Celebrating her 7th birthday my grandaughter was able to tap into her creative side and make two…read moremasterpieces with great pride! The encouragement and gentle leadership from Robin allowed us to share an experience that will surely be a core memory forever. I highly recommend Painted Penquin!!

Good place where you can take a stress off, enjoy the art that you make and feel comfortable. The…read morePainted Penguin at Water Tower Place it's for kids and grown-up have enough assortment of sculptures, nice paint material and friendly employees. I was excited to spend there are almost whole day and I made my beautiful sculpture:)

Our first class at Pottery Studio 1 was so much fun! Mar was an amazing instructor, and Alex was…read moreincredibly helpful throughout the class. They shared great techniques, creative decorating ideas, and clearly explained the firing process and pickup instructions. The class size was perfect, giving everyone plenty of individual attention while creating a fun, welcoming atmosphere. We had a great time and are already looking forward to coming back for another class. Highly recommend!

My friend and I were really excited to attend our first ever pottery class. Upon entering we were…read moregreeted by the teachers and they explained the whole process to us. The studio is a bit small but and enough space for you to roam about and do your thing. The first step was to handle the clay then they thought us how to handle the wheel and then we got to choose if we wanted a vase, a cup or a bowl. We were in a small group of 6 due to which the teachers could explain and help us well. We ended up upgrading our class to include paint as well as we got to know that without the paint we won't be able to use the things we made of it involves water. My friend made a cute cup and I made a not so cute vase. I would definitely say that but the end of the class, we were rushing a bit and would have appreciated some help and tips from the teachers but we didn't get any. We had to constantly ask about things and where the brushes were and where the paints were. Since it was our first ever class, we would have appreciated a bit more help from the teachers in managing our time and helpful tips on how to glaze correctly instead of having to ask everything ourselves when we are already rushing. Regardless, we had a lot of fun and can't wait to pick up our pieces soon!

Loved my cooking class, made macaroons, the chef was very patient with everyone and the end results…read morewere great. loved the cleanliness and appreciated all the help around the kitchen as well. got to take our goodies home and got an apron and discounts at the end of the class :)

We recently attended a cooking class at Sur La Table, and only two couples were enrolled, which…read moremade for a much more personal experience. The facility was clean, and our instructor, Tim, was great--knowledgeable and full of pro tips. Unfortunately, the experience after the class was disappointing. After paying $109 per person, we were surprised to find that we had to stand while eating the meal we had just prepared. We also were not allowed to take any leftovers home. We've attended several cooking classes in Chicago as well as other cities, and every one of them provided seating so guests could comfortably enjoy their meal, as well as take-home containers for leftovers. Not allowing guests to take food home seems unnecessarily wasteful. It's difficult not to wonder whether the leftovers simply end up being discarded or eaten by staff. For the price of the class, providing chairs and take-home containers seems like a reasonable expectation. While Tim and the quality of the instruction were excellent, these two policies significantly detracted from the overall experience. Unfortunately, because of these inconveniences, we won't be attending another Sur La Table cooking class.

Finally visited this River North museum during my return to Chicago. Since I wasn't a CHI/IL…read moreresident, the adult ticket price was $22, however you can also opt for the Pay As You Wish option, which is essentially Suggested Donation. While the museum is 4 floors, the exhibits weren't as plentiful. The 1st floor is basically their cafe. The 2nd and 4th floors are prob the floors with more artwork. The 3rd fl felt like an "in-between" floor. Thankfully, the Yoko Ono exhibit was on display, which featured several interactive activations, like a Wish Tree or writing on a wall, which were fun. Their Museum Shop also spans from floors 1-2. I wouldn't say that this museum has the popular artists. The overall artworks are a mix of abstract, photography, and mixed media. I wouldn't recommend it as a "Must See" for tourists, personally. However, I'm an art enthusiast and still thought it was a decent museum to walk through. Perhaps opt for the Suggested Donation for this one.

I loved my experience! I really appreciate the free Tuesday nights for Illinois residents. That's…read moresuch a treat! Beautiful museum with multiple floors, excellent customer service, plenty of comfortable seating, cool gift shop, and a cafe and restaurant too. It has everything I need! The vibes are good here. I enjoyed all the floors and saw an impressive variety of art. I also wanted to see the Yoko Ono exhibit and I really enjoyed it. I appreciated how interactive it was. There were a few writing stations with activities, such as writing about your mom and taping it to the wall, and writing a wish on a tag and tying it to the wish tree. One room was blue and there were blue markers available and people were encouraged to add to it. Fabulous venue!

Richard Gray does not have a huge exhibition space, but what this gallery specializes in is first…read moreand secondary works by internationally known artists: Abakanowicz, Giacometti, Hockney, Katz, de Kooning and a full roster of blue chip art world names. Richard Gray Gallery functions as both a gallery representing specific artists but also acts as intermediary for a wide variety of private sales. Want a blue period Picasso? Richard Gray may know of one for sale somewhere in the world. Looking for a rare Magritte? Yes, Richard Gray is your gallery. This is the gallery for very discriminating tastes in fine art; a second location opened in New York.

From the owner: Modern and Contemporary American and European artread more

I have purchased several oil paintings from Hildt Galleries throughout the past ten years. The…read moreowner, Jeremy Hildt is a true professional. When I'm in Chicago, I always make time to visit the gallery to see the latest paintings that Jeremy is offering for sale. The paintings are always of the highest quality. I would highly recommend Hildt Galleries to anyone seeking fine impressionist paintings, as well as antique oil paintings. Hildt Galleries is a Chicago institution.

I don't know about the art, but the owner is lovely…read more Last weekend (when it was 100 degrees outside-- actually), my boyfriend and I stopped by Grahamwich for some lunch. We had our dog with us, who was seriously drooping from both the extreme heat, and the epic walk we had just taken her on-- a few miles is a long way on 3" legs! While my boyfriend battled the super-long line at Grahamwich, I sat outside with the puppy. The owner of Hildt came outside and invited us in to beat the heat. He let my dog lay on his oriental rug, sniff paintings, and run around his shop-- he was definitely less concerned about the situation than I was! Although I'm not currently in the market for fine art, when/if I am, I'll go to Hildt!

Artistic, talented, defined. What more can I say about Fidel and his gallery?! Bravo!read more

The venue for the invitation only 4th Annual Children's Coat Drive and a Holiday Party with…read moreunmotivated entertainers and participants. Acrylic Paintings didn't motivate party momentum. A cliquish anti-social event disguised as a party. THE IT SPACE -- the back room. SEATING -- plenty but there is no one wall that you can endlessly stare. SPACE -- plenty, but the party attendees behaved like its a dive bar so they congregated at the bar area with NO drinks. FOOD -- embarrassing to take photos. Caterer is missing after 1.5 hours after so-called party started. DESSERT -- too sweet, significantly ordinary from www.asweetsgirl.com. You can easily bake it at home.

Whenever I walk part the River East Art Center , I can't help but gaze at the beautiful artwork in…read morethe windows, especially at Juliet Sender Artist ~ Gallery. They have amazing original works of art that are of great value. The best part, however, is the amazing opportunity to meet the artists themselves. This was a wonderful place to visit, they have amazing artwork. The employees are friendly and the space is Beautiful!. I would highly recommend this!