Loved the pottery classes there. Lenny Price was teaching then on Tuesday nights. The best studio I worked at.

Nestled into a corner of Golden Gate Park adjacent to a gorgeous, old-fashioned 19th century carousel and the Koret Children's Quarter, Sharon Art Studio offers facilities and classes in ceramics, figurative and plein aire drawing, glass blowing and all sorts of other art-y endeavors. Most of the activities are for older teens to adults so I was excited when my son fell into the age group for ceramics class so he could work among older artists. I'd never been inside the cobble-stone building that I know best from its annual Christmas Tree lighting so I was surprised when an instructor told me the building dates back to the 1880s. (For all these years, I thought the building was a cheesy 1940s replica with its Flintstones-like appearance). Inside, it gives away its age with squirrelly warrens of rooms and tiny doorways- high Victorian. Artists were busy upstairs drawing and the hallways were decorated with work in progress and schedules regarding pottery firing, class registrations and notices about broken plumbing. There was a quiet hum of people speaking sotto voce, a clatter of brushes and the scritch scritch of charcoal on canvas. Programs here are largely lead by SF Parks & Rec, one of the best resources for activities for San Franciscan residents of all ages. read more

Sharon Art Studio - Historic building, from the 1880s.. - Art Schools Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Their classes are wonderful (I've taken ceramics and drawing for a few years and my son has taken many child art classes as well), BUT their registration process is frustrating and lacking. (They're basically busting at the seams and this Yelp review will likely not help in any way.) 5 stars for the classes and teachers. 1 star for registration. Gives an average of 3 stars. read more

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There are a wide variety of art classes you can take here. The building is beautiful, located in Golden Gate Park near the carousal. The actual classrooms are nothing special, but the variety of classes and the instruction are. I took a water color class here and felt like I received a good base to continue They offer night classes which is nice for nine to fivers. Don't feel intimidated if you've never taken an art class before. There are people of all levels that take the classes and they try to make it fun for everyone. They have various student sales throughout the year and there are a lot of really cute pieces that are affordable if you want to check out the work and see what you could be doing instead of watching TV. :) read more

Beautiful Studio! Excellent environment. Really appreciate FOSAs, amazing executive director!

I have been teaching drawing classes and workshops at Sharon Art Studio for 2 years and find it an extremely inspirational place to be. I would recommend Sharon Art Studio to anyone who wants to really enjoy the process of creating art young and older. Dawood Marion (Artist/ Instructor) http://dawoodmarion.com/ read more

One of the beset things about Sharon Arts Studio is teacher Mary Harden. She has a wonderfully unique way of teaching and keeps all her students involved and pumped up with the knowledge that everyone can draw. She also seems to draw a great student population of like minded souls that enjoy and want to learn. Her weekly handouts, mostly handwritten are little gems of information that can be referred to and used often. She has done her homework and teaches watercolor techniques with only 21 colors, which do not include green, black or white. It is truly amazing to see all the greens one can make without depending on a green tube. I recommend any and all of Mary's classes to all student levels. read more

My first art class at Sharon Art Studio with Dawood M. and I enjoyed it and learned alot. I love the studio space! Spacious and clean. I can't wait to take another class. read more

If I could give this place zero stars, I would. I received an e-mail 3 days prior to when my son was to start a two week camp at Sharon Art Studio. They sent me an e-mail denying him entrance into the camp because he has autism. They tell me this 3 days before he is supposed to start camp! Even though SF Park and Rec offered inclusion/ 1-on-1 support, they refused him. I've never seen such ignorance in my entire life. These are the directors! They should be ashamed of themselves. read more

I took a jewelry making class at the Sharon Art Studio. It was awful. Another student harassed me during every single class. I've taken classes all over the Bay Area, and I've never been treated badly at any other venue. I wanted to like the place. The building is awesome. And I actually like the teacher, but her behavior and some of the things she said were at best unprofessional. They did refund my money. read more

I took "everyone can draw" here and enjoyed it. I was quite nervous since I can barely draw stick figures but the teacher Virginia was supportive and I improved considerably! read more

I love Sharon Art Studio. I have many fond memories of all the art classes I've taken here. I took many free classes here as a high school student - ceramics, stained glass, and fusing. These classes are available for students ages 15-17. The teachers are very knowledgeable! I loved it so much that when I was 16, I got my first job teaching children stained glass, at the Art-in-the-Park summer program (available for youth ages 12 and 16). I didn't get paid much but it was so fun and rewarding! read more

