LOCATION// Inside the Old Town Deli & Cafe, straight at the back. Walk inside, past the stairs and…read moreserving counter and you will see a door at the very back. What looks like a utility closet is actually the art shop. SPACE/STAFF//I was looking forward to visiting this shop. I knew it was going to be small, but nothing prepared me for how small. It's like a stationery cupboard. They do manage to pack in a lot of things in the tiny space, but unfortunately it's so small that you can feel the eyes of the staff person boring into your back as you try to have a look around. And in my case, the lady behind the register was not very nice at all. She gave me dubious looks and hurried me as if she thought I was going to steal something. Not very comfortable experience. I didn't really mind the small space as much as the unfriendly customer service. Even if they did have what I want, it put me off coming back. From what I did manage to see, before I was made to feel completely unwelcome, things are more expensive than you can get elsewhere and not that much stock because of the limited space. So if you're looking for something specific, you might not find it here. But if what you want isn't at W.H. Smith, at least you have the option of looking in here..

Yes, as stated by a previous reviewer, The Artery is a small shop but packs a great deal in. If…read moreyou need something which is not in stock, Barry and his team will order it for you for prompt delivery. The shop represents the SAA (Society for All Artists) locally which gives access to their wide range of products. The Art classes and workshops bookable through the shop are excellent and offer a wide range of subjects and media in small friendly groups. Highly recommended in all respects.

The Birmingham School of Art is technically part of the Birmingham Institute of Art and Design,…read morewhich is technically part of Birmingham City University. However, I'm not reviewing the University, but the building - which is still usually referred to by its original title. So, it was built in 1884-1885 and is a rather splendid example of red brick Victorian Gothic architecture - with Italian-style window arches and there's a look of a Parisian cathedral about it. In short, it's magnificent, and is generally thought of as the architect's (J.H. Chamberlain) finest achievement. The good people of English Heritage have clearly agreed and have given it a Grade I listing. I can't tell you much - indeed, anything - about the inside as I've never been in. I just tend to stand outside and gaze at it's strangely warm and elegant Victorian gothic (not two adjectives you would normally describe anything Victorian gothic as....) exterior. I would suggest that you get yourselves down to Margaret Street in the city centre and do the same.

Well i have to give it five stars. One of the hardest art schools to get into and the Best art…read moreschool in the UK. A visit is a must. There's open studios in december and tours in october. Recently went into occupation over the 100% cuts in funding to all the arts, i advise you visit before things start to change!

I expected that the so called "best art school in Great Britan would be an exceptionally run…read moreinstitution, filled with young dedicated and well educated artists, driven faculty members and general order. What I found was the exact opposite, a disgrace to the fine art world. I could literally go on and on about the failures of this school, but instead I'll just summarize the key issues I have 1. no structure, no pressure, no expectation results in little to no production of artwork. The school seems to advertise a pride in the independence it provides its artist with but it fails to really make clear that literally anyone can pass with out ever showing up. As a matter fact, the faulty are so lazy that they don't even bother to show up on time for literally anything. They don't enforce rules and they don't understand their students. There are no assignments, no expectations and no structure. 2. The cleanliness of the place is repulsive, the facilities are horrid, they are not up to date of creative materials and machines for making. The students disrespect their peers work spaces and they disrespect the building as a whole. they literally believe that they own the place, that they can make it just as filthy as their drugged up lifestyle. 3. There is no learning, no educating and no positive actual encouragement If a student were to draw a stick figure on their Starbucks coffee cup, a faculty member passing by would literally just be like " that's fantastic, you're so creative, be yourself and keep up the good work" This is not a place for anyone who truely cares about art and wants to further educate themselves on art making, the art market, art and even just understanding how to be an adult and behave responsibly in this world. This is a place to go If you have a lot of money and want to paint a couple abstract paintings that resemble American expressionism of the 1940s. After you finish your time here, you will feel like you have wasted it

had the vaccine there very recently, service is okay but needs to improve. The staff might not have…read morebeen properly negotiated prior to delivering services. One staff says to do this, all of the sudden the other staff came out and says do the opposite. Confusing, all staff should consider properly talked about before serving? Also seen staff not wearing masks inside the building, we are having vaccinate here, all staff should have their mask on properly? stay safe everyone

The old Moseley Art School us one of 26 listed buildings on Moseley Road - which is an impressive…read moreamount of listed buildings for one road, if you ask me... I know that it is no longer an Art School, but I have to admit, I don't have the foggiest idea what this building is used for now - if anything. It would be an awful shame for it to merely decay - in fact, as a Grade II Listed Building, is this even allowed to happen? Who's responsibility is it? Lots of question marks surrounding this building ... What I do know is that it was opened in 1900 and then closed again in 1975. It's a beautiful example of Victorian architecture - complimenting the equally controversial Moseley Baths which are directly opposite. Combining red brick with stone columns, large windows and fancy gates, it was probably a lovely place to study art. But for now - who knows?...

Spike Island is a leading contemporary art and design space on the docks in Bristol and hosts a…read moremicrocosm of artistic activity. They show frequent exhibitions, hold residencies and offer opportunities in research into contemporary art. The building is huge, an old warehouse (you could almost draw similarities between here and the Tate). Spike Island is also home to the Aardman Animations team, creators of Creature Comforts and Wallace and Gromit.

A large warehouse space which has many functions for artists of Bristol…read more Publicly there is a gallery on the ground floor which has regular exhibitions and a large space for scheduled arty activities with children. There is also a nice little cafe - open on Mondays when the galleries are closed - with some seats outside when it is nice weather (although there is a lot of traffic on the road outside spoiling the harbour-side view). If you become a member of the studios then you can use their good printmaking facilities (Spike Print Studio) and rent studio space. The community here is friendly and supportive. If you just dabble in art then I can recommend their workshops - find details on this website instead of the main one http://www.spikeprintstudio.org They have lino and etching classes for beginners or to brush up rusty skills. They are up to date with some fantastic processes. Classes may run over a weekend or one day a week for a season.

Camberwell's a well known and well renowned art school in South East London that's part of the…read moreUniversity of the Arts London. In the front is a space that is used for shows by alumni of the college and the college itself is contained to three buildings joined by corridors and bridges. It's a nice place to be and work, although the current SU bar is just a bar at the back of the canteen, there's nothing to really distinguish it as a bar. No nights or music goes on here as of yet, but there may well be in the future once the bar facilities are sorted out.

Current Summershow 2008 is Fab, take the chance to see it while its openread more