Urban Artisan has fun workshops. I've been to a few and enjoy them each time. It's a relaxed and…read morefun atmosphere, you can buy drinks there. Instruction is friendly and supportive for those of us less creatives, still needing an outlet. The variety of classes is good- just have to find what interests you. Pricing is fair. Website is informative and it's easy to sign up.

My friend and I took a wreath-making class here--we had a great time, and each went home with a…read morebeautiful wreath! The instruction was good, and the employees were very helpful throughout with helping us complete our wreaths or offering advice if we got stuck. I appreciated that all supplies were included. We were also treated to a free cookie, and I also bought a hard cider (you can buy both N/A and alcoholic beverages) and enjoyed sipping it while making my wreath. I will definitely come back!

Daniels Family Pottery was a wonderful find when I first relocated to Eugene. I actually stayed at…read moretheir cute Airbnb for a week when I first arrived. During that time I was able to watch Steve, the owner, make pottery while chatting with him about his work. He has shelves of pottery that he and his students have made and even the Airbnb itself had some of his pieces. He was very patient and friendly with many years of experience to teach from. You can do private lessons with him to learn how to throw pots on the wheel. You can also purchase his work if you would like some beautiful pottery of your own. If you have family in town and want to give them a friendly Eugene experience you should check out his Airbnb too!

A friend and I spent 2 hours hand building at Daniels Family Pottery this morning. Leonie provided…read moreclay and casual instruction, and Sterling the family dog sat at our feet as we happily sculpted and massaged the cool lumps laid before us. It was perfect. They also work with kids, instruct multiple potting techniques, and produce their own products sold in galleries and on etsy. I highly recommend some time here if you're looking for a creative outlet.

I'm so happy to have found Clay Space. The facility and community of artists are wonderful…read more seriously amazing artists working together in this creative welcoming environment. I'm enjoying being a frequent goer to create and participate with some of the very be people I'v ever met.

An outstanding community ceramics studio! I have been a member there for 8 years. Great people,…read moregreat classes! Now a non-profit!!!

I love wildling collaborative arts! I am on my second beginner class for wheel throwing and I am…read morehooked! All of their instructors are excellent, and they create such a special place for people to experience joy through the process of creating art. I even took all my friends here to experience the magic for my birthday! I'm so happy we got to do this together and I am so grateful that a place like wilding exists in this community.

Wildling is a community joy. I joined the collaborative as a ceramics studio member in February…read more2023 right when it first opened. I have experience with other art studio memberships, and wow has this been my favorite one ever. The studio is open 24/7 for members. This works great for me because I work a 9-5 job. I also want to add that all the studio managers and director Jayme are friendly, thoughtful, inclusive, and compassionate artists who center relationships, collaboration, and investment in getting to know the members. I have learned an incredible amount of new skills, been given many opportunities to teach workshops, and help create community through volunteering at free monthly Art Jams on the last Friday of every month. By the way, I highly recommend the Raku class. It was such a rad experience and great for beginners. 10/10 would recommend to anyone and everyone becoming a Wildling student, member, or supporter.

Ditch Projects is Eugene's artist-run contemporary art gallery. The University of Oregon has a good…read moreregional BFA and MFA program, and many of their artists and faculty show in the space. I have known their work when they showed in Portland galleries such as 1430 and RocksBox. The clean white space has gallery walls set up inside a vast industrial high ceiling building. For a large opening event, they had a coat check, beer and wine, and they have a small selection of printed matter for sale. They have limited hours and are only open select months of the year. Their regular hours and events are on their website and socials. You can contact them to visit by appointment other times in their season. On my visit was the thesis show by UO MFA students. AI-generated video was in evidence along with mixed media sculpture. It is in the Booth-Kelly Makers District. Part is an industrial area East of the Willamette and South of downtown on the wrong side of the tracks in a good way. Before Homer Simpson and the nuclear plant, the Booth-Kelly lumber mill was a major employer, from 1901 when they bought the Springfield Mill, to 1931 when they closed as a result of the Great Depression. In the industrial part here is also a large brick building which was the biomass electricity plant that ran the mill and Eugene-Springfield. The city parks school buses. School buses when parked seek the most basic real estate to minimize school budgets. So if you are looking for cheap space, they are a good indicator. The Booth-Kelly trail starts there. The entire project is owned and operated by the City to host and incubate small businesses. The parking is gravel, so you already know NW puddles. Wear appropriate footwear. The lots are clean and the buildings keep up with waste collection. Ditch Projects is the Springfield-Eugene nonprofit contemporary art gallery. There is enough space for the work to breathe. If you visit Eugene, they would be a good resource on local contemporary visual art.

