Such nice helpful staff. Bought this as a bday gift for my mom. Very cool place considering…read morementally challenged people make most of the things for sale!! Such a cool. Idea, really good vibes there. Plus I love what we made. One of my pieces got stuck together in the kiln and they allowed me to make another piece, again great people, great customer service. Would go back!!

Had a girls' night out here on 2/2/18 - Amy was phenomenal! She taught us about all the different…read moretypes of glazes and showed tremendous patience while 5 women drank wine and tried to do it "just right"! The class was a blast and then we got to shop some of the works created by Amy and the other folks who spend their days building beautiful pottery. If you want to let your inner artist out, this is a great place to do it.

This is for the Lakewood location…read more Came here for the $35 beginner class. You will not be going home with a done piece; it is much more challenging than it seems. So much fun. You are given step by step instructions on how to prep the clay and use everything. If you want to get good you need to dedicate some time. They have many classes you can take as well as open studio time once you become proficient. Shhhh... BYOB Tips: Short finger nails Wear clothes you don't mind getting dirty Bring a few towels Hair tied back Highly recommend as it is a lot of fun and humbling. 5/5

I have been wanting to try ceramics for a long time, and I signed up for a 3 week mug wheel…read morethrowing class and absolutely loved it. The teacher was friendly, knowable, and helpful! It's a shorter class than usual but the perfect introduction. I'll be signing up for more classes and can't wait to continue my ceramics journey in this welcoming environment.

I don't post reviews often, but when something is really good I do. Wife and I did the beginners…read moreWheel Throwing Workshop and then followed it up with the Glazing Workshop. It was a wonderful experience! Fun, non-rushing, non-judgmental, constant encouragement and full of laughter. Highly encourage to go with family and friends! Pro tip...park at the library.

My 13 year old daughter absolutely loves art but she has never liked art classes, until we found…read morethis one! She doesn't want people telling her what to draw and paint as she just likes to come up with her own ideas. Tatiana allows her students to pick whatever they want, including the medium, and then she just helps them get better! My daughter loves it and can't wait for Wednesdays for her class!! The price is reasonable and the environment is exactly what we have been looking for. I would highly recommend Tatiana's classes to anyone wanting to explore their creative side!

My 15 yo daughter has really enjoyed Tatiana's teen art class this past year. She is learning a lot…read moreand creates her choice of beauty every week. Tatianas studio environment is calming and super creative. Glad we found you!

Just finished Metalsmithing II and love this school. This is the most professionally run business…read morein the world of art classes I have ever experienced. Everything about the school is organized, ordered and first-class, especially the instruction. (Re: the negative review: It's not called attitude when it's true accomplishment. This is so rare that amateurs can't recognize it.) For the investment in the class fee + tools/supplies, I appreciated having such a structured environment in which to learn. Darlene Armstrong, owner/artist/teacher emeritus, has a definite point of view about craftsmanship. And, yes, it is her way or the highway. But who wants to take a class from a teacher who always says, "Sure,you can do it that way if you want; it's your art," when you don't know what the hell you're doing?? So if you are not a serious student of metal work or are just looking for something fun to waste a few hours, don't waste your time/$$ or the school's. But if you want to get better with your art (and learn how to make pieces that are commercially viable), this is the place to learn it the way all apprentices used to--doing it over and over till you get it right. I have been on an ongoing quest for good metalsmithing instruction for the past 10 years and use my vacation time to travel around the country taking classes. On a scale of 1 - 10, I've taken classes that were advertised as 10s that were barely 3s (one last year by a "name" artist who hated to, thus couldn't, teach.). I've also taken classes that I'd rate as 7-8 because they were super fun, but not all that special in my goal to "further my art." DSMA is an 11 because it hit the mark on excellent instruction, excellent venue, excellent design selection (ie., we worked on pieces you'd actually want to wear in real life). This is the only course I have taken in 10 years that had a teaching assistant because there were 11 of us in class (a large number for learning anything with a torch.) That told me that Darlene really cared that every student maximized her knowledge. In fact, Mary Ann was a great bonus to have, because besides the teacher, you always learn from other students who are better than you. Frankly, I over-estimated my own ability, based on my past experience with mediocre teachers. If it hadn't been for Mary Ann, I would have been left behind (something that Darlene did try to emphasize to me before I registered). Part of how I judge the success of my class experience is whether I am inspired to continue to the next level. With Metalsmithing II I was inspired to lower my self-assessment and go back to Metalsmithing I...with DSMA. Sort of a "not knowing what I didn't know." I love that. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is because I felt I was not well enough prepared for the teacher's expectations ahead of time. It was a big personal value of Darlene's that everyone show up on time and come prepared. I suppose it was up to me to ask more questions about what to expect (and Jennifer who handles all the admin did a super job of sending me tool lists and answering the questions I did have). But when you are from out of town with no prior experience with the teacher or school policies that are so specific, I would have benefited from more of a walk-thru in advance. A simple page on the website of "What To Expect if This Is Your First Class" would have helped. Or a checklist for out of towners, too, like where to stay, how to order lunches, starting/ending studio times, etc. For ex., at other multi-day workshops, lunch is usually provided or easy to procure. Because the school is in a business park in an industrial area, there are no good options for lunch to be ordered over the weekend, and everyone is on their own. I had to spend a lot of time figuring out how to find my own food for lunch (without a car), until Darlene recommended Whole Foods. The lovely people at the Hilton/Doubletree Westminster happily accommodated a quick stop for me with their free shuttle service. But had I known that ahead of time, I could have made those arrangements at the same time I set up the shuttle service, and had one less thing to worry about in an unfamiliar city. Not sure if DSMA wants more out of town students, but, if so, more hospitality would mean a lot. I know I'm not the only traveling class taker. That's an easy fix, tho, and so I highly recommend this school.

Took one class and I will NEVER go back. Attitude galore and they seem to think you are a Pain and…read morethat they are doing you a favor by being in your presence. The lady teaching my class said she was not going to share any of her secrets with us. What???!!! So much for teaching. Don't go here unless you are a tortured artist type and you already know what you are doing. The skills they teach are no better than you can find on YouTube videos.

I love this place! I took my first ever pottery course (since high school) and learned so much! The…read moreculture in this studio is very welcoming and I got so much out of the hand building class. Joshua was an excellent teacher with lots of knowledge and encouragement! I highly recommend and can't wait to take more classes here!

Great teacher! I took a wheel class and Joshua walked us through every step and repeated…read moreconstantly. Good guidance and so much patience! Highly recommended!!!!

Such a great place!! Monica, the owner is awesome. Very friendly, personable and quaint atmosphere…read more She made us feel like we were professional artists! :) Great place for date night or get together with some girls. I highly recommend this place. Especially since she is a small business owner and it's not a corporate chain. She'll work with you if you can't get there at the start time too. Thanks Monica!! Jodi & Cori

Looks like it would be fun but they are never open! Sunday is family, day after Curch we do family…read moreor Churh group activites, would love to try this but they are closed. During the week we try to go and they are closed! Not everyone wants night only activites. Not sure they want business if only open for 3 hours 3 days a week.

We used the Traveling Easel for a Corporate event. Everyone who went thoroughly enjoyed…read morethemselves. I heard some of the employees say that it was a great way to forget about the stress of work and to use another part of their minds. Liz and Mel were amazing. They were super supportive, helpful and really allowed everyone to feel like an artist. I would highly recommend them if you are looking for a way to let your artistic juices flow. They help with set-up and clean-up and they bring all their own supplies. Very, very, very professional.