Lately friends have been in an artsy mood and I'm always happy to oblige. I used to be quite crafty…read moreand a pseudo artist back in the day when I worked for an ad agency in SF....awww memories. Fast forward many, many years later I seem to have lost that creative side (other than cooking!) and haven't done much arts and crafts so this was a nice reprieve from the usual. My friend picked a day we were painting Hocus Pocus since it was close to Halloween...I never watched the movie but game to take a class as I haven't done a "paint-and-sip" since my first time in Danville. The concept is having wine and cheese while the instructor guides you thru each step of your painting. After 2 hours of painting, laughs and seeing everyone else's "interpretation" on the subject, you have an end product to take home. A fun experience for all creative levels even if you think you don't have a creative side. The whole point is to go with the flow and have fun. ...and it's not the wine talking. Other classes offered: fused glass, painted charcuterie boards, light saber class (yeah hmmm!), painted wine glass and kids summer camps. Highly recommend for a date night, private event, team building or something different to experience!

Came here on a Saturday night and we were the only 2 in the class but it was still an amazing…read moreexperience - it was a private class in the end! Good: - Everything was prepared when we got there, and we just needed to put on some art aprons and we had all the brushes and paints in front of us - Tami was a great teacher and super fun! I enjoyed getting guidance on how to make the painting better and she gave us tips on blending paints too - We got rose with our painting and it came out immediately so it was easy to sip and paint - Our paintings turned out great in the end! I was pleasantly surprised by the final result and was happy with the progress from start to finish Bad: - The studio was pretty empty so it felt a little sad that we were the only ones Overall this was a great date experience and I'd recommend to others looking for something slightly different than their usual date night activity. Reasonably priced too.

I first came to Higher Fire to take a class because I thought it would be fun make something with…read moreclay. It was so much fun, that I took another class. Then I realized I really enjoyed being with the people and the community, so I became a member. Classes are taught by excellent instructors and the studio members and staff are a friendly, super helpful group. If you've ever wanted to play with clay, come check out Higher Fire -- you'll learn a lot, meet some great people, and have a great time!

Super fun time! I took the Take a Spin class as I wanted to try pottery but didn't want to commit…read moreto a multi-session course. The class was $99 for 2 hours and you get to make 2 pieces. It's a small group with max 8 people so you definitely get attention from the instructor and our instructor came by to correct us and help at each step. You really learn the basics of throwing pottery through making a bowl and a cup and the instructor will help you with the pulls or course correct if you're something incorrectly. It's awesome that you can customize your pieces and don't be afraid to mess up! The instructor lets you take the pieces he makes if yours is ruined completely. At the end you can choose a glaze to fire your pieces with and then it's a 2-3 week wait until it's ready to pick up! Would definitely recommend for a group of friends or a fun date!

Love Pace Gallery! This location is small so you'll probably only spend about 15 minutes looking…read morearound. Sign up for their email list so you'll be first to hear about new exhibitions. Because of COVID, you have to sign up for timed (free) tickets to get in. Pre-COVID, they used to have opening receptions with drinks for new exhibitions, so I hope they'll bring those back once it's safe to do so! A great spot to stop by and look at art before getting drinks and dinner in the area.

Great date spot. Clean space. Minimalist and currently featuring Chinese artists…read more This is a fun place to come up with stories of each piece of art and then have Taylor give you a tour with the history of the artists. Come before dinner.

My co-founder signed our small business up for a business accelerator run by the Dojo. I was a bit…read moreskeptical, but I ended up really enjoying the experience. The accelerator had a wonderful sense of camaraderie and was a supportive environment in which to learn business essentials, and to learn from each other. Outside the accelerator program, the Dojo is a really friendly, grass-roots environment in which people can hang out, do work, and share ideas, and the people in charge of it are very passionate about it. (As an example of it being a friendly place, one of the regulars there impromptu-shared delicious bacon sandwiches that he had just barbequed.) I've grown very fond of it.

I like what Hacker Dojo has to offer. It's a fair coworking space with access to conference rooms.read more

An awesome addition to San Mateo's expanding art scene. The owners and regulars are all very…read moregenuine people and a pleasure during any of the event nights they host. It's a very relaxed environment on their art nights, where you can have some drinks, look at art, listen to music, and enjoy the company. There's also several booths selling arts and crafts--lots of different ways to support local artists. It's a great hangout place for a Friday night, but they also do various art and craft classes. Check em out if you get a chance, there's no cover on the art nights, just a donations jar if you want to contribute.

Still the space for creatives of all backgrounds to come and mingle…read more Great space that helps groups come together to network, meet, speak freely and enjoy just good company, music and art!

Summer rock camp for me growing up was a great time! Making friends, practicing instruments, and…read morelearning how to be in a band! All of the senior counselors at the time I was there are proficient on their instruments and care a lot about the craft and process of being a great musician! I was lucky enough to teach through Mikes camp as well and feel the gifts the camp in its early years provided me later in my life and relationship to music and teaching on my own!

