I attended the grand opening of this new place. It was open to the public! It's a wood craft shop…read more You can sign up for classes or book groups for private parties. It's a great place for bachelorettes or birthdays. First of all the space is amazing! It's in a new building. It's bright and homey. When you walk in, there's a reception area and small retail outlet. If you don't want to craft your own, you can purchase. There were some Halloween decor. There's also some jewelry and other things. Large doors open onto the street. A basement is also a workspace that would be great for a private party. It's a large L-shape room with room for working on crafts and space to set up food and drinks. The staff were friendly and really helpful with the wood crafts. The grand opening had food and drinks as well as small wood crafts you could do! I can't wait to go back with friends!

My sister and I went here to make our parents Christmas presents. We had such a fabulous time. We…read morearen't handy at all, or really that crafty, but our pieces that we made turned out AMAZING! We can't thank the two ladies enough that put up with all of our questions and indecisiveness for 3 hours. It was a byob workshop and you choose your project online. There are many different pieces you can create and customize- from the color to the stain to the words on the piece- it seriously is such a great experience. I highly recommend for a girls night out, date night or gift idea that you want to create yourself. Gaurentted a great time and definitely worth the price!!

I took a beading class with Sippin' and Stitchin' and it was so much fun! Lea is a great instructor…read more- patient, encouraging, and able to explain everything in a clear and easy to follow way so that her classes are completely beginner friendly. You get everything you need to complete the project, as well as lifetime access to a great instructional video you can review later at home if you're finishing up the project outside class and need a refresher on what you learned. In addition to beading, she offers several embroidery classes, and I can't wait to take another class!

I attended a Sippin & Stitchin class years ago and it has been amazing to watch this small woman…read moreowned business grow and flourish from a side hustle into a multi city operation. Lea creates awesome designs that are accessible and simple but super cute, and encourages everyone no matter what their level of talent is. Her classes are fun, chill, and a great way to learn a new skill.

I took pattern drafting classes and Cat is a flipping genius. Cat creates a relaxed and comfortable…read moreenvironment for learning and was able to answer any of the random questions I threw out. I felt like I walked away with the knowledge to figure out how create anything I would want to make. If you're on the fence, just go for it. It's a worthwhile investment in yourself!

I had a great experience working on alterations with Kat, and I left the studio feeling a lot more…read moreknowledgeable about how to get a pattern to fit me correctly.

This my first time with the clay studio, I really enjoyed my time and so did my client. She is 94…read moreand she really worked that machine to create her perfect piece. Everything was so nice and clean, loved how they had a shop and little museum to walk through! Great pieces! Nadia and Lily were amazing and very helpful! Thanks to those too! We will definitely be back and e turning was nice, the food was wonderful!

Great for date night, girls night out, family time or honestly anything!…read more I did the pottery date night class and it was so awesome! It starts out with a small cocktail hour (no alcohol, other beverages and finger foods) in the clay studio gift shop. You get some time to look some cool stuff on display and can purchase them too! The actual pottery making was around 90mins, 60mins on the wheel and about 30mins to glaze the piece. There is one main instructor and a few assistant instructors that walk around and help you out. You watch a demo first and then get hands on at making your own bowl! The instructors are really patient and if you mess up, they'll hand you another ball of clay. I screwed up many of my pieces and got super embarrassed but they'd joke and make it fun. You get to pick 2 pieces to keep out of all the ones you make during the 60mins. I ended up with 2 small succulent pots, super excited to put my plants in! The glazing is pretty simple. There are a handful of basic colors to choose from and you just paint them on. Afterwards the studio will fire the pieces and then ship then to an address you designate. We got ours a little earlier than 2weeks so it was a nice surprise! I would definitely go to another session again and may even commit to the longer semester classes...just need to free up time . If you're considering this, definitely do it!

I took a clay handbuilding class here with Antea and really enjoyed it! The instructor was super…read moregenuine and fun and it was a very informative and relaxing experience. I love that the model is to teach students new techniques each week but let them create whatever they want. I was creatively deprived before I took this series and it immediately made me happier to have this outlet each week. I highly recommend this to anyone wanting to try something new and plan to be back for another class in the fall.

