Open Arts Studio

I went to one of their paint nights on Friday — it seemed a bit disorganized. We arrived at 6:30, but didn’t really start painting until 7:15 and they were scrambling to get paint out as we were sitting there. We had to ask for all of the brushes we needed, because they weren’t put out. It wasn’t clear where to check in for the night — we peeked into the open arts studio and saw a different paint night going, so we walked upstairs and found where we were going. Possibly due to the shape of the room, it was difficult to see and follow our artist — she wasn’t a very linear teacher, leaving us to scramble to figure stuff out. She was very kind and walked around to help us, but it was a much more frustrating process than other companies we’ve painted with.

I went the first time with my daughter and we thoroughly enjoyed it.
I enjoyed it so much that I went back the next day and they squeezed me in and I put out another painting which I love and everybody loves.
If you do not have an artistic bone in your body it’s a good place to start and it makes you feel like you can complete something in one sitting.
The arts House Café right next-​door serves gourmet food and wine as you’re doing your class and it is so much fun.
We are scheduled again this coming Friday. This time I’m bringing three of my daughters and several good friends are coming to join in on the fun.

My boyfriend bought the painting class on living social as something new to do… We got there, really easy check in, very friendly open staff… Sat down got our supplies… Everything went smooth. I was pretty skeptical that I with no creative bone would bust out anything resembling the butterfly on the flower that was planned… Leslie the instructor was phenomenal… She walked us through every step and made it so much fun! Everyone in the class was awesome and fun to interact with. Having wine available helped:) We love our pictures and will be going back soon… From checking us in to seating us, serving us drinks, informing us of upcoming events to the actual teaching by Leslie… The staff was amazing!

Me and my girlfriend did the painting Picasso class and it was a blast! Leslie was the best teacher ever! Made us all feel super comfortable and we can’t wait to come back. Loved it!

I’ve got nothing but good memories about Open Arts. This place has been really influential in helping me to grow as an artist, and to expand my horizons. I’ve taken Drawing, Watercolors, and Sculpting here (I think I did Sculpting for two sessions and Watercolors for three or four…) and always felt that the instructors really knew what they were talking about, and were focused on helping me improve my skills. Everyone that works here has been very friendly and helpful.
I’m kind of sad to see that the number of classes offered to adults has been cut back on, but I guess kids have more time/​desire for art than adults usually, so it’s understandable. I still hope to take more classes here soon!

Open Arts is a studio offering classes in drawing, pottery, sewing, voice, piano and guitar. Most classes are for children/​teens, but they do have a fair set of classes for adults as well.
John, the director of Open Arts Studio, is a dynamic guy who is so charismatic… it’s easy to envision him sitting at a piano, leading a bunch of people in song around a piano a la Cole Porter. He’s the voice teacher and drawing teacher and he’s great at both.
Home schoolers note: they offer classes during the day for home school students!
For me, one caveat is the price. It’s not astronomical, but most classes are about $ 125 for a session, about 5 classes, and it adds up. I believe it’s because of this that some classes aren’t very full. On the up side, if you take more than one class, or have multiple children enrolled, you get a 10% discount.
They hope to add cooking classes somewhere down the line. We are looking forward to the addition as I know my daughter would learn a lot because they are both organized and inspiring at Open Arts!