I just completed a 4 week intuitive painting course with Claudia yesterday & it's been interesting…read more& powerful experience. I initially found the center through an instagram ad that was advertising their free open studio & decided to check it out. The intuitive painting course is not your typical course. The focus is being in community, learning to listen in & lean into your own intuition & creativity. There's no formal technique, no critiques or comments, but there is a lot of guidance & prompts to help you tap into your creative spirit. The goal is to create a painting from within & quiet the inner critic. It's about the process of letting go of "perfection" & to be create whatever comes up. It may sound a little woo-woo but the beauty of this process is that there's no right or wrong or good or bad painting - it's about your experience. If you're still unsure, I'd recommend dropping into a class to see what it's about. I definitely plan to take more classes in the new year.

I'm glad I experienced this they were so nice and the principle behind is pure…read more Not really my jam though, as an adult too much freedom and not enough structure. You're not allowed to talk or interact with other people. You are painting alone, together. But ironic that the facilitators can interrupt/critique you as they wish.

ArtReach is a fantastic arts academy and gallery for adults with intellectual developmental…read moredisabilities. Check out their exhibitions throughout the Bay Area!

I have taken Chinese Dance Classes at American Art institute for several months. Teacher Kyle is a…read morevery nice and professional instructor. The school environment is good. We have learned traditional and national dances. Our group students are like a warm family. We feel very happy to dance together. During Covid-19, American Art Institute offers on-line classes. Now we gradually come back to the classroom together with online classes. Our kids are taking both dance and drawing classes. They love their teacher and classes very much, too.

Very nice place. Very good teachers. I enjoy the classess. Very welcoming staff…read more Brad.

Lisa is great. She's really nice to work with, provides excellent customer service, and she even…read moredropped off some frames for me because of shelter in place and another time because the frame was too big for my car! I really like supporting small businesses during these tough times so I'm going to keep getting my frames from her.

Lisa and Art are the best! Such great customer service and always willing to go the extra mile…read more From art classes to personal deliveries of supplies and helping the kids at neighborhood parties, they are a treasure. Thank you both for all that you have done!

I attended the Hot glass, cold beer event in April. Highlights…read more- If you buy a VIP ticket, you get an assigned seat. If you buy the regular ticket, it's standing room only, and can become fatiguing after 3 hours. - Free beer; they had a Kolsch and an IPA on top. Plus wine. - Food is available; catered by Tato restaurant. - The action is great. Very fun to see the process of making a deluxe glass vase

I did a private lesson here in November with Momo. She was…read moreeasy to understand made the directions really clear, was there to help but not not looking over your shoulder you way. I really appreciate that because sometimes you take art classes and the instructor covers in a way that makes me feel uncomfortable. This was not the case at all, she was there to help with any questions I had, and support me and whatever I wanted to make. It was so much fun and I think I may be addicted to making glass now. I start a group class in a week and I'm looking really really forward to.

This review is based on my experience with the instructional classes at the studio…read more I'm not an artist but I strive to live in touch with creativity. For a long time, I've made art but struggled with feeling like what I was doing was really creative. Michael, the owner and instructor at the studio, has transformed the way I think about the creative process through the avenue of figure drawing. His classes are the most meaningful part of my week. If you're looking for an instructional class focused on technique for drawing more accurately, this may not be the right place for you. Instead, the classes offer a new connected way of living--engaged with beauty both around you and internal to you. So much of the class is about unlearning not just how you draw but also how you value the creative process. It is the most challenging class I've ever taken and there's no amount of brute force I can apply to get it other than trusting the process and the instructor. Nonetheless, as frustrating as it is, there's nothing else I do that is more rewarding. It takes a lot of effort to strip away your aesthetic value system to get at the core of what you find beautiful, but if the result is a more meaningful existence, then that investment is priceless. Some practical aspects of the instructional sessions. Michael strives to provide only the best models to inspire you not to capture their poses but to feel something in yourself. The medium is stick charcoal and newsprint is available cheaply at the studio. The class is a lengthy commitment of 20 weeks of three-hour sessions but is highly structured and builds on successive lessons. Michael also allows you to make-up classes. Although there is a high upfront cost, for the hours of instruction and model time spread out over the weeks, it's a steal.

Excellent in all ways: location, furniture, back up supplies, equipment, atmosphere and,…read moreespecially, the models.

Praxis is an artist collective & community space located in the heart of the Mission. Everything in…read morethe shop is handmade locally. The space is both a working studio & store front. They do their best to be here as the space is usually open seven days a week yet sometimes they need to take their time work in quiet or do other errands. They do sewing or stitching projects. Making unique clothing from a variety of materials. They also sell plants at a reasonable price. Friendly folks here & good vibes that are rare in the City! For enquiries about specific projects contact them at: norganics@gmail.com or 415.800.6601

I just did a sewing lesson here and Mary was SO nice and super helpful in getting me started on a…read moredress pattern. It was also clear to me while I was there that this is a well-loved community space!

We stopped into Spark Creativity this afternoon. My daughter had a great time! Gisele was wonderful…read morewith her. My intention was to stick around, since it was our first time. But after twenty minutes or so, knowing my daughter was having fun and really into her art project, I left to grab a bite. When I returned they were wrapping up, and she talked about how much fun she had all the way home. We will be going back next week. A little learning and a lot of fun! Perfect! The pricing and quality is spot on too!!

Dropped in to check out the art studio and was very impressed! A cute, clean space with lots of…read morecharacter. The owner was very friendly and immediately engaged my 2 year old in play. I learned about classes and camps available and observed the little ones in action. All I can say is, awesome!