Dual location review: Fairmount and Queen Village…read more Philly Art Center has been part of my daughter's life since 4 years old (almost 10 now). I called the Art Center in Fairmount (it was only one location at that point) and spoke to Ms. Jill, explained that my daughter was a new 4 and I was concerned about leaving her. She nicely told me get over it and I would be fine (of course she didn't say that), she reassured me that she would be safe and have fun..after the first class, my daughter was hooked; it doesn't hurt that they get to color on the mirrors in the studio. Throughout the years my daughter has taken numerous classes at the Fairmount and Queen Village Centers, in addition to "Date Night", which you drop your child off for a couple hours and pick them up, I believe around 10pm; they feed them, they go to the gym, and of course do art. Not only are they doing art, the children learn about artists and how and why things are done. I believe the regular classes were about 90 minutes for children. There are general art classes but most of them have a theme or time period that they focus on; one of her favorite classes was pottery. Numerous adult classes and birthday parties are also offered. Recently my daughter started back at the Art Center for drop-in camp. Seeing Ms. Jill for the first time in years was the highlight of our day. While she is the owner, she is fully invested in the children and it shows by how much my daughter loves her! For camp, the campers get creative so it is recommended your child comes in play clothes and sneakers because the do go to the park; before-care and after-care is available. Over the years, due to scheduling conflicts we were unable to attend regularly, but anytime I hear someone talk about their children loving art, I always recommended the Art Center! Ms. Jill and her staff are amazing, now with an addition location in Cherry Hill, NJ! You go girl!!!

Jim gave an interesting, informative, and participatory glass blowing lesson for beginners! His…read moreexplanations and instruction are on point and he makes you feel successful- highly recommend!

Had an amazing time taking a lesson with Jim Loewer! He explained things so clearly so that when…read moreit was time for me to try things myself I felt confident enough that I would be successful. He stepped in only when needed and gave great instruction while I was working the glass. The items we made were perfect for being challenging but still doable for a first time experience. I would highly recommend him if you're looking for a great experience and want to make something beautiful while having a fun time!

This side-street Asian art & music store is run by Xiaomei - a Chinese Artist. She often has her 6…read moreyear old son, Seth, a budding painist with her. The store sells arts supplies and works by Xiaomei including oil paintings. They also offer art lessons in the brand-new (remodelled) studio downstairs. In addition there are piano lessons available (for children and adults). One piano is on the main level and a keyboard/organ is downstairs in the art studio. You can also buy violins, bows and supplies for such here. Neat place and very lovely owner (Xiaomei).

I am pretty sure that you are Sun Xiaomei from Nanjing city…read more I am Wang zhaohui. Please write to me chinesepainters@yahoo.com

One of Philly's many hidden gems!…read more After googling events happening this weekend I saw an exhibit for Rashaad Newsome - "To Be Real" was on display at the Philadelphia Photo Arts Center... I'm always looking for something new, interesting and mentally stimulating so decided to check it out and was impressed. Let me start by saying this space is beautiful! My niece and I were greeted upon entering and were given a brief overview of the exhibit. The exhibit itself was rich in color and concept and very unique. There was no admission to see the exhibit but donations are welcome (tip: DONATE!) - donation is not mandatory but I'm a firm believer that arts and culture help expand and enrich our experiences and are also great for conversation. In addition to seeing the feature exhibit, there was a hallway with more art, which lead to another space with another exhibit "Fluid Women" (I think) was the name; this exhibit was captivating also. I had a wonderful experience visiting PPAC and will definitely return! I also recommend if you have an interest in visual arts and are looking for something unique. The space was quiet and it is not large but has a lot to offer.

This place is excellent. I'm an amateur photographer and I have come here for multiple workshops…read morebecause the education, the teachers, and the facilities are excellent. In terms of those workshops you can find them for about $30 on Groupon or LivingSocial and the classes are intimate enough with about seven people or less that you really can get the individual attention that really makes for an excellent experience. In fact you will get that personal attention because the teacher incorporates each student and politely requests that they offer their work for light critique. There are opportunities in every class for you to go outside and practice what you just learned by shooting on the surrounding streets. My only criticism regarding the workshops is that they are not as frequent as I would like as my weekend work schedule conflicts often times with their classes. This next section is about the print center and I've had nothing but a phenomenal experience there. I was completely new to Printing and Keith the master printer who runs the lab made an appointment and sat with me for about an hour to basically guide me through the entire process, give his suggestions, and work Photoshop to get the photos exactly as I want them. He has a profound amount of experience that he draws from and is completely understanding that I am a brand new printer. He even gave me recommendations for where to get my photos framed and was just a brilliant lead in the entire process of printing my photographs. I'll definitely come back and I will recommend it to you because they do have excellent facilities, friendly workers, and a wealth of experience. The actual building itself is quite large and I believe it's shared with some other organizations. Philadelphia photo Arts Center does have a classroom or two and a nice gallery to present whatever work they choose. Getting here is very convenient as I take the subway from Center City and walk about 10 minutes. If you were to drive there's plenty of parking and it does not seem packed the numerous times I've been there.