I've taken a few ceramics classes there and in general the studio is great, and clean. Unfortunately, sometimes the glazes are inconsistent, and projects get ruined. read more

Yup, never knew it existed and happened to cross it's path one of the only two days a year it has it's big sale. Super great prices on hand made ceramics (some jewelery). Wonderful setting in the park. If one lived close by... it would be great place to play in clay. read more

Recently took a ceramics class here through the SF parks and rec. We were in the basement work area, which is pretty big. We used the recycled clay the studio makes, which was pretty easy to build with. The amount of glazing options were impressive as well. Good gun! read more

I try to limit myself to five star experiences. This is a really cool resource for locals. It is run by the city and it is cheap. You may not push the boundaries of what art means here but you will have a solid experience with a varied group of people. There were all ages and backgrounds in my life drawing class and was far from the pretentious vibe you can get with the too cool for school crowd. The building is full of posters and prints and you are around people who truly care about art. read more

Very nice place. Our three young children were looking in the Windows from the outside and a very nice woman invited us in for a tour. They have a few nice sized rooms with people doing all sorts of art. Very inviting and friendly. read more

This is a great place to quench your desire for artistic growth. Great cozy mansion in Golden Gate park full of nice people. However, there are some teachers here that should be avoided. So far, I've taken 3 different classes here - 1) Basic Drawing with Jacqueline Ruben. Jacqueline is very welcoming, friendly and laid back, yet very concentrated. She has each class hour very well structured. She shows every element and technique on her own easel first, and will break down any problematic issue you're struggling with afterwards. She manages to give feedback to every student's work and keep the work fast-paced. It's inspiring and fun and at the end of the class you always feel like you've moved a step forward. She also plays really good music during the drawing sessions. There's plenty of fun still life objects she sets up to draw. And the last live drawing session was incredible! I actually came up with some decent nude drawings, although i'd never done it before. 2) Stained Glass with Ellen Soloway. Ellen is simply a great teacher character, full of knowledge and desire to share it. I'm halfway through this class and i'm enjoying it immensely. Ellen is always there to answer questions, support and encourage. She's just a great friendly soul! I was cutting my glass like a pro after just 3 lessons, seriously. 3) Basic Watercolors with Mary Harden. This one is still halfway through, but it sucks so much i'm not going back. Too bad i can't switch it for another class, cause you can only switch classes if you're dissatisfied at your 1st class. Thing is, at the end of the 1st class you kinda tend to hope the 2nd will be better. But it wasn't. First off, i was late for the first class. Nobody likes students to be late (myself included), and i had my reasons, but she neither said "hello" nor helped me find a spot in the classroom. She kept talking as i was standing there, demonstrating her dismay (or indifference?). i had to go fetch a chair from the room next door. Then she split the class into 2 groups and put them into 2 different rooms. So each time she was addressing the other room, my group didn't hear a word and had to go fish for information from the other group. Total chaos? Worse. Right after she made the task clear to the group next door (which we didn't hear) she took off to talk to a group of advanced students, who kept her attention for another half hour. Expect her to spend 50% of the time talking to this advanced students' group instead of teaching or just paying attention to you. So basically, we are left to our own devices most of the time, nobody checks the outcome of our work (or if so, very briefly and superficially and just to prove her point). She barely ever takes a brush to show anything, she gives you a handout copy with lots of material printed by hand which you're supposed to decipher and keep as a guideline. She can be right in the face rude - she actually crossed out one of my sketches because it was done in pencil and she wanted it in pen. She's unable to maintain a good-natured flow of sincere interest between teacher and students which is disappointing. I tried my best to hold on and gain something from this class, but it's impossible. The class for me was sometimes informative but mostly boring. I didn't have much practical achievements except for millions of mixed colors which, in my opinion, shouldn't have such precedence even at the Basic course/can be done at home/etc. From now on, i'll just keep learning from my Complete Watercolor Course book and not waste my time. I'm genuinely surprised that when i called the office to tell them about this situation they just answered there wasn't a refund and weren't particularly interested in my feedback or what my problem with the teacher was. I mean, seriously, I love watercolors too much to force myself into combining it with this experience. I'm looking forward to other classes though and am sure will learn a whole lot more. read more

