My higher grade is more for the art center itself rather than the performances. There's always a…read moresmall exhibition at the center of the building and it's nice to see artists can work on their projects late into the night. The facilities look clean and orderly, including the bathrooms and artist studios. I liked seeing all pottery made by the various artists. I also enjoyed the theater itself. While the seating itself isn't all that special, the acoustics are quality. If you expect something significantly higher than community theater here, you may be disappointed. While the performances were fine, they're not really all that polished and feel rather barebones (two actors playing one role in a production was rather strange). If you want a more grander theater experience but without going into Boston, consider Reagle in Waltham. (For all you Yelp police out there, yes, I paid $ here for tickets so I can review)

My first time back to The Umbrella Arts Center since the pandemic happened…read more I saw that they had a dinner and a show option on Thursday nights and the menu looked appealing, so I purchased the meal for $21. Dinner was available for pick up at the concession stand beginning at 6pm, while the show was scheduled for 7:30pm that evening. Traffic delayed me, so I arrived closer to 6:30pm. There was a game going on at the playground the next block over, so there were a lot of cars parked on the street, but parking was still not an issue. Dinner came in a brown paper tote and came nicely packaged and of a good portion size, so I even had some leftover. They had a vegetarian alternative (Nag's Head Roasted Yam, Grilled Zucchini and Squash, Caramelized Onions on Wild Rice (V)), but I opted for the meat - Starter: Hush Puppies with Maple Butter Entree: Pulled Pork Platter with Coleslaw and Collard Greens Dessert: Chocolate Flourless Brownie (GF) Catered by Nosh restaurant and the Concord Market. I was pleased with my meal. Sure the collared greens were a bit plain, but I was just glad to get a decent portion of vegetables with my meat and they were not overcooked. The brownie was individually sealed, and a little messy to eat, but quite good. And I had no trouble finding a seat at a table. In fact I had options. I could have grabbed a small high top for myself, but I decided to sit at an empty spot at the end of one of the 3 long tablecloth covered tables just beyond the concessions and ended up chatting with the pair beside me. I had a great experience at the Umbrella Arts Center! Quotes from the website regarding the show being performed that evening: A heartwarming musical that lifts up the beauty in second chances and the transformative nature of friendship. Percy Talbott is a spirited young woman seeking redemption. But in the small town of Gilead, she finds so much more. Based on the beloved film that took home the Audience Award at The Sundance Film Festival, the musical's rich score is marked by Americana folk rhythms, soaring melodies, and irresistible charm. It reminds us all about the resilience of the human spirit, the magic of new beginnings, and the power of community.

I have personally taken classes at Acton Art for several years with several different instructors…read more Each class has been an enjoyable and valuable learning experience that has helped me better understand materials and techniques and build foundational skills. It's always such a joy coming into the building and seeing the walls lined with amazing artwork, mostly created by children. So much excellent work happening in this space.