I keep getting mail at my house for a student I tried calling a few times 2 months ago and get a…read morevoicemail which is full! I then sent an email and never received a response. The first letter that came was in a manilla envelope after calling and emailing the school I unclasped the prongs to open it to see if there was an address or phone number for this student, inside was a report card a very good student with great grades, I'm sure the guardians would like to see this but none reported. after many attempts to get ahold of anyone to help ( message box still full!) I sent it back return to sender wrong address, today I received another letter this time its in a sealed envelope so I did not open it, I tried searching for student via web search but to no avail, I also tried Facebook but nothing. What should I do.

Both my children have favorable memories of CAT. They felt safe; physical confrontations &…read morerivalries at other public schools seem non-existent at CAT. Talented teachers have a passion for their work. The administration staff is professional & approachable. Day One for Freshmen is closed to other returning students, a considerate way to help these kids transition to high school. In 2008, when my older son first attended, the school had an 'alternative' vibe, emphasizing project collaboration & individual presentation skills. Now in college, my son, compared to students from other schools, has a more developed ability to present ideas to a group of people. He attributes it to CAT nurturing and exercising those skills. Internships give junior & senior classes work experience in retail, government & non-profits. Students are responsible for locating & accessing these opportunities. My children took pride in their accomplishments as interns. Being treated as peers in an adult world contributed to their growth as young adults. My younger son feels that the school's cutting edge diminished over time, as CAT became more like a traditional high school. For eight years, I was happy with the school. Our last day, my younger son's graduation day, was a disappointment because of one teacher who had been fired. The reason behind his dismissal was the bizarre behavior exhibited in his classroom. According to one student who provided evidence: -In class he advocated separation of races, teaching that interracial marriage was wrong. -He taught that gays hire African American males in order to emasculate them. -In a Facebook post, he endorsed violence against women, claiming that Ray Rice "did nothing wrong" in beating his girlfriend, an incident captured on video. -He used class time to present positive views of violence against children as a teaching method, recounting, in class, an incident in which he physically struck his own son because his son sang a song that the teacher considered "too white". The school, to their credit, got rid of him immediately after discovering the situation. Members of CAT's 2016 graduating class, however, when challenged by this seduction of racism, misogyny, & homophobia, failed that challenge. Students embraced the intolerance. Two students gave speeches at the graduation ceremony. Both those students paid tribute to this teacher, accompanied by the approving applause of their classmates. The school did go to great lengths, in curriculum, to expose the historical damage done by racism, misogyny & homophobia. I don't fault the school for students' failure to absorb the importance & complexity of the lessons. Does fault lie at the feet of their parents? With the students themselves? I'm torn. The students are good kids. Why would they honor a man who spewed hatred & bragged about cruelly beating his own son because that child did not share the teacher's hatred of other races? His obsessive vilification recalls the Iranian religious clerics' crackdown on Pharrell's song 'Happy' in 2014. I wonder how many of these students will go on to emulate their chosen role model, and beat their own children while feeling justified in doing so, despite the documented psychological damage those beatings cause in children. Years ago, a news report on Egypt included 6-year olds at an anti-Mubarek demonstration. The children shouted and waved signs, wholeheartedly chanting "Mubarak must go". But realistically, the children were too young to understand the meaning behind their actions. Obviously, adults had fed opinions to the children, who exhibited heartfelt enthusiasm geared more toward pleasing the adults who prepped them, rather than any intellectual objection those 6-year olds had with Mubarak's policies. Does it take more than 18 years for children to begin to think critically, rather than parroting the opinions of manipulative adults? Recently, observing an interracial couple on the street, I couldn't help but notice the loving manner in which they regarded each other. I thought about the arrogance of CAT's teacher, a man who had burned through two failed marriages, yet considered himself fit to judge the marriages of interracial couples as wrong, and taught this nonsense in class. I thought about students in his class who happened to be children of interracial marriages, and the message the teacher thoughtlessly delivered to them, that their lives were the result of disparaged unions. Yet members of CAT's class of 2016 held the teacher in great regard, spoke highly of him at graduation and referred to him as a role model. They gave little, if any, thought to fellow students who were children of interracial parents. I'm reminded of what Philip Zimbardo said in 1971: "We all want to believe in our inner power, our sense of personal agency to resist powerful situational forces. For many, that belief is little more than a reassuring illusion of invulnerability."

We love AVS! This gem of a school has been amazing for my two boys. The teachers are top notch -…read morethey are incredibly skilled at providing customized, differentiated instruction that engages students. From the music department to math, our kids have been provided with enriching learning experiences. Teachers meet their students where they're at - my boys have each received some extra guidance in areas where they required practice (spelling! writing) and have also had the opportunity to advance beyond the traditional grade level curriculum in areas where they excelled (e.g., math). We've been super impressed with the school's response to COVID - administration has juggled the priorities and needs of families who wanted their children to return to in-person instruction, and re-opened the campus as soon as the city permitted it - as well as the needs of families who have chosen to keep their kids in virtual instruction.

My son is thriving at Alta Vista School and I can't wait to send my second son there. Moving from…read morea preschool environment where he didn't have clear focus and seemed distracted, my son transformed almost upon entry to Alta Vista. The small class sizes and nurturing attention of his teachers have been invaluable. Even the head of school attends to each child -- he knows them well and they love him. He also teaches science to the children of all grades. It's amazing to have a head of school in the classroom like that! At AVS, my son has learned about the world in an integrated way, using math, science, art, history, reading, music and play in innovative ways that help the children to really understand the projects they work on. The AVS teachers are amazing! They develop their own curriculum, meet in grade level teams for collaboration, attend creative professional development education and spend each day engaged, caring, and earning the much deserved respect of their students who love them. I know AVS is new, but there is no other school in the city where I would rather have my children.