My daughter says Periwinkle Art School is "awesome." "You get to do art, and my favorite has been…read moreworking with clay." I've been impressed with how much she has improved, and her drawing keeps getting better and better!

Writing a review for Penland is kinda difficult for me personally. The Penland campus and…read morefacilities are absolutely gorgeous and amazing. The food is reallllly delicious and way better than I could've imagined, the school is overflowing with creativity and passion and the people are innovative and fun! On the other hand, the class that I took at Penland was extremely disappointing and the teacher did not inspire or challenge me at all. After hearing for years and years that Penland is an incredible place that will challenge you as an artist to the extreme and you will be totally immersed in an art experience, it was really quite disappointing to spend much of my class time bored and working on my own art that I brought from home because there wasn't much else provided for us to do. I'm not sure what sort of vetting/interviewing process they do for instructors as I've had a few other people who attended Penland in previous years tell me similar stories. Regardless of my negative experience with my class, I'm still giving Penland 5 stars because I could feel the creative energy flowing through this school every day and every waking hour. There are students ranging from 18 to 80 years old, some with very little experience and others professional artists. For the most part, the teachers are excellent and challenge their students. I visited the other studios almost every day for inspiration and to see what the other workshops were working on and I was blown away by the incredible work being made. There is a clay studio, painting and drawing studio, printmaking, paper, photography, metals, wordworking and textile studios. As I mentioned above, the food is, wow, soooo delicious. They provide three meals a day which are all very healthy, hearty and thoughtful. The kitchen staff are friendly, make sure all the foods are stocked, and do their best to provide awesome food for everyone, regardless of food restrictions. There are many different types of housing ranging from dorm housing with like 15 beds in one room to solo rooms and everything in between. Their beds are really surprisingly comfortable and I recommend bringing your own fan and an extra pillow. Although this campus is incredibly gorgeous, it is not very handicap accessible.

I attended a two week class here this summer. The campus is inspiring and beautiful. The…read moreinstructors were kind and seemed to have great interest in what they were teaching. There was art everywhere and combined with the perfect location (overlooking a mountain) it made it feel like a retreat. My biggest beef with Penland is the cost of classes. Not just that but how much room and board & food is. Most people are unable to afford $1600 for two weeks (that doesn't include food or a room) and I wouldn't have been able to had it not been for my doing a GoFund Me and my friends and supporters giving me money. I stayed at a B&B off campus in a room for $30 a night (Bakersville B&B, which I recommend!) I also did the numbers food and with their plan it was around $11-$12 a meal. Umm no thanks. It's convenient but if you're looking for a way to save money-bring your own snacks and go out to local restaurants. They are several just 20 minutes from Penland! Also, as a nonprofit founder I would've liked to get away from fundraising and large events but being at Penland didn't allow me to because they were prepping for their big annual fundraiser while I was there. It wasn't enough that I paid around $2200 for a two week class (class, food, board) but a few people came into our class to ask if we want to donate work to the auction. I'm sorry but no. I'd like to keep what I've worked really hard on and paid for to create. I appreciate this school is a nonprofit but at the same time they could offer more scholarships (I applied for one and didn't get it and no I'm not upset about it because I went and everything was fine), they could also cut costs of classes so more disadvantaged people can have the opportunity to attend. One main building was being rebuilt while I was there and the noise was extremely disruptive. There is no AC but we had fans in the studio-still pretty warm sometime. I was hungry for lunch and had forgotten my food and asked the lunch attendant how much it would be to eat lunch that day and he said $19. WUT? I also didn't realize there would be so many rules related to studio use. We had to sign paperwork and had to help clean up afterward. The studio assistant was only told that she could leave once someone had decided the entire space was clean enough. I don't think students attending a two week workshop need to feel so much pressure from an organization to donate and volunteer. I wanted to take a damn break but turns out that my breaks happened when I left campus and went back to my B&B and the surrounding towns. The studios were nice although one of the new studios had problems and I heard students weren't very pleased they do have a variety of classes. The quality of the teachers is outstanding and that's not in question at ALL. You will receive good solid instruction with highly qualified people.

My uncle and I drove 11 hours in the rain to Asheville from Washington, DC to study with Dave and…read moreRuthie on the Orion Welder 200I (2). The drive and traffic were well worth it. We were able to enjoy a hands on private learning experience on a tool we'd owned and been learning on by online tutorials for a few months. Being able to ask questions, work out problems and scenarios, and gain good tricks and tips on the machine was very helpful to our learning process, and I'm sure they apply the same dedication from our lesson to all of their classes and workshops. They are proficient in their knowledge of the different Orion Welders, and would be a great aid of information and training if you were interested in purchasing or learning about them.

From the owner: The Mountain Metalsmiths School of Jewelry and Lapidary, located just south of Asheville NC,…read moreprovides a location to teach those who wish to develop jewelry and lapidary skills in a non-competitive, supportive environment.

You will never meet a nicer, more welcoming guy than Charlie Frye. If you are visiting, stop by his…read morestudio and enjoy the art from locals. Charlie is very well known and liked here. As you look around town, you will see a lot of his art, namely murals. If you are a collector, Charlie has amazing work for sale.

A great place to explore your interest in pottery and art. The Y Pottery Studio is one of the best…read moreplaces in the region to practice pottery without the start up expense of having your own studio. The classes and instructors work hard to provide the best guidance in starting off in pottery in the best direction. Give the art a try, but don't expect to "master" pottery in a 6-week session, it takes 1-3 years of consistent practice.

