I have enjoyed painting pottery and some classes at this store. so on Saturday I went with friends…read moreto have a nice afternoon. Everything was great until a staff member chose to talk down to both my friends. Her manner and tone indicated annoyance for no apparent reason. She actually addressed the youngest adult in our group as if she was a child! This is unacceptable! I was embarrassed as I had suggested the venue and my friends were both annoyed and upset by being spoken to in such a manner. I do like Art on the Rocks and will certainly go back but I expect a more appropriate customer/staff interaction in future.

Workers are nice but management is absolutely unreasonable and hard to deal with. I absolutely do…read morenot recommend this place. Not to mention it is way overpriced for the size of pottery you get. We will not come back.

Love this store! Amy and Cheri are so helpful. They are also very entertaining! I love all the…read morethings I can find - even things I didn't know I needed!

Went above and beyond to find me what I needed to finish a project. Definitely recommendread more

The Pottery Painting Place has a wonderful relaxing atmosphere with a helpful & friendly staff…read more There is a wide assortment of products to paint and they are ready to help and give tips if needed. I brought my kids frequently when they were younger and now we go together as adults. Highly recommend!

We went as a birthday party of 4 and had made reservations ahead of time. There are signs in the…read morewindow and throughout the store stating they do special events such as birthdays, bachelorette parties etc. However, when we arrived you couldn't tell our table from anyone else's. Nothing was set up special for our party. This left me wondering what exactly do they do for parties? The selection of items was lacking. Many items were down to their last one. The paint selection was vast and plentiful. The brushes in the tables only included one brush of each size. If you wanted to do small, detailed work and someone else had the small brush you were out of luck. The bathroom didn't have a light and you had to use a flashlight in order to see where you were going. You could still see how filthy it was though. Cobwebs and dirt filled the corners. I didn't want to touch anything. In fact, the whole place was filthy. No one wore masks except our party. *Covid protocols were not enforced at all.* Restaurants have stricter mask wearing policies then they do! They started cleaning up 30 minutes before closing and the lady working had a loud conversation with another person about how she would "be in trouble if she was even 5 minutes late" so that we would be able to hear her. She and another person kept coming to our table asking if we were done with our paints yet. We felt rushed and disrespected. The passive aggressive attitude wasn't necessary. We drove over two hours to come to this little business that doesn't take credit cards and treats people poorly. Edit: January 12, 2021 -We are definitely getting the run around. Finally was able to get through and was told to call back. Called back and was told "I don't know anything about that call back." Called back and was told must call back. Looks like they are keeping our pieces out of spite over review. Three stars now down to one. Edit: February 7, 2021- Spoke with Kim, the owner. We should be getting our pieces soon. They are going to the post office tomorrow. She had been unaware of Stacey's treatment of us and has apologized profusely. I believe her to be sincere and very genuine.

This review is specific to their glass works class. I took a Friday evening flamework frenzy class…read moreand what an awesome experience! The instructor (Maddie) is so knowledgeable, helpful, friendly and enthusiastic about this craft. You can't help but find her enthusiasm contagious! I can't wait to take more classes here and with her!

Visited here with work colleagues for team building exercise. This location sits in quaint West…read moreActon, MA directly on the main street and is a very cool little art gallery containing tons of unique gifts. They also run stain glass making classes which is why we were here. Judy the owner is really cool and has a lot of knowledge in glass projects and assists to make the projects pretty fun. It is a much different take on the painting parties which are now all the hype. This place lets you choose various pieces of glass collected in buckets to create some pretty cool designs, which are soldered and assembled by hand. We were amazed how cool the stuff really turned out. The prices were reasonable and we all were impressed with this place and Judy walked us through everything with assistance from her employees. I would definitely come back to this place and highly recommend it to anyone searching for a cool place for art projects and a fun event for a group!

My nine-year-old daughter has been going to ActonArt for over four years and I can't recommend it…read morehighly enough. It's well worth the drive from Cambridge, and judging from the number of other folks who come from as far away, many agree. Whenever we have to miss a week due to illness or vacation, my daughter is more sad about missing art than anything else. I also appreciate the diversity of subjects they have in the drawing classes; many different objects and people from world cultures are represented, and John always gives a little talk about what they're drawing, whether it's a famous building or a particular species of animal or an important historical person. I'm impressed with the quality of teaching both in terms of skills and how much the teachers seem to care about the kids.

From the owner: ActonArt provides drawing and fine art instruction to students ranging in age from five years to…read moreadults. Our curriculum driven program is designed to teach to the strengths and abilities of general age ranges, however our class sizes are limited and small so we can focus on the needs of individual students as well. Our program and class structure has evolved over the years into a comprehensive presentation of core concepts and developmental skill building projects built around student friendly topics and drawing subjects. We offer classes that are specific to elementary, middle-school, and high-school children, intermediate and advanced level students, and even students who are developing portfolios for further study in art schools and colleges. We also have procreate, home-school, and adult classes for people looking for personal enrichment and individual skills development.