After my daughter attended this art camp for one day, it became the most disappointing experience…read moreI've ever had with a children's program. After her first day, my 8-year-old told me she felt uncomfortable in class. She was the only girl enrolled and felt the young male instructor was showing favoritism toward the preteen boy who was also in the class. She also came away feeling that the instructor was inexperienced and immature, which surprised me as I had been left with the impression that the director would be teaching the class. My first response was not to withdraw my daughter or ask for a refund out of hand. My goal was to save the experience for my daughter's benefit if possible otherwise a refund would work. I reached out to the director in good faith because I wanted to discuss my daughter's concerns and see whether there was a way to address them so she could continue attending and benefit from the workshop. Instead of a phone call, I initially received an unsigned email focused on the school's no-refund policy. I reached out again because I still wanted to have a conversation about my daughter's experience. When the director finally called on the second day, the conversation was appalling. Rather than discussing my daughter's concerns or exploring possible solutions, she spent the conversation praising the instructor and told me she would "believe him over my 8-year-old daughter". She then told me my daughter did not have to come back and hung up on me and that was the last direct communication we had. I did not decide to withdraw my daughter. The director made the decision unilaterally that my daughter would no longer be allowed to attend because she felt defensive being questioned in terms of the qualifications of the instructor and his mistreatment of my daughter. It was disconcerting how little empathy was expressed or concern for my daughter's well-being and that her entire focus was defensiveness and money. What happened next made the experience even worse. After denying my daughter the opportunity to continue attending the program, the school began sending me invoices demanding payment for the remainder of the week--services my daughter was never permitted to receive. I have been trying to request that they stop sending me these notices and even reached out to Square to see if there's a way to block them without blocking square in general because they were sending multiple notices on the first day and I continue to receive notices every day although the director kicked my daughter out of class rather than repairing the situation for her benefit. A business cannot expect to charge for services. They refused to render. I posted reviews describing what happened so other parents could make informed decisions. Rather than acknowledging my concerns or attempting to resolve the situation at any point, I continued receiving invoices in addition to communications threatening legal action because I had shared my experience publicly. I ultimately contacted Square to determine how to stop receiving invoices that I believe were improper. As I told the director via email, I really don't have time to write reviews. That said if I continue being harassed with emails, it feels important that other parents learn that this is how they do business. I truly hope the emails will stop so we can all move on. I was also disappointed that I was never told beforehand that only two children were enrolled in the class or that it would be taught by a young man rather than the director, as I had expected. My daughter is not comfortable being alone with young men and preteen boys unsupervised. Of course the director had no empathy or compassion for that as well. It's the most disgusting display of inconsideration I've ever experienced from another woman toward a little girl. I truly hope the Director going forward will reconsider her actions stop sending me erroneous invoices and rather apologize appropriately to my daughter if anything. Parents can decide for themselves whether this is the type of environment they want for their child. My concern is not just that my daughter had a negative first day. My concern is that when I reached out in good faith to try to address a situation, the response was to dismiss my daughter's concerns, remove her from the program, demand payment for services she was no longer allowed to receive, and threaten legal action after I shared my family's experience. Based on everything that occurred, I cannot recommend this program.

The Center seems more like a community art cultural center than a small display of art. We…read moreexpected walls adorned with expressive paintings and found classes, a whole floor of high school artwork, and a display of two notable artists at the entrance: Susan Ahearn + Leslie Lyman. Their work was worth the visit and more would have been appreciated. Much of the student work was dark making me wonder the direction our schools are leading our next generation. Last visit we viewed a gallery of birds, again expecting a member or permanent display of local or collected paintings. When asked about any larger collection, we were told they may have some more art stored elsewhere. The community center probably serves its intended purpose, but it does not display the volume of art that it could. Despite its shortcomings, I appreciate it being open to the public.

Great place for small events, interesting exhibits. But…read morethink twice before paying for a series of classes. It is not inexpensive, and the instructors have NO reviews (puzzling) so you are flying blind. I got a real dud. (understatement) Caveat emptor.

As a Trustee member, I am so happy that this park is included on my membership. I enjoy walking…read morearound and exploring the sculptures and going for a walk. You might want to make sure that they are open for regular hours before heading out there. There was one time we drove there and were informed that they were closing early because of a wedding was taking place. We weren't even allowed to do a quick drive around although they were closing in an hour and there were many visitors around. Lesson learned and I planned ahead by checking their website for future visits.

Im bummed that it too this long for us to visit, but Im so glad we did! A very easy drive from…read moreBoston, we got there early on a fall Saturday morning. You pay your entrance fee, park your car, get your map from the giftshop and your off to explore the grounds and the art it contains. We spent about 2 hours wandering and it was such a fantastic experience. Im glad the items were tagged so we could learn more about each piece and the artist. The pictures just dont do justice to the beauty, serenity and scope of the grounds. The staff was very friendly. There is a small gift shop and café on the grounds. It never felt crowded. Will definitely be back!

Loved Valerie! She came to the child care center where my younger siblings go to and did a very…read moreengaging and fun activity with the children. I could see that they were all having so much fun and I would highly recommend Jumpstart Art Club to anyone looking for a great teacher. Valerie is the best!

My lucky little toddlers have the pleasure of visiting Ms. Valerie in our Child Care Center's Art…read moreStudio twice a week and boy oh boy do they love her! Valerie always has unique, creative, developmentally appropriate activities planned for children of all ages at many day care locations in the Boston area. She definitely has a creative, fun way of teaching all types of art and the children clearly love her as they ask each day if it is an "art studio" day.

