Attended their class tonight. The staff is so attentive and very helpful!! We had so much fun…read morepainting a hot air balloon. There was no pressure to be perfect, only encouragement to interpret as you saw fit and enjoy!! If you want a relaxing evening , try it.

Earlier this evening I received an email from Peri and Sean Gabriel, owners of the Pinot's Palette…read moreAlameda. They have been in business for about five years. The news was not a good one. It is with sadness to mention they are closing due to COVID 19. Peri is also one of my friends on FB. It has been a while since I attended a drawing session. Even though my paintings were okay looking, I still have fun. My Warriors basketball and thunder bolts painting was meh; however, when they had Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell singing "heaven must have sent your precious love...oh, oh, oh", I stopped painting and started singing and swaying along with that song. Hey, hey!! My fellow painters were laughing at me for trying to sound like Tammi Terrell. I wasn't even close, but they appreciated my love for some R&B old school music. I even had my GS Warriors gear on for that occasion. My painting of the cupcakes was slightly better. My husband took a photo of our daughter and me holding up our artwork. Ahhh...the memories of an evening of painting and people sipping wine have me grinning from ear to ear. How I will miss this place. I will be swinging by there this Saturday, June 6, to get one more look. They will be selling the paintings on display for $10 each; 4 paintings for $30. To Peri, Sean and staff: many thanks for all the wonderful times that I had in those drawing sessions.

Loved my acrylic painting class with Mokhtar Paki! Highly recommend. It helped me develop my style…read moreand understand the medium.

It's hard to write a negative review of an art center because I really value any place that helps…read morepeople access their creativity. But I have had such a comically bad experience with this place that I feel I should warn others. In January I found a Spring Session class I wanted to register for that was set to begin 3/15. It was in their catalog as a "New Class". However, when I went to their registration portal the class was not listed. The first time I called them, the receptionist said he didn't have access to the registration system and to call back later. The second time I called, they told me that they had added the class and I could register online--but I soon discovered it still wasn't listed. The third time I called they said they added the class but that I wouldn't be able to register until March 10th (which is when registration opens for LATE spring session, whereas this class was set to begin on March 15th, the early spring session). Huh? Registration is open for only five days before the class begins? I asked them to check again, and they called be back later that day and said the early spring session had been added. ...Nope, it definitely was still not in the system. Exasperated by their incompetence, I finally tracked down an email address for the instructor and emailed her directly. I didn't hear back, but soon after that the class showed up and I could finally register. So I did, and made an online payment. Two weeks later, I received an email with a receipt for a refund, with no explanation I assumed this meant the class had been cancelled, but no one called or emailed me to tell me that, and the refund never posted to my bank account. I had also never received any information about the class (materials list, curriculum, etc.) so I still currently have no idea what's happening. When I try to call them, their extension is "unavailable", as is the "operator" AND the "backup operator" that the system auto-routed me to. I really want this place to improve because they're one of the few organizations offering adult art classes in Oakland. But as is, it seems to be a bit of a mess.

I wish I were writing a review of the facilities, instructors, class quality, or my experience in a…read moreclass, maybe even showing a picture of my cool finished art... but I can't, because of failure after failure on the part of the management. I received a glass flameworking class as a surprise for Christmas, paid for, with the option for me to move it to a number of dates. I chose the March 8th date. It's been THREE MONTHS of multiple calls, voicemails, and emails per week to The Crucible. We have gotten ONE single response the entire time: something to the effect of "so sorry we dropped the ball - we'll get back to you," then.... nothing. None of our calls or emails or voicemails have been returned. The March class date has now passed, and not a single offer of a refund or a reschedule. We're doing a chargeback, which we really hate to do since it's so detrimental to the business, but... if it weren't for all these other reviews I'd wonder if this place even exists? Three full months of effort on our end and not a single useful human answer?Hoping this review plus the chargeback gets us some sort of resolution.

A very cool place to see many artists at once. I enjoyed speaking to the various artist about their…read moreclasses offered.

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!

I took a 6 week intro to pottery course here and overall had a good time. The location is solid and…read morethe building is really beautiful. The front opens up into this garden area which is amazing in the summer, but in winter the studio gets pretty cool so your pieces take longer to dry The class was good but stayed pretty surface level. The space itself is super clean and organized though, and they have a great selection of glazes which was nice. They also offer memberships and more advanced classes if you want to keep going. Overall I'm looking forward to taking more classes there in the future.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Space is beautiful, but the classes are mixed level and should be better marketed to the correct…read morelevel so that if you are a beginner, you get the right level of instruction

We had visitors from out of town and wanted to do something fun and unique. Ada was very responsive…read moreover email and we set up a time for our classes. She has a really warm and welcoming home studio with a lot of natural light and art supplies. It's on harbor bay island in a very quiet community with lots of parking. At first class the 4 of us did watercolors. Ada taught us how to mix colors and different techniques. Her watercolors were high quality and gave us all our own supplies. She had photos of feathers ready for us and taught us how to paint them step by step. We all learned a lot and had a great time. The second class we did a private lesson for a 10 year old. Ada let her choose what she wanted to paint and they did acrylics. She taught her how to layer colors and provide shadows and depth for the various items in her painting. We would definitely return and appreciated Ada's friendliness and expertise.

My 5 1/2 year-old daughter absolutely loves this art class and teacher! Highly recommend!read more

I've driven by this yellow Victorian at the corner of Lincoln and Paru many times but did not…read morerealize this was an Arts Center that is a non-profit volunteer operated place for meetings, readings, showings and other creative doings. My friend's art exhibit brought me to the Center for the first time. As you enter, the Main Gallery is in front and the Signature Gallery, where my friend's Between Earth and Sky Exhibit was held is in the back. His 27 paintings are of recent landscapes, spanning the vast canyons and rock formations of the Southwest to the rugged cliffs and vibrant waters of the Pacific coast. It was great seeing the Exhibit and happy that there is a community art center for local artists to display their works of art.

Wonderful place to see, do and buy art! The classes are…read morereasonably priced. The instructors are very knowledgeable . And the Center organize a incredible Plein Air Paint Out every summer

We are having a fun wheel throwing class here. Hope more people can joining to the classes.read more

The Studio upfront displays some of their works, and the back of the Studio is for hands-on fun…read more It's a cool little place in a quiet neighborhood residential area- so parking is quite easy. If you are looking for a cozy, cool norcal wheel-throwing spot, this is the place! Lin is the absolute best mentor and ceramic artist. She is knowledgeable in all forms of sculptures, potteries, and ceramics- whether you are a beginner or already have advanced knowledge in wheel-throwing, Lin will guide you as she is very approachable and passionate about her work. I am honored to have learned so much from her!