My daughter has been going to Masterworks for 7+ years. She loves going because of the friendships…read moreshe has made BUT in my opinion, there is a HUGE problem with the audition process. IF you take voice lessons from them, your child will get a lead role EVERY TIME. The same handful of children for EVERY PERFORMANCE. In other words, you must pay extra for them to get a lead role and it's very obvious. I'm not saying my child is THE best, but well qualified for a lead role "once in a while". After every performance, they tell us what a great job she does and that they "would really love to see her take voice lessons with us". I refuse to "buy" her a lead role. She takes voice lessons elsewhere with a professional and has a great voice so that is not the issue. The issue is that we aren't paying Masterworks. A lot of times after an audition with 20+ kids, within a couple hours they send out an email with the roles which only confirms that the roles were already decided on. I'm not sure why they even hold the auditions. Very disappointing and would change to another theatre in a heartbeat if not for my daughter. She loves her friends and is okay with and understands their process. She just tells me to not pay extra for her a lead role!

Do not let your child go to this theatre company if you care about their self esteem. This is by…read morefar the worst theatre company I have had the displeasure of working with. To start, they overprice all of their camps and classes and that is the least of their problems. Personally, I am confident in my singing and acting. I believe and have been told by multiple people (family, friends, and professionals) that I am very good and have a true talent. With masterworks you can get good roles by being good but you truly will only ever get leads if you take their voice lessons and pay more money (the voice lessons doing you no help at all if not making you sound worse). I never got a lead and they straight up told me it was because I did not take voice lessons with the company. Second, these teachers are probably some of the most dreadful, insensitive people I have ever met. I recall one of them saying and I quote "I wanted to slit my wrists" referring to a run of a part of a show. This type of language and behavior and saying things like this should not be used around children and quite frankly should not be used at all as some people (myself included) can be triggered by this type of negative talk. I could go on and on about how horrible my experience with this company was but I will just end with this, do not support this company if you value your worth as a person, they will only belittle you and make you feel bad about yourself unless you pay them more money which trust me, will make you worse at acting, singing or whatever it is you want to achieve.

I wish I'd stopped here earlier in the day. Earlier in the week. I also wish I'd more carefully…read moreresearched and planned what was in here so I could have been strategic about my visit! I stopped here twice. When I got here I wandered around upstairs and although many of the studios were closed, most or all of the artists had works decorating the walls. The first place I stopped was at the studio of Galen Frost Bernard, because he happened to be opening the door of his studio and welcomed me in. It was really fun to talk to him about his background, his art, some of the elements in his pieces, and learning about a few prints that I was particularly interested in. I ended up purchasing one of them, and getting the name of one of his completed originals so that maybe I can ask about getting a print of it later. He also painted the mural on the walls between his studio and the Art Garden. Next I stopped in Lori Portka's studio, and she was one that I had originally planned to visit. She has really vibrant, joyous paintings, and also has pillows, cards, prayer-type flags, wood prints, and so on. I bought a print of a piece called Abundance Goddess, which I felt an affinity towards because I have similar coloring and it felt really special to see myself in art. I also got a pillow and several cards, because I love greeting cards. Her work certainly brightens up my home. Sarah Faulkner is an artist whose work I saw at Woolworth Walk, and she has a studio here but currently, during the pandemic, is only open by appointment. I stopped by her studio to peek in the windows anyway, and also caught a glimpse of her neighbor's work. When I returned the next day, I ended up buying two original pieces by Elizabeth Carrington Porritt, as well as a small print. I'd love to have a larger original by Elizabeth one day--perhaps a commission--and a work by Faulkner as well. In fact, I already plan to purchase a giclee print of her work 12 Karats to put in my kitchen. I rounded out my visit to Riverview Station by visiting The High Fiber. They make hand-dyed textiles. I bought several flour sack towels; I love the beautiful, vibrant colors that are used in this work. I'd really love to purchase some napkins as well, because when the pandemic started I moved to reusable placemats and napkins. I'll be watching their site and instagram for when they come back in stock (particularly the adorable bear ones!). I didn't get to do all I wanted whilst I was in Asheville--in particular, I didn't get to visit all the artist studios I wish I had. So I certainly expect to return, and I will definitely find myself wandering Riverview Station again. Hopefully with as large a car, and with bigger pockets!

Started off the day trip to Asheville here to embrace the artsy culture of the city and really…read moreenjoyed it. There are tons of studios and something for everyone to look at. Also free parking on the premise!

Dropped off a painting with Jonesborough Art Supply to be framed, two business days later it was…read moreready. The custom frame was beautiful and the price was outstanding. I will use them for all my framing needs in the future!

Tom is a wonderful teacher who gives excellent and constructive feedback and helps improve your…read morecraft. The students in the class have experience performing and are very supportive of each other. Tom has really helped me change my approach to improv and has greatly improved my stage presence and has increased my ability to better interact with my scene partners. No matter your experience level, there is always room for learning and improving your craft.

This is a very cool loft-like space that would be excellent for any large event. Parking is easy…read more Location is convenient. I'd definitely check this out if I were hosting a small wedding reception or holiday party in the area. Apparently they host art and music classes for people of all ages, which sounds awesome. They also host art exhibitions at regular intervals -- local art is so cool! I hope to check them out again soon!

I visited today with my little one. It was an attractive building in a former mill downtown. It…read morelooked like they had a good number of classes for adults and some for children as well. I was a little disappointed in their community-wide Halloween party. Their press release specified that children should be pre-registered for the party online; however, the software in use on the website would not allow for registration and gave no reason why when I tried to pre-register. I found out today that this was because the party was full. I found it strange that no mention of first come first served was mentioned in their press release, and their software did not specify that enrollment in the event was full. Maybe this was their first Halloween party for the community, and the kinks will be worked out next year. I think that since it is a party for pre-schoolers and an hour is about the attention limit for most preschoolers that they should split the party into two slots. For a two-hour event, that would give all of the kids in the community an equal chance to participate. It would also prevent kids from having to be turned away and disappointed as my daughter and several other young ones were today.