Hot Mess Studios is one of a few great pottery studios in the Wilmington. They have group and…read moreindividual private lessons and parties for on wheel pottery, canvas painting, and piece painting. They have 3 speciality nights you can sign up for in advance. On Thursdays they do Ladies Night Sip & Spin where you get one hour 1 pot, throw as many as you like, keep what you like for just $10 more + wine. Fridays are "Filthy Fridays" where adults 16 and over can sign up for a 7 pm or 8:30 pm time slot and get 1 pot + 1 ball of clay with the option of more at $10 each. On Saturdays they do the same thing but it's family friendly sessions (ages 7+) from 1 - 6pm, and 16+ reservation only from 7-8 pm. They're closed Monday - Wednesday with an exception of private reservations in advance. If you have special time and group number requests I'm sure they can accommodate if you call ahead and plan. They're very responsive, professional and easy to schedule with. I did all my scheduling through email and received prompt responses. The gal running our lesson, Emma, was also so professional and sweet. She's great at what she does and I'd recommend any beginner taking lessons from her. When we arrived Emma greeted us at the door, walked us through the studio, showed us the process and helped us whenever we needed throughout the activity. I had a certificate for 2 hours, 2 people, and 4 pieces each. It was plenty of time and almost too much clay for two first timers, which is a good problem to have. I'm not sure if that special is still running but check their website to see active discounts - they run great deals, often, and are super affordable for what it is! I would highly recommend trying it out or giving as a gift!

Awesome studio, highly recommend that date night package. Fun place to take my wife on a date. Good…read moreatmosphere!

I found Christine Palmer Art Studio, i believe, through Charlotte Parent Magazine when my youngest…read moredaughter asked me for art classes. My daughter has been attending Christina's classes going on three months now and, although she has a natural knack for art, she has churned out two incredibly awesome paintings (see pics) by a 7-year-old. Christina is a very nice, polite and overall awesome person who will make you feel very welcome in her home studio. Her apartment, which doubles as the studio, is filled with some pretty amazing artwork. She is excellent with all the kids and they all like her back. She is very knowledgeable, talented and patient with the kids. You get 4 hours of class/hands-on class a month for $65 (there is also an annual materials fee of $70), how can you beat that?!?! She also offers adult classes but I've not attended those. She also puts out a gallery for her artists at Pentes Art Works which the kids all love and get very excited over. If you are looking for an awesome art teacher/class, I highly recommend giving Christina Palmer Art Studio a call.

Christina is a wonderful Art Teacher, she's taught my daughter different techniques to really…read moreimprove her talent. She's very kind and patient and my daughter can't wait for her lessons on Saturdays.

This is a kitschy local artist shop in a nice shopping center. I was brought in by a local friend…read morewho is particularly art savvy and interested. There is everything from handmade jewelry to figures, paintings, pottery, photography printed large, t-shirts, sports team logo emblazoned memorabilia and catnip toys for your cat. That's just a smattering of what they have. This being art, you can imagine the prices range broadly depending on what you're wanting. Larger items can be several hundred dollars while I saw smaller items down to just a few bucks. Staff was friendly and helpful. The store itself is in what used to be an old bar/restaurant. It has an almost rustic feel to it, although I don't believe the building is truly all that old. If you find yourself in this area you should give it a look.

Booked a "Paint Your Pet" session with my husband and our friends. The entire process was seamless…read more- I booked online and emailed a few photos of our dogs to the email address provided on the booking page. I received an email response confirming the photos were received. We showed up about 10 minutes before our event was scheduled, and were greeted by our expert painter and shown the canvas with photos of our dogs. We were given paint colors for our background (whatever we chose) and the appropriate base colors for our dogs. What initially seemed like an intimidating process turned out to be a lot of fun and was surprisingly easy - we think our photos turned out to look amazingly like our pets! As a bonus, our instructor was AMAZING and we really enjoyed her company and were grateful for her reassurances throughout the evening. We will definitely be coming back to do more of these events!

