Express Yourself Art Barn

Love this place! We came as an activity during a bachelorette party! They easily accommodated all of us (15 people) working on different projects. I made a mosaic tray which took about 1.5−2 hours (great place for kids on a rainy day). It was a bit pricey… Approximately $ 50 but I love the result!!! And to have it made from scratch means so much!
Keep in mind that it can get quiet busy during the summer months especially on rainy days. Plan ahead and go early before the crowds!

Our favorite place for rainy days. Unlimited options to choose from and fun for all ages. It’s a great place to try glass fusing or another art form. We look forward to visiting here every summer.

I’m pretty torn about my review for this place. On one hand, the concept and facilities are AMAZING. Total 5-​star. The prices are very reasonable, the site is gorgeous and there is such a variety of things you can work on. It’s a crafters dream. It’s really beyond any paint your own pottery place. You can do a multitude of things that have already been outlined in other reviews. The supplies are plentiful. There is no way you can’t come up with something to make.
So, why only three stars? Well, the woman that runs it is less than hospitable. Word from friends that had been here prior talked about an amazing woman that would come around and encourage everyone and loved talking with the customers and seeing what they were making, helping give ideas to those stalled by the sheer vastness of all that is available. This is not the woman we have seen in our last few visits. She seems almost annoyed if you ask her a question. She certainly does not come around to talk to you or encourage you in any way. I don’t know if she’s burned out or what the deal is, but it really starts to take away from the experience and makes you wonder if it’s worth the trip or if you want to continue to give her your money. Coming from out of state is really an endless cycle. The pieces aren’t ready right away (totally understandable) but in order to make the trip worth while, you end up creating a new thing that will cost just as much to ship (if not more) than what you made. Sure, you can spend the night and make a weekend of it, but if you have to get back home the next day, good luck asking if she can somehow push your stuff to the front of the line so you don’t have to wait until 4pm to pick up your things. She simply repeats her policies with not even an «I’m sorry I can’t help you.» or a «I really appreciate you coming all this way (multiple times), why don’t you do x, y and z and I can work with you.» Nope, just a cold, less-​than-​helpful email.
I suspect my next trip to pick up my things will involve just picking it up and making jewelry or something I can take immediately. And I likely won’t make the trip back again. My time and money would be better served trying to find some place more local.

Great place to take the kids, especially on a rainy day. So much to choose from to paint. Prices are pretty reasonable to other paint barns.

LOOOOOVE the Art Barn SO SO SO much! Have come many a time when I’m in the Saugatuck area to paint some pottery (my apartment is filled with gnomes, cupcake statues, and little plates that I’ve painted here) and every time has been awesome.
The basic gist is this: You come into the Art Barn and choose what craft you want to do. There’s pottery painting as I mentioned, as well as jewelry making, glass fusion, mosaics, wood painting etc. I’ve only done the pottery painting so I’ll speak to that but I’ve been with folks who have done other things and found them equally as enjoyable.
With the pottery you pay a flat $ 8 fee for using the paint, brushes, space, and for the firing of your finished piece. Then you pay for the piece you actually want to paint. They range in small pieces around $ 4 all the way up to large sculptures for around $ 30. The awesome lady running the place (I’m sorry I’ve never caught her name) will set you up with the appropriate paints and explain the process to you and then you let your creativity run wild! My favorite piece that I’ve ever painted has been a garden gnome which ran me around $ 25 dollars for the piece itself but he is fairly large.
When you have finished painting you pay and leave your piece and it is collected by the aforementioned awesome lady who will then fire the pieces that night. You then come back the next day after 2pm to pick up your glazed and beautiful finished pieces.
The stuff I’ve made here has been really really lovely. I’m a bit of a perfectionist so I spend A LOT of time doing multiple coats on my pieces so the colors are saturated and non streaky. I also like to spend some time doing some shading and detail work but if you’re not as hardcore as I your work will still come out looking lovely.
The space is large with big wooden tables with about 5 or 6 seats per so you can come with a larger group. There’s a jukebox and it plays a wide variety of tunes from oldies to new jack swing (a block of which I caught this past weekend and it was AWESOME. It’s always great to paint a unicorn while listening to Bobby Brown). The space is actually a barn so the doors are open wide allowing for plenty of sunshine and fresh air to come in. This also means that if it’s chilly outside bring a sweater because it’s going to be chilly inside too. The land outside the barn is on is adorable. Beautiful flowers everywhere and cute pieces made at the barn decorate the garden. There’s also a small water tower with petticoats hanging out from it which always brings me memories of being a kid watching «Petticoat Junction» on Nick at Night.
We took my 2.5 year old cousin this past weekend to the barn she LOVED it. I don’t think she’s ever produced anything that she’s been prouder of (a small ceramic kitty that she painted orange, teal and white). After picking up the finished piece she carried it around the rest of the day and talked at length about how pretty her kitty was (Sadly kitty had a fall and the bottom got chipped but that’s what happens when