My daughter has been attending Acton Art classes for years and it has been an amazing experience!…read more She's been able to try different mediums and the instructors are top notch. I'm so thankful that she had Acton Art because of a lack of focus on art in the school system. She'll be attending college with a focus on art and the instruction at ActonArt is a huge reason for her skill!

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.

Represent! I loved my time here, even in 31 Essex, which I…read moremay be the only one to say that. I wish they had an MFA program, because I would surely take it. After working a brief stint as a gallery director, I know first hand how poorly other school prepare you for the "real world." The only two submission packages which I received, in the three months with TemporaryGallery, that showed any sense of professionalism were from MCAers (they will remain nameless, as they both are very humble and get rosy over compliments). But I don't only have to compare the school to others to note why I love it: Scott Hadfield, Barbara Moody, Luara Tonelli, Marjorie Augenbraum, and the list goes on. Small class sizes and great teachers make this school. Every teacher gives a new a fresh perspective, none jaded by the years of professing. OH I CAN'T FORGET LEN! Len is amazing

The buildings are falling apart and they accept literally everyone, so be prepared to be the only…read moreperson in the class without crippling disabilities Your tuition goes nowhere helpful

The staff is amazing…read more My daughter is nine years old, and has been attending various classes at Creative Arts for the past 2 years. They offer pottery, music, voice, acting, and much more that I am sure I am not including. I highly recommend Creative Arts if you have a child interested in learning more with terrific instructors.

I enrolled my daughter in classes for the summer of 2019 and am so glad I did. With art, music and…read moretheater, they have something for everyone. She was enrolled in a week of theater and multiple weeks of art instruction with a wide array of art classes to choose from. With an artshow each Friday, we enjoyed the opportunity to see the the kids amazing artwork on display. We ended up with multiple frame-worthy pieces, one of which the clerk at the frame shop said she'd never have guessed was created by a 6 year old, it was that good. My daughter had a great time, the staff was fantastic, they offered before and after care which was critical for us working full time and we were incredibly pleased by the overall experience. We re-enrolled for February vacation, are planning for summer camp, and see ourselves as lasting patrons for the years to come.

Our daughter enrolled in the Music Department majoring in violin since 2022-23 academic year…read more Violin to us is merely one of the ways for our children to socialize meaningfully, and, as a result, we regularly yielded to her reluctance to practice and never planned her future in music at all. Even so, she auditioned and got accepted to advanced ensembles (with two local youth orchestras), playing with full symphony orchestras ever since she was at age eight. When she started WHS, she was a very good player, but no way exceptional like kids from musical families and she noticed the differences herself. However, three years later, our daughter is assessed to be on a soloist and chamber musician track with composition to boot. During the time she has been at WHS, she was given so many opportunities to the music world outside school, such as NEC Prep YPO, Honors Chamber, CHIPS, and collaboration to lead orchestra part in professionally produced operas live with music establishments like Boston Lyric Opera and also has her composition works performed not only at school, summer camp (senior division), but also aired on NYC Public Radio, WQXR, showcased as a young artist. For a high school student, that certainly is unbelievable! Seeing our daughter flourishing into a confident, accomplished young lady, we know without the care and dedication from WHS's beloved faculty members, it probably would have happened at all! Thank you from the bottom, Walnut Hill! We highly recommend Walnut Hill School for the Arts to aspiring students interested in the Arts with no reservation.

Disappointing. It's 50K+ per year + fees. They make you go thru hoops to provide a ton of…read moreinformation, academically and financially. They don't listen to your requests/communication. A bit of hubris/attitude when you talk to folks there. Then they come back with a 5K financial aid. What a joke. This school is only meant for folks who are very well off or dirt poor (my guess). If you are blue collar/middle class, forget about it. Just move to a town with a very good school system. This is an elite snob factory.

This is an awesome community resource with very unique classes. I'm looking forward to taking more…read moreclasses there!

I find the Academy convenient because there are many classes under one roof and saves me time from…read moredriving around. My child also went for the summer camp and had a great time. The instructors were super friendly. They give her great tips with her artwork and allowed her to add her own personality to her art work. My friend's kid did the children's theater and we loved going to watch their production of Wizard of Oz. My kid and I took Bollywood dance exercise classes which was fun. This is hands down one of the best places around! Plenty of parking and very convenient location.

My daughter took art classes from Lisa all through high school. She is a wonderful teacher! She…read moreteaches technique in watercolor, oil, pen and ink, etc. Highly recommend!!