We used David Stoltz for our July 2024 wedding for DJ services for our reception only and added on…read morethe Photo Booth service. We requested a meeting with them before booking services and had a phone call with David's wife. While we were on the call there were kids in the background screaming. Overall, their communication with us throughout the whole process before our wedding day was a little disorganized and unprofessional. The same occurred during the reception, a little disorganized, but music was playing the whole reception, he played the songs I requested, the sound system was good. The Photo Booth was self explanatory and the photos that were printed were great quality and there were unlimited prints.

We hired David (DJ Stoltz) after considering several DJ's in the region. We spoke to one of his…read morereferences, who recommended him. We compared him to others and found the pricing was very competitive. Our wedding was in August, but I think we decided on him in the Feb/March time frame. David was easy to work with. For us, Oregon was a destination wedding so most of our communications was done via e-mail and phone - including Skype. He was very flexible in terms of how we chose to engage. If you have an exact list of songs, he can execute on that. If you just sort of know that you'd like a bit of pop most people in their 30's would like, he can execute on that. We needed him to bring 2 sound systems, which he did. He also provided some simple lights for the dance floor and extra mikes for the Reverend and for a speech by the Best Man. Our wedding was in the Willamette Valley so he had to travel from Eugene. David showed up in plenty of time and was set up appropriately. He worked with our requests and added a lot of his own and it was a really great day. We have no hesitation recommending DJ Stoltz. Rahul & Kristen

The 2nd & Blair Artists Collective is an independent group of artists in the Whit who share studios…read morein the Historic Pierce Building, where they occasionally open to the public. The holidays are one of those times, and despite the heavy snow today, the galleries were open. Each of the little stores also functions as the studio space for the artist, so you can look around and see where the art is created. For the holiday events, they have free snacks and drinks, and they invite other artists to share the space with them. Today we mostly saw ceramics, painting, glasswork, jewelry, and modern art. The quality varied from 'quirky local' to some really high quality, beautiful pieces. The only thing I didn't care for was a mask with a bunch of George W. Bush faces on it, which was entitled "A Really Scarey Mask" I may be a Green Party voter who dislikes Bush as much as the next liberal, but that just seemed petty. I wouldn't buy from an artist who felt they had to make such cheap shots to gain the sympathy of the ultra liberal hippie community in Eugene. The other art was lovely though, I particularly enjoyed the work of Betsy Wolfston who makes paintings on ceramic. While the overwhelming theme was "Put A Bird On It", I found some very striking small landscape paintings of a slightly abstract nature. The smaller ones were mounted on wood, and only $50. They would make nice gifts, and I will likely return to get one next week. In short: Check it out whenever they open for special events, or get in touch with the artists directly to come see their work.

Northwest Paella Fest is the best!…read more Picture this: twenty or so groups of people in front of giant, flat pans (the paellera). These pans are bubbling, filled with saffron-laden Bomba rice. This one of vegetarian, that one has chicken, chorizo and shrimp. Next door is pork, mussels and green beans. It's kind of heady just being here. And it is great fun. There's just something about the combination of piles of delicious Spanish food, the vibe all around and everyone having a blast. It is a great experience and totally unique.