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!!

The school is a jewel! The class size is small and therefore personal. The instructors are smart,…read moretalented and impart the knowledge needed to improve your art skills. I highly recommend this school

I cannot say enough great things about The Stitcher's Academy. The owner/instructor is top notch,…read moresuper accommodating, very relaxed, and sew (eh...eh) easy to get along with. I went in with no experience what so ever and I've now been going back every week for the last 7 months...I can truly say it is highlight of my week. Worcester is incredibly lucky to have such a service and studio to learn how to sew in. If you are at all interested in learning to sew, or just want a studio to sew in, this is the place to go. She also teaches kids. Seriously a great asset.

Great place to get advice, take a lesson, shop and knit - drop in knitting on Saturdaysread more

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.

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!

Lovely museum with a variety of exhibits…read more I was very excited to view the new armor collection they have on exhibit. It's a vast collection with full suits of armor down to the smallest embelishment, cerfemonial or functional. Pieces include European and Asian examples. The exhibit is included with admission and has timed entry so be sure to book ahead to get your desired time slot. A small kids area in the exhibit has art supplies and books in case the adults are taking too long. Directly across from the armor exhibit we viewed the "Peaceable Kingdom" exhibit. Artists around the world have submitted works of their interpretation based on the original painting. Some artist included information explaining their thoughts working on the project. Many of the pieces are very insightful. A recreation of an Italian palazzo courtyard showcases a roman mosiac floor. Gorgeous. Also on this level is a 12th century Charter House moved from France. The museum has adorned this space with period stained glass from England and mimic candle light with electric candelabra to set the scene. A small cafe near the moasic floor offers sandwiches, coffee, tea, water, sweets, soft drinks, soup and salad. The gift shop is by the entrance on this side of the building and offers a large variety of gift items including note cards, ornaments, books, games, kitchen items, hand bags and more. On the next level up in the palazzo are a series of galleries flowing into each other displaying European art from the 11th century to the early 20th. Behind this area you will find egyptian art and more. One exhibit included a kiosk with more information about items in that collection and a comfortable sofa and seating. At the time of this review, the third level is being renovated. The fourth level is modern art (Andy Warhol and Christos for ex.) and collection preservation labs. Fifth level seems to be an event space. Free lockers are available in the coat rooms near the ticketing desk. Class rooms are located near the Lance St. entrance. See their website for available classes. A free parking lot for museum patrons is available across Lance St. There is a cross walk with wheelchair ramps on/off the sidewalks here. An elevator is available to the left of this entrance if you cannot navigate steps. Interior elevators move between levels as do staircases. Restrooms are on a couple of levels and have diaper stations. A water fountain (bubbla) is near the elevator and restrooms. A few wheelchairs are available on a 'first come' basis. Discounted entry is available, see website for details. Most definitely recommend. I very much enjoyed our visit. Plan to possibly spend a few hours. You can easily spend hours looking at all that armor. You can also make a quick run through if you are short on time. On a side note, the Salisbury Mansion is located behind the museum and well worth a look if you have time.

The Worcester Art Museum is packed with memorable exhibits, and I had a great time exploring them…read morefor 2.5-3 hours. I was able to make it through the entire museum at a leisurely pace. The Asian art section, especially the Japanese prints exhibit "Reflections of a Changing Japan: The Evolution of Shin Hanga" was a standout. The Roman mosaics taken from a floor of a home were definitely memorable. They're incredibly well-preserved and shows stories about life, mythology, and religion. I was amazed by the amount of skill and detail it must've taken to puzzle it back together after transporting it across the world. The ancient Egyptian exhibit was super cool, packed with statues, sarcophagi, and other artifacts. They also have some restored European and American oil paintings that were truly stunning, some looked insanely realistic. I spent the most time admiring this exhibit. I wasn't a fan of the contemporary art but one can say that I lack whatever it takes to fully appreciate it. It's a small museum but worthy of a visit.

Our experience with Paint the Town was fantastic! We booked…read morethis as a team-building event for our staff, and the entire experience exceeded our expectations. The booking process with Ashlee was smooth and easy. Our instructor, Abigail, was absolutely amazing--calm, cool, and collected--especially while we worked through an unexpected vendor space issue. Even though we ended up starting later than planned, she made sure we still received the full session time without feeling rushed. We had a great time and would definitely book again. Highly recommend Paint the Town for a fun and stress-free team event!

My team had a great time! Angela and Tiffany were wonderful in helping my plan and organize…read moreeverything- they made it very easy or me! Thank you!