From the owner: This in-home studio is the perfect setting for Individualized instruction in drawing and painting…read more Student's age 5- adult of any ability level are welcome. Nationally awarded artist Lisa G Bailey works and teaches in most mediums: watercolor, acrylic, colored pencil, pen, marker & oils. New students are offered a free consultation to plan a program that meets their personal needs. Private and small group (Max.8) weekly classes are offered throughout the year. Students learn the eight keys needed to become a successful artist: increase awareness, tune perception, stimulate & encourage imagination, enable self-expression, expand art vocabulary, understand fundamentals, practice technique and develop a person style. This studio offers a safe and allergy friendly environment where students can succeed while gaining self-esteem.

I have been taking art classes with Claire Gagnon at Chez Claire Art School for 8 years and can…read morestate with assurance she is the best! Claire teaches the basics of sketching Acrylics and Watercolor with patience , constructive critique and a vast amount of art experience. She is an accomplished artist but for all levels of student experience Claire teaches to any and all levels

From the owner: Chez Claire Art School specializes in personalized drawing and painting classes in Dracut, MA. We…read moreoffer group classes, workshops, private and on-line lessons, and paint parties. Students are guided to discovering their own creative process in a relaxed and safe atmosphere.

I bring my 4 year old and 2 year old during school closures to their Art Sense class. It is…read moreperfect, because they both can be there together. They both really enjoy the class and my 4 year old always ask when we can go to the next art class. The class is 45 minutes long, but I would say the first 10-15 minutes is free play where they set up a few art inspired stations for the kids to explore, approximately 20 minutes of more structured art class, then 10 minutes for clean up and story time. The -1 comes from two things... 1 - It can be costly to do drop in classes for both kids. It is $35/kid, though they do give a 20% sibling discount, so it is $63/2 kids, plus the $2 service from the site vs. $100/month/kid which would be equivalent to approximately $25/class. It is a way more affordable to enroll monthly but they do not offer Art Sense classes over the weekend so it is not really supportive of kids that attend school during the week. It would be nice if they had an option to buy X amount of classes upfront at the $25/rate that could be used amongst multiple children. We've tried other art classes in neighboring towns and I would say Kidcasso is probably at the higher price point. 2 - This only happened once but there was one class where the teacher did not show the end product upfront for the kids. I am not sure if this was intentional to allow creative freedom but for one of my kids that appreciates a bit more structure to build confidence, I could tell she was more cautious and waiting to see what other kids were doing or asking me for some guidance. The other times when she knew what the end goal was she was more confident creating her artwork and leverage her creative freedom to still create something that was hers. For my other child, she did not care because she doesn't follow rules/directions anyways. It didn't impact the experience for my children, but it was something that was noticeable for one of my children in how they approached that specific art class.

My 2 grandsons, ages 8 & 5, have taken classes with Miss Kelsey in Wakefield. The first ever…read moreclass they attended, they drew Van Gogh's Haystacks. We were amazed at the end results. Both boys have their drawings proudly displayed on a shelf in their bedrooms. Since then, they have thoroughly enjoyed the class and eagerly look forward to the next visit.

Saltbox catered our wedding in rural Vermont a few weeks ago, and my husband and I (as well as our…read moreguests) couldn't be happier! My husband and I are both vegetarian and good food obsessed, so when we first started planning our wedding, we knew good food was a top priority. It was important to us to have a vegetarian wedding that was delicious and vegetable-focused (and not just boring pastas or tofu steaks). We also knew that lots of our guests were meat-eaters and we wanted to make sure everyone walked away excited about the food. Well, Saltbox completely pulled it off. They worked patiently with us at every step. We gave them the adjective "Ottolenghi-esque" at the beginning and a few other notes about our taste, and they ran with it from there, delivering a draft menu that was amazing and then revising it according to our feedback. Throughout, they were easy to work with and extremely professional, and they pulled off of the details on the day beautifully, with everyone leaving happily stuffed and thrilled. (They even accommodated our gluten-free and dairy-free guests with delicious alternatives.) The waitstaff was also fantastic and helped ensure that my husband and I got enough to eat amidst all the busy-ness and dancing. Now, just a few weeks later, we are constantly hearing from friends and family about how great the food was (the best they've ever had by some accounts), asking for Saltbox's name, and remarking about how they completely forgot that they were eating vegetarian for the night because every dish was so delicious. I have been to lots of weddings and frankly, most of the food is not memorable. Saltbox's food absolutely was.

My wife and I attended a class last night and it was so much fun! And very impressive how they can…read moremake so many courses with a group of 8 people. It was really well organized and they explained everything to a very basic level. Plus, the food was awesome!