The Cameron Art Museum (CAM) is located in Wilmington, NC. The museum has a free parking lot, but…read morethere is an admission fee if you are not a member or do not have museum reciprocity. The building itself is 42,000 square feet and features a neat architectural design. Charles Gwathmey designed it so that natural light floods into the space, which is a really nice touch. CAM houses a beautiful permanent collection and frequently rotates its exhibits, so each visit offers something new. The first painting I saw during this visit was by Elliott Daingerfield, whom I was already familiar with from the Blowing Rock Art & History Museum. Female artists are also heavily displayed here, well above the national 11% average seen in most museums. Mary Cassatt, Minnie Evans, Maud Gatewood, Judy Chicago, Elizabeth Darrow, and Fritzi Huber are just a few of the prominent names I remember seeing. The Andy Warhol: Silver Clouds room installation was absolutely mesmerizing. I didn't expect to like it and almost didn't go inside. It seemed a bit weird with the large, pillow-like metallic balloons floating around, but once I was actually inside the room, I didn't want to leave. It was incredibly peaceful watching them float and move, and just standing there being gently tapped by them as they drifted was a truly unique experience. While I wasn't quite as crazy about the other exhibit, "Fresh Air" inflatable sculptures exhibition, they were large and made for a quick stop. But that is the beauty of art--some works deeply appeal to you, and others not so much. Outside the building, there are nature trails and a sculpture park to explore. The museum grounds are historically located where the Civil War Battle of Forks Road took place. There is a monument called "Boundless" by artist Stephen Hayes to honor the US Colored Troops who fought on this exact property. This installation sits just a few steps away from the parking lot, so make sure to check it out before you head inside or after your visit. The CAM Café is also located right inside the museum layout, as well as an excellent gallery gift shop with locally made items.

I really enjoyed this museum. The staff was so nice and friendly. Everything was explained to…read moreus...price, exhibits, food, and other great information. The art was displayed very nicely throughout the gallery. I really enjoyed viewing the art and reading a little bit about each piece. There were pieces that were displayed outside as well. This was my 2nd time visiting and will continue to visit each time that I am in Wilmington.

My wife and I were in Wilmington a few months ago and visited a number of art galleries. Amy Grant,…read morethe owner, has the finest selection of artworks in Wilmington. she is extremely knowledgeable and understands the customer's needs and wants. Moreover, if she doesn't have what you're looking for she doesn't hesitate for a second to refer you to another gallery. She's just wonderful and I highly recommend making her your first stop in wilmington.

Adorable cute place! Fun for a ladies night or a date. Highly recommend. Lovely owner who was super…read morehelpful!

Painted Father's Day mugs here and was perfect. Great environment for a little one to get messy and…read morecreative!

100% recommended! Having a painting done of your ceremony or reception is such a special and unique…read morekeepsake to have from your big day. Daisy is a pro, and you won't be disappointed. Not only does she adapt and blend into flow of the event, but she creates a really cool event in itself for you and your guests to observe as she captures that moment on canvas. It's a really wonderful addition to everything, and is far more memorable than your standard photo booth with silly hats, oversized glasses, and mustaches on sticks. Plus, Daisy is someone you'd want to invite to your wedding anyway, so there's really no reason not to have her do a live painting for you!

Daisy was such a wonderful addition to our wedding day. I didn't even know that live painting was…read morean option until I met Daisy by chance! From the beginning, Daisy was so friendly and enthusiastic, as well as professional. On the day of our wedding, she showed up as promised and was already painting away by the time I arrived at the venue! It was such a unique addition to our big day and she provided a very special form of entertainment during cocktail hour. I got SO many compliments about Daisy after our wedding, including many brides who had wished that had had a live painter for their own wedding. Everyone loved the experience and a lot of guests commented how beautiful and accurate the painting was. After the wedding, Daisy kept in constant communication with me about the progress of the painting, and once it was finished, we arranged a time to meet. My husband and I were thrilled with the final result and we cherish our one-of-a-kind momento celebrating our best day ever!