Being a newbie artist, I arrived enthusiastic and ready to learn! I always set up and am ready to begin before or by the appointed class hour. But I was informed by a teacher that set up time comes during class, so 7 to 10 minutes accommodates late arrivals while others of us sit and wait. Not good. After five classes in an eight class session, I note that my two teachers' skills as artists are great, but their teaching effectiveness differs widely. One is super. But in the other class a lot of time is wasted and I get frustrated when the thing we are to draw is not set up in advance of class, or the teacher routinely asks the students "do you need more light?", or even adjusts the setup aafter we have already started to draw, requiring amendments! Isn't it the teacher's job to tell us what and how to draw according to the lesson planned for that day? Seems like their lessons are not well planned. And this teacher can't or won't answer some questions on pretty basic principles they should know, like, how will this blue color interact with salmon colored paper? I'm told to "experiment"--but I also came to learn what the teacher should know by now. A pet peeve is that one of my classes starts at 10 am. Paid staff (but not teachers who are apparently on contract) have the security code to open the Studio at 9:30 am, yet on four of the five classes so far, staff have been late, arriving about 9:55, thus limiting and rushing our set-up time. Standing in the freezing cold waiting for staff with my teacher and others or with rain pelting down just outside the eaves, is not fun. The security system is limited in access because concerned with insurance risk and cost per the Executive Director. Even if the code can't be extended to include trusted and experienced art teachers (something that puzzles me), then paid staff can surely arrive on time! I have to arrive on time for my job. I hope the Board will note and improve my concerns. read more

Taken two classes, drawing with V. Banta and ceramics with Ms. Lee plus open ceramic studio. My 13 daughter took a portfolio drawing class. Wonderful. Love the studio. Instructors are patient, kind and knowledgable. The wonderful Sharon Studio building is totally amazing, and thanks to the the "Non-profit Friends of SAS" it is an Art STUDIO (rather than a high end restaurant - as Mayor Brown wanted!!!), the program is run together by the City of SF and Friends of SAS. Really nice, big, bright, clean ceramics studio, used by many people, so don't expect a "private" studio experience (read- everything as YOU want it). Glazes are mixed by hand, staff are artists, but they do a LOT of work, making recycled clay, firing student works, making the glazes, planning for equipment needs, teaching and an so forth. How lucky we are that a Friends of SAS stepped in and made this experience possible for our community. Thank you, thank you, Thank you. :) read more

Virginia Banta is an amazing instructor. If you have little more than a desire to draw, Virginia can teach you. She is generous and encouraging. I can't say enough positive things about her. Any class she teaches, would be worth taking. read more

This review is based on my experience on field trips back from 4th and 5th grade almost a decade ago. I had monthly trips to the Studio and sometimes even more frequent back when the SFUSD had a considerable amount of funding for programs and appreciation for the arts. Whenever I came to the children's playground behind the building, I always wondered what purpose the building served and why it was situated there. I'm not sure what the partnership was between the school and the Studio but we did an array of art projects ranging from clay to glass. I was exposed to so much hands-on activity that I actually had bundles of fun. Time passed by so fast because a lot of time was spent on instruction. I miss those days and my memories are fading away sadly. I can't even recall the two instructors that the class worked with every time we arrived for a new project. I highly doubt that Argonne still has field trips here and the kids today are missing out on so much! Plus, we walked all the way from school and got our exercise, especially from running around the playground. read more

Sharon Art Studio is an amazing place! My daughter has taken classes there in the summer and during the school year, and the teachers are consistently great. I have taken watercolor classes with Mary Harden and love her inspiring, engaging and energetic style. She is one of those people you feel lucky to have found -- helps you look at life in a whole new way, which is what a good teacher should do. I feel she teaches about so much more than art, tying together an understanding of culture, history and appreciation for art in many forms (music, dance, film, visual, culinary). In addition, Mary is extremely knowledgable and conveys that to first-time painters such as myself in a way that helps us feel successful. read more

Sharon Art Studio is a little known excellent art resource in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. They offer a whole range of art classes for young people ages 11-16, many of them free. And also offer classes for adults in ceramics, drawing, painting, glass and jewelry. What's really nice is the adult classes are offered during the day, evening and on weekends. I have taken many classes in the drawing, painting and printing arts and they are led by dedicated teachers and working artists. It offers a supportive atmosphere, prices are reasonable and has a parking lot which is always welcome. I am currently in the Figure Drawing and Watercolor classes and have enjoyed every class I've attended. This is a non-profit studio that is jointly run by the City and a Friends group. Registration is held quarterly, next one is Saturday, Nov. 15th. If you are looking for an art resource, I highly recommend it. read more