I just completed my second term and Katherine was amazing, once again! This term, summer, is…read morecondensed into 6 weeks, but because I am moving out of the state, Katherine did all she could to help me start and finish my painting in 3 weeks. The painting was a gift to my sister and not only did the recipient love her gift from me, I loved the gift that Katherine gave me. She helped me to understand that time is precious and if it is spent wisely, any goal could be accomplished. If you are even considering taking a painting class, I would give this school a chance. It will change your view on your own creativity and your view on what it means to teach. Katherine is a gem! She, and her school, cannot be replicated or duplicated. I am sad that I will probably not be able to find anything like them where I am moving. Oh, and the ice cream breaks in the summer aren't so bad either.

The Katherine Martin Widmer School of Painting is just an example of the many wonderful things that…read moreare right before you waiting to be discovered. I have lived in the Somerville area for years now and in that time thought about how nice it would be to have a creative space. I dabbled in the fine arts in school, but without the physical space and guidance, lost the motivation to explore further. This school has allowed me the opportunity to do so. The instructor, Katherine, is a wonderful teacher, providing just the right amount of instruction and is one of many reasons why the school has such an encouraging environment. The studio itself is lovely. It's on the third floor with lots of windows and a sky light. Usually the soft voices of Billy Holiday or Nina Simone waft through the air. In addition, the students (many of whom have been attending for years) are from all different backgrounds/ages and are a pleasure to get to know.

We took our daughter to Maud Morgan Arts Center for a FREE architecture workshop and it was…read morephenomenal. The class focused on a number of different areas and aligned with the STEAM curriculum. My husband and I were extremely impressed with how the workshop tied the activity of building a sustainable option for the city in with real world examples and ultimately having the children design and build a model out of legos. We are definitely going to look into more classes and workshops for our kids at Maud Morgan Arts Center.

Maud Morgan is a place of learning, community and FUN! I know from hands-on experience as an…read moreeducator and a learner at MMA that these teachers love what they do and want to share that passion for art with students of all ages. I highly recommend dipping your toes into any medium you've been curious about, or refining your skills with the guidance of an experienced educator, in this welcoming and friendly space!

The New Art Center in Newton is a fabulous community resource for art classes for adults, teens and…read morekids. There are also terrific art camps for children and teens throughout the summer and over school vacation weeks. New Art also has free art experiences for the community, including a gallery at 245 Walnut St, Newton and a robust scholarship program.

I am impressed that this more conservative contemporary art gallery was willing to exhibit all…read morekinds of "urban" art!! I went there Friday evening and saw what some of the highly skilled graffiti artists in Boston and New York have been up to lately. Cheers to the board at the New Art Center for approving such a cutting edge and controversial showcase!

My daughter attended camp here this summer and had an amazing time. It was pretty straightforward -…read morethey just sewed all day except lunch when they could get pizza next door (or bring from home). Kiddo felt comfortable and well cared for. It was definitely different from other camps - ages ranged from 6-14 and everyone was together just working at their own level in the same space. She loved it because she met some girls she liked and I guess spent the entire time chatting! That said, she learned how to sew and made great bags, a dog leash, two mermaid skirts for American Girl dolls and had a lot of fun. There was only one boy - I'm going to try to convince my son to go next summer. I think if you're a kid who wants to run around you'll be miserable here, but if you're into craft, this camp is perfect.

Seweasy has opened up a new world for my daughter. She typically has difficulty with fine motor…read moreactivities and little self confidence. She has done so well thanks to the Seweasy staff. They are always welcoming and encourage my daughter to try her best. She is always proud of her accomplishments and I am so proud of the many projects she has completed.

My little dancer LOVES Creative Steps!!! Season after season she asks to come back…read more Miss Michelle is always taking care of every single detail and she does a great job communicating and even though she has lot of students she manages to know each of them and be sure they are in the proper class! Strongly recommended!!!

Really grateful that they have a camp with a daily program and availability, and they start at 3…read moreyears old! Miss Jess helped my almost-4-year-old feel immediately at ease, and I feel confident that I left her in very competent hands. There was plenty of supervision (2 adults + a CIT) for ~6 kids in the younger age group. I am sure she will be asking to go back!

Eli Portman is a terrific teacher! And both the Eliot street and amory street locations are very…read morecomfortable, with easy parking.,,

It makes me sad to write this review, especially since I felt the possibilities of a community…read moreatmosphere at the Eliot school, but I was really disturbed by the use of the words, to me in the last email by the Assistant Director, Jean - "At this point, I think we just need to part ways." (when someone who's providing a service to you says that - HUGE RED FLAG!) So, I signed up for private lessons with Joe for $65/hour. This was expensive for me, but I really needed to get a project done for a deadline. I was clear about what I wanted a small model of a house, with all mitered joints, because I was going to use it to cast a model. I even brought paper patterns. Joe met with me and said it was do-able. We did the first session of three hours, one of which he gave me an hour free, it seemed to go well. (I got the hour free - because the the machines here aren't so good - so its not your fault, his words) We didn't finish so I suggest we meet again. An hour into the next session, Joe proclaimed that the project was not do-able and too complicated, because there isn't a left-handed table saw. He even took my piece and attempting to go forward, took it the sander and wanted to sand it down to 45 degrees (yikes). Anyhow, so I decided to cut my losses and say, okay let's stop. He decided not to charge me for this hour. So I left with a pile of wood, and also broken-hearted, because I had really wanted to complete this piece. So, I wrote Jean, asking if I could get my money back, because I was clear about what I wanted in my project and felt like I should have been told that my project was not do-able from the beginning or at minimum, warned. Not have my project unfinished, after I had spent $130, 4 hours of time, and $30 on materials. And on top of it, I now need to find and pay someone to build this model. It wasn't anything personal against Joe, he was a nice guy, but more about professionalism. For example, if you had a contractor who said they could do something, they wouldn't walk away midway through the project and say it was too hard, leaving you hanging. Same concept. But instead, I got an email that from Jean that said, we are NOT refunding you, but (as if I had won a prize) we aren't charging you for the extra two hours Joe gave you, and "at this point, I think we just need to part ways."

This school continues to impress. They have really great drawing classes, painting classes, and…read moreworkshops. Whether you are a beginning artist or a professional artist, they can help you achieve your goals!

Best place I've ever went to commint to drawing. Cindy is the best teacher I know. Everyone learns…read moreon a different place so it doesn't seem like your slow.

Our daughter (then 3 y/o) attended the summer program at Pine Village in Brighton in 2019…read more And when I look back, I'm amazed by (and grateful for) the generosity and warmth of the teachers, the structure of the daily activities, how varied and enriching those activities were (picnic by the Charles, visit by local musicians, park trip with sprinklers), and how professionally the school was run. We were just looking at some of the photos from "Spanish camp" (as we call it) yesterday, and she can't wait to go back and see her friends in summer 2020.

This is our daughter's second year here, and our younger daughter is starting here next year -…read morethat's how much we like this place! We were originally interested in the school because of the Spanish immersion, but we were so impressed when we visited with how kind and nurturing the staff is. They have a social-emotional learning and classroom management program called Conscious Discipline that my husband and I are especially big fans of. It teaches children to be both compassionate and assertive, as well as how to understand and manage their own feelings. We are both teachers and have implemented some of the strategies in our own classrooms! We are grateful to be able to trust this place with our children's safety, learning and happiness - which is a big deal!