I've been attending Rock Camp for about six years now, starting when I was only ten years old. I…read morecome back each and every year because it is always the most memorable and exciting part of my summer. Mike and his staff are like family to me-- they're always so welcoming and friendly, and they put a tremendous amount of effort into making sure that each kid feels heard. Being in a small band (4-5 kids) with a professional musician as your counselor creates a safe space for kids to explore and grow as musicians. When putting together bands, Mike Finley makes sure to factor in skill level, as well as age. He puts kids into groups where he thinks they will be most comfortable, however, he always leaves room for growth. The distinguishing factor between Summer Rock Camp and its competitors (e.g. school of rock) is that Rock Camp will teach your kids about all aspects of music-- rather than simply copy a couple songs with their bands, kids have a chance to learn important lessons about music theory, rhythm, etc. These skills are what will set you apart as a musician in the long run-- kids are encouraged to be creative, and some bands even learn to write their own original pieces. Rock camp equips young musicians with the skills they need to thrive-- this camp helped me learn to collaborate with others, master the art of performance, and greatly improve my skills on the guitar. Everybody works toward the performance on Friday, and each kid gets a chance to showcase their hard work. Overall, it's extremely rewarding, no matter what your skill level is. I never felt like my was being compared to others at the camp-- the counselors create an extremely positive atmosphere that makes it easy to be proud of yourself and everything you accomplished in just five days. Rock camp has taught me so much, not only about music, but about myself. I met one of my biggest role models at this camp-- nearly all of the counselors are pursuing music professionally, and many of them have degrees in music from top universities around the country. It's truly a phenomenal staff, and they have a lot of experience with working with kids in a musical setting. I plan on coming back to Rock Camp every summer for years to come-- I have extremely fond memories of performing, rehearsing, and just messing around with the other campers and counselors. If your kid is interested in music at ALL, send them to this camp.

This was a great experience. Every activity was incredibly well organized and well thought out and…read morethe coordinators, Charlie, Charles and Starr are very friendly and approachable. I made new friends and had a lot of fun. I even recommend this for my fellow introverts or anyone nervous about the social component. Everyone is super nice and you will have a lot of fun. You won't regret it :)

Super fun way to meet people. It was a good age range and everyone was really friendly and fun to…read morehang out with. The organizers do a phenomenal job of planning events - every event was well thought out and helped to meet different people in the cohort each time. I can't say enough how impressed I was with the event planning - I expected something less planned out, but every event was something fun and new that I on my own would have wanted to do in the Bay Area. I highly highly recommend this!

My son, who is eight years old, attended one week of Summer Camp with Art Hub. He really enjoyed…read morelearning a new painting technique and a new way to draw.

Art Hub Academy is extremely professional and accommodating. I registered my child for the Matiz…read moreclass online on July 21 (a Friday). Though there was a schedule that listed Matiz class 9:45 am to 10:45 am on Saturdays, there was no information regarding start and end date, so I was under the impression it was on a rolling admission, or that I would receive an email with directions. I did not receive an email with instructions, thus I emailed Art Hub Academy asking whether or not I should show up the next day (Saturday) for the class. Jose Luis emailed me back and let me know that all classes start at the beginning of the month, however he was super accommodating and allowed my son to come in the next day, all due to MY confusion! I apologized for the inconvenience and thanked him for his flexibility and for being so thoughtful. We showed up to the class the next morning, and Ms. Vivian was there. I am extremely impressed with how patient she is. She provided an all inclusive classroom environment that made my son feel comfortable. So much so, that he asked if I could leave because all of the other parents were not present. Usually he does not like to be alone in new environments until he warms up, but he wanted to be alone within 10 minutes of the class! The children were already working on a clay project from the week prior, and Ms. Vivian accommodated all of the children. I watched her navigate the class professionally with an enthusiastic attitude and friendly demeanor. She was well organized and made sure to give every child attention, as well as one-on-one attention. She explained tasks well to the children, and encouraged the children to socialize. She was gentle yet firm in her teaching approach. I got the vibe that Ms. Vivian loves what she does and it truly shows through her actions. When the class was over, I walked back in to pick my child up. I asked her how my child did. It went well, he enjoyed it all while having fun and learning art concepts. I was surprised at how attentive she proved to be. In addition to telling me how the class went, she picked up on things that I was already aware of, but did not expect others to pick up on during a one hour class. For example, she picked up on the fact that my son needs a lot of hands-on instruction and repetition. She even went as far as to ask how she could better help my son. Words can not explain how good Ms. Vivian's attention to detail made me feel as a parent. I am truly appreciative of the professional and patient demeanor exhibited by this facility. I am really happy with the choice I made to bring my child here. My son would not stop talking about how fun the class was, and walking me through the process of "wiring" for his clay model. It has only been one class and I can see the impact that this establishment has made on my child's self-confidence. The developmental gains that my son (and I'm sure other children) are making from this establishment are substantial. Thank you for the love and confidence that you pour into our children, Art Hub Academy!