintings while others are strange mobiles made of wood. One display was a large photo of a naked obese woman laying on a pile of books, along with an actual pile of books below the photo! It was kind of cool walking around and seeing some of the local talent, plus some part of the building itself (we found a heavy metal door that said "McHenry County Records" from the 19th century. If you're around, drop in for a few moments. You'll be entertained.

Wow! Over the last few years and especially this summer I've visited quite a few local historical…read moremuseums and this is another one that really stands out as truly excellent. In addition to having some unique items and very nice looking exhibits, the tour given by two volunteers was done very well. Kevin provided an excellent tour of the Applebee House and Donlea-Kincaid house, giving plenty of information about where the various items were from and providing plenty of background about the family and how different items were used. He was extremely knowledgeable about all different questions ranging from the ornate decorations, to the different tools used, challenges faced in different time periods, and how to best preserve all the different items available. Michael provided a great tour of the Blacksmith Shop, with an amazing set of stories about all the different items, how they arrived at the museum, how to restore different items, and about various other topics. He is clearly a history lover with an immense amount of knowledge and a passion for teaching others. He is also excellent at getting others interested in history with his amazing ability to help people relate historic times to modern times, and thoroughly explain anything that is asked about any part of the museum. Definitely worth a visit to learn a lot about local history and historic artifacts. The quality of preservation and the completeness of several collections is truly amazing.

This was a gem to run across. It's easy to miss on Lake-Cook Road. There is a parking lot in the…read moreback between the two houses. It is hard to find the entrance to the museum but once you get there it is very much worth the effort. We were given a tour by two very knowledgeable and enthusiastic tour guides. They gave us personal attention. There are so many stores and artifacts that an hour and a half want nearly enough. Highly recommend is you live in the Barrington area or like history.