Scott is a great teacher, and he creates a wonderful atmosphere for learning at any skill level! My…read morepartner and I had no prior experience with sculpture, and we both had a blast despite being complete newbies. Regardless of whether I continue with stone carving, I left the class with fun memories and a new appreciation for the art form.

I took a weekend workshop with Scott and had a wonderful time. His studio is light and airy and…read moreonce we got into the groove of carving, he put on some classic rock music which was a great touch. Scott let us choose our own stones from his supply and encouraged us to visualize our sculpture and mark the stone with charcoal so we knew where to chisel. He was very attentive and helped us individually with our pieces, giving helpful suggestions along the way. Will definitely be coming back!

My 17 yr old daughter had an exceptional experience with…read moreCreate! Sewing Studio. During the pandemic, they were able to quickly step up to offering remote lessons. They took my daughter every step of the way to guide her with making a wedding dress. She had weekly remote classes with Rebecca and Christina for several months. I cannot say enough about their professionalism, knowledge, reliability, and flexibility. They even jumped on a zoom call at 8:30pm to help my daughter with a step that she had questions about. Towards the end, they prepared a weekly outline to be sure the dress was completed in time. I highly recommend this business and will surely use them again if my daughter needs more lessons!

I am one class from finishing the winter session at Create! Sewing Studio.AND.I.LOVE.IT!…read more Rebecca (the owner and instructor) is so super nice and knowledgeable. Her intern Darlene is a gem. I feel like I am learning in a warm and supportive environment, all fairly close to Marlborough. I would recommend Create! to anyone who wants to learn or brush up on their sewing skills!

This is my favorite store! All the merchandise is beautifully made, colorful and useful. It is…read moremostly contemporary, which is my style. I can't get out of here without buying something! I have purchased jewelry, ceramics, glass, candles and more.

They seem to have forgotten it is the holiday season. They wrapped a Christmas gift in orange…read moretissue paper (what happened to seasonal colors like red, green, white or blue?) and used yellow and orange ribbon on the unwrapped box and declared it is wrapped for Christmas. It looked like it should be presented at Thanksgiving. Defintely out of touch with the season. Also less holiday options. Had been a loyasl customer for years, will not return because of the attitude I received when asked for a Christmas theme wrapping.

We did an Artful Bachelorette class for a friend's bachelorette in Boston and couldn't have had a…read morebetter time! Both our instructor and model were a delight while also really professional. We all laughed so, so much. The bride said it was the highlight of her weekend! Nobody really knew what to expect - most of us can't draw at all - but it was all relaxed and lighthearted and proved to be a great way to gently bring some quieter girls out of their shells. Several girls even came away thinking they might start life drawing classes! If you're trying to come up with a good bachelorette activity, I'd urge you to consider this.

This was so much more fun than I anticipated!…read more Sabrina (hostess/art teacher/lovely woman) led us through a fun filled 2 hours of my first ever nude sketching session! She was upbeat, informative, respectful to both the sketchers (us) and the models. Made sure there were no photography during class unless it's through them to make the models comfortable. (takes guts to be nude in front of a bunch of people drinking and looking at you!) She brought out the artistic sides of everyone in the room, guided us through different sketching exercises (1-3-5 minute sketch sessions) so we're busy drawing instead of JUDGING what we were drawing. such helpful tips! I think we were all VERY impressed with our own artworks! I really thought I'd be drawing a little more than stick figures before coming here. I had a blast and this would make any gathering unique, fun and explorative! I had an amazing time!

Edward was very quick to respond. He responded within an hour of my reply to him. The information…read morehe sent was all inclusive. Had the services he was offering been what I needed, I believe he would have been very accommodating. I would give Edward a chance to prove himself based on his response time and information sent with pictures.

From the owner: The Grounding Loft is a light-filled, right-sized space on the second floor of the historic…read moreWinsmith Mill in Norwood, Massachusetts. Just about 500 square feet, this former photo studio is designed to feel calm, clean, and versatile — ideal for small classes, creative work, and meaningful gatherings. Book it for: Photo Shoots, Content Creation, Massage & Bodywork classes, Continuing Ed or Small Adult Ed classes, Yoga, Sound healing, Art classes, figure drawing, Photo shoots, Content creation, Commercial popups, photography, therapy groups, workshops, book clubs, etc. email hello@thegroundingloft.com