Brush and Easel is the way to go! My 9 year old went to a friend's birthday party at Brush and…read moreEasel when she was 8. She had such great memories (and such a fun picture to bring home) that she asked to have her 9th birthday there.. Working with Irina was smooth sailing. Planning, to hosting was so simple because of her help and simplicity. Kids all had a blast! I often think it would be fun to have a girls night out, or a fun surprise family outing! Irina is great and looking forward to the next time! Definitely recommend!

I met Irina in March, and four weeks later hosted an evening birthday party at B&E that included 12…read moreadults. Stressed professionals walked in, three hours later happy relaxed men & women walked out. Each with his or her own masterpiece! Irina makes it very informal and easy. We brought in platters of food and adult beverages, then sat at our easels and followed her instructions. Each attendee has a canvas on a wooden stretcher, brushes, and acrylic paints on a paper plate palette. Irina provides the smocks. So easy to plan and execute a wonderful, memorable evening. Highly recommend!

My higher grade is more for the art center itself rather than the performances. There's always a…read moresmall exhibition at the center of the building and it's nice to see artists can work on their projects late into the night. The facilities look clean and orderly, including the bathrooms and artist studios. I liked seeing all pottery made by the various artists. I also enjoyed the theater itself. While the seating itself isn't all that special, the acoustics are quality. If you expect something significantly higher than community theater here, you may be disappointed. While the performances were fine, they're not really all that polished and feel rather barebones (two actors playing one role in a production was rather strange). If you want a more grander theater experience but without going into Boston, consider Reagle in Waltham. (For all you Yelp police out there, yes, I paid $ here for tickets so I can review)

My first time back to The Umbrella Arts Center since the pandemic happened…read more I saw that they had a dinner and a show option on Thursday nights and the menu looked appealing, so I purchased the meal for $21. Dinner was available for pick up at the concession stand beginning at 6pm, while the show was scheduled for 7:30pm that evening. Traffic delayed me, so I arrived closer to 6:30pm. There was a game going on at the playground the next block over, so there were a lot of cars parked on the street, but parking was still not an issue. Dinner came in a brown paper tote and came nicely packaged and of a good portion size, so I even had some leftover. They had a vegetarian alternative (Nag's Head Roasted Yam, Grilled Zucchini and Squash, Caramelized Onions on Wild Rice (V)), but I opted for the meat - Starter: Hush Puppies with Maple Butter Entree: Pulled Pork Platter with Coleslaw and Collard Greens Dessert: Chocolate Flourless Brownie (GF) Catered by Nosh restaurant and the Concord Market. I was pleased with my meal. Sure the collared greens were a bit plain, but I was just glad to get a decent portion of vegetables with my meat and they were not overcooked. The brownie was individually sealed, and a little messy to eat, but quite good. And I had no trouble finding a seat at a table. In fact I had options. I could have grabbed a small high top for myself, but I decided to sit at an empty spot at the end of one of the 3 long tablecloth covered tables just beyond the concessions and ended up chatting with the pair beside me. I had a great experience at the Umbrella Arts Center! Quotes from the website regarding the show being performed that evening: A heartwarming musical that lifts up the beauty in second chances and the transformative nature of friendship. Percy Talbott is a spirited young woman seeking redemption. But in the small town of Gilead, she finds so much more. Based on the beloved film that took home the Audience Award at The Sundance Film Festival, the musical's rich score is marked by Americana folk rhythms, soaring melodies, and irresistible charm. It reminds us all about the resilience of the human spirit, the magic of new beginnings, and the power of community.

Loved Valerie! She came to the child care center where my younger siblings go to and did a very…read moreengaging and fun activity with the children. I could see that they were all having so much fun and I would highly recommend Jumpstart Art Club to anyone looking for a great teacher. Valerie is the best!

My lucky little toddlers have the pleasure of visiting Ms. Valerie in our Child Care Center's Art…read moreStudio twice a week and boy oh boy do they love her! Valerie always has unique, creative, developmentally appropriate activities planned for children of all ages at many day care locations in the Boston area. She definitely has a creative, fun way of teaching all types of art and the children clearly love her as they ask each day if it is an "art studio" day.

Basically, I was involved with the Leominster Art Center and bought a few beautiful works of art…read moreand my son sold quite a few excellent pieces himself. Sadly, the population venemently rejected us. They were real creeps. I know for certain that it wasn't us. Hope one day they may serve the community in a way that we might be able to view, consider to buy and display true art. They never displayed lousy art while we were there and it was most often enjoyable to participate with the gallery. Any way. Ida

From the owner: We offer one of the best gifts you can give, artwork. More importantly, we sell a wide variety of…read morelocal art and hand made goods from artists living in the surrounding area. Our Gallery is staffed by knowledgeable volunteers, most of whom are artists with items in the store. Our exhibiting artists pay a very small fee to display and sell their work, ensuring that most of your purchase price goes to them, not us. Additionally, we have a classroom where you can take a painting or drawing class. Other lessons are available too. Come in and ask about our upcoming schedule. Part of our mission is community outreach and support, which is why you will see us involved a varity of city events. We offer free display space to students of the visual arts. Please consider supporting our goals a ambissions to be the best art center and gallery by visiting is and making a purchase. You can always make a donation to our cause ,as well. Thanks for taking the time to learn about us!