This was my first paint and sip event and it was so much fun! Monica was so friendly and provided…read moredetailed instructions on the painting. It was a night full of laughter and fun. Will definitely go back again with my friends.

Me and my future wife had an amazing time at the paint and sip! Monica was interactive, she made…read morethe entire process fun and was patient with us while helping us perfect these paintings! This was a 10/10 experience and we will be back again!

Allison is a wonderful art teacher and my daughter really enjoyed taking her art classes for the…read morepast year. She is a kind spirited person and really awesome/patient with kids of all ages. Her classes are fun and creative. My daughter always had something beautiful to bring home, and alot of them are hung up in her room at our new place :) Art classes can get expensive but i find Allison's fees to be very reasonable and it is for an hour and a half...Unfortunately we moved out of SL and the classes had to stop, if we were any closer, i would sign my daughter up for her classes in a heart beat! There is a beautiful garden and a play structure right in front of her school, another plus!

Mulford Gardens is a sweet lushly vegetated, pergola blooming playground, outdoor venue, and art…read moreschool tucked off a side street on the industrial section of San Leandro. I saw a sign for a children's art camp and took the opportunity to enrich my little peanut who goes through paper like a bag of Doritos with a little formal instruction. The camp lasted a week, three hours daily, and concluded with a celebratory art show and family friendly picnic. The instructor, Allison, is a talented life long artist from a family of artists, who currently runs the day to day functions of the park along with the school in the rear building. She is amazing with rowdy smocked children running amok flinging actual paint and canvases--not washable fingerpaint, but wear your play garb for a genuine, stain inducing introduction to techniques of fine art. My daughter came home with a bagful of illustrations of every animal known to man, a finished canvas, and a memory of an experience she wants to repeat again. Fortunately, the school offers both after school programs during the year and multiple sessions in the summer. Additionally, there are adult classes--one in the late afternoon and another on Wednesday evenings that I recently decided to dip my 'haven't painted in 20 years palette' into. It's been a fabulous three classes so far. A traditional art curriculum with warm ups, exercises in charcoal still life's, cross hatching, scratch etching, and sustained work on oil canvas. Allison knows when to give guidance and when to let you figure out brush strokes on your own. I'm learning to ride my "artist" bike all over again and enjoying every challenging, creative moment. I highly recommend this obscure little school in San Leandro. I hope it grows like the garden it's situated in.

Wonderful piano teachers who are all very nice and knowledgeable. However they're not focused on…read morehelping the children get through the piano level tests. Most of the kids are here because they enjoy learning music so it'll depend on your goals. Otherwise this school is great. They have student recitals to help the children build confidence in front of crowds which is a nice add on service as well.

The staff members are very nice!!! The teachers are very friendly and "informative" /knows a lot…read moreand can provide students with the best info!!!

Mindart Studio is an exceptional art studio for children of all ages. My child has been attending…read moresince 2021, and the growth in their artwork over the years has been truly remarkable. The staff are friendly, talented, and gifted teachers whom kids genuinely love learning from. With flexible scheduling options, it's easy to find days and hours that fit your family's routine. After five-plus years as loyal students, we can say without hesitation that Mindart Studio is an outstanding choice for any child passionate about art. They have various locations so check their website for further details.

My daughter's drawing class has been going on for 8 weeks, and she has completed 8 pieces of…read moreartwork under the careful guidance. Although her lineworks are not very mature and the colors are not very neat, these imperfections add up to a very unique style. Mindart's teachers are very creative in choosing the theme every time. Every time my daughter finishes a piece of artwork, I cannot believe this is something made by her!

I don't consider myself a natural artist, but after taking Introduction to Silkscreen with Emily…read morehere I feel like a spark of potential was finally lit. I thoroughly enjoyed the flexible after-work hours where I could relax and concentrate on just a few set tasks that go into making a screen and prints. The small class size felt both intimate and collaborative. I also loved how the teacher provided great materials to experiment with and Kala had all the necessary equipment. I'd love to come back and take more silkscreen later in the year!

Kala has some great art programs. One of them is Drink and Draw, a post-work evening activity that…read moreinvolves drinkin' an' drawin'. It's a rare opportunity for working folks who love art (but never get to do it) to be artistic and creative. We also hoped it would be an opportunity to meet people, relax, unwind, drink some wine, and hang out... but we discovered one fine weekday eve that it was lots of Draw but very little Drink. There are some serious art students in Berkeley! The art instructor was knowledgeable, talented and inspiring, and brought some great materials for us to use - handmade paper, high-quality ink, brushes. We did have to supply some of our own stuff, like scratch paper, pencils, erasers. She taught us new techniques and was very hands-on. A few completed projects even looked frame-worthy. Kala offers great programs if you want to do art in the evening. However, if you actually want to hang out with friends, catch up, and Drink with your Draw, you may want to go to a bar. Just sayin'...!

Before I started this review, my son said "How many stars should we give art camp?" and when I…read moreasked how many he wanted to give, he emphatically said "5 Stars!" LOL the child has spoken! 5 stars it is! There are so many camps to chose from in the East Bay but what we have been loving about Aran's Art Camp is the intimate group size: there's no more than 10 kids per art camp and we've lucked out with an even smaller group during our time here. The camp is taught by a mix of Aran herself and her staff and they've been nothing but wonderful. My kiddo comes home from art camp every day bursting at the seams about everything he's worked on and learned (giving me safety tips about glass fusing and teaching me what a pinch pot is!) and he looks forward to going back each day. Each week is a different theme so if you wanted to sign up for multiple sessions, your child will definitely be working on something different each time. While the hours are 10-2, they offer before and after care for an additional fee which basically turns this into an all day camp if you were to maximize on the 9-3 aspect of it. There's a lot of half day camps out there so if you use their before and after camp, you get a good chunk of the day covered! Lastly, they go to the park every day after lunch to let them move around and get some sunshine and Fridays is pizza day! My kid said he would love to come back to art camp again next summer.

Such a cute art studio with a variety of artsy activities! They have a variety of colors of paint…read morealong with a lot of different things to paint. It's pretty quiet in here compared to other places which I love! Parking is super easy since it's in a plaza, the people that work at this studio are super friendly and nice, and they offer so many other activities - I saw a kids painting night happening before, they have glass fusing, etc. They also have an area in the back where it looks like they do most of the classes so the pottery painting is almost always available!!

My friend celebrated her birthday with a class with many friends. We all had a great time creating…read moreall different fused glass projects. Several of us want to go back to do more fused glass and or mosaic and stained glass projects. Ja Ing is a very kind and encouraging instructor!

I took the 4-hour stepping stone mosaic class with my 10-year old niece and we both had a lot of…read morefun. First time, taking any class at the Alameda Art Lab but not a newbie to mosaics or the arts. I used to be quite artsy and crafty back in the day and now, it seems like a luxury to find time to do something creative and take a break from adulting! All supplies of cutters, nippers, stepping stone and glass provided with a quick introduction to using the tools with some guidance and instruction to start your art piece. JaYing, the friendly and patient owner/instructor will walk around to assist if needed, check your progress and guide you to ensure you get your item complete. Item is left for grouting and student called when ready. A great class to bond with a friend(s) or family and make a day to get in creative mode and have fun. Personally, it allowed me to take time to enjoy something I really love as I find art very therapeutic along with spending time with my niece. The time flies by... :) The Alameda Art Lab offers a variety of classes from stained glass, mosaics, glass fusing and jewelry making and other fun things. Items are available for purchase for yourself or as a gift. Highly recommend trying out a class!

I love Anita! She is an awesome art teacher and has amazing classes for people of all ages. On…read moreThursday evening's is adult art class. My semester was great and accomplished some really nice pieces with her help. Love how she nudges you to try all different types of media. My next piece was doing charcoal, a medium that I never used before. We just had an art show at the end of the semester. The talent from everyone was incredible! I was especially impressed with the kids art. Wow! She also has summer programs for the kids. Wish I had this outlet when I was there age. Highly recommend! Looking forward to developing my skills deeper over time with her. Thank you so much Anita. ;)

In my second semester and no plans to stop. This has become something of a Thursday evening ritual…read morefor me. I took a chance and signed up after admiring a new friend's collection of art in different mediums and styles and she told me all about Anita's class. This has given me a chance to try being creative, to trust myself and break out of trying to be pixel perfect. There's always a choice of assignment. I like to work slowly and deliberately. Others finish a project and move on to the next in a session or two. The perfect thing is that this is at your own pace, with guidance and education from Anita. I'm learning to appreciate the time and intention that goes into a creating a work. And I find the time relaxing and meditative...it's a wonderful change of pace from my day-to-day work. Give this a go - you won't be disappointed!

My daughter had her birthday party here with a small group of friends. They made a clay project of…read moreBluey. Each one had a blast and enjoyed their time in the studio. From start to finish, Emma was great with communication in planning. She texted over project options with paintings or clay art. My daughter chose clay and Emma sent over photos of sample projects she could choose from. My daughter asked to do a "Bluey" clay art project and I thought to ask even though I didn't see any samples in the studio. Emma asked for an image and within a few days they created one for the guests to replicate. That was appreciated as my daughter and her guests love Bluey and were so tickled to be able to make one. We did have a hiccup on the day of the party but Emma, her studio manager and staff were able to accommodate everything without batting an eyelash! I appreciated their flexibility and ability to pivot flawlessly. The staff were so helpful with setup and always making sure everyone had what they needed. They took care of cleaning up the space, and disposing of any party remnants for us at the end of the event. Our instructor was so friendly and talented. She went around to help any of the guests who needed assistance on their project. Emma was so friendly and thoughtful. She made sure there were personal touches and made sure each guest felt special. She checked on us frequently during the event as well. My daughter loved it and so did her friends. I wouldn't hesitate to hold another birthday party here again. Thank you to Emma, our instructor, the studio manager and the staff!!

What a wonderful enrichment program! The staff are friendly (thank you Ms. Lynette), educated in…read morethe various forms of art, and know how to encourage the children to give it their best effort. You'll be amazed what your little ones can produce given the right environment and coaching. They experience with various mediums including paintings, pencil sketches, and clay. Give the trial class a shot and see for yourself! Once you're engaged, you'll have the option of a 10 or 22 week program. They also have two different age groups for the classes (5-8 year olds and 8+ year olds). The classes are typically an hour and a half and parents are encouraged not to hover. Go home, take a walk, venture to the nearby mall and grab a cream roll from Balkh. The parking lot is plentiful so you should have no problem getting a spot. It might be tight and busy but the churn is quick. They also host birthday parties so if you're looking for a place to host clay art party for your child, see if they fit your plans! They have been around for many years but we just came across it recently. If your children has any interest in art (I'm sure they do!), please consider Green Forest!

Jo was cool, but the teacher that day, chris, she works at another location but I attended the…read moreBIPOC Queer open studio and I almost walked out. I'm used to be marginalized and excluded just didn't think it was gonna happen at this place.

Love clay clubhouse, I always feel welcome here, the music is great, and the vibes are right. I…read morewish they had membership capacity because I would love to join. It's also tough getting into classes because how in demand they are but I can see why. Always get the day pass but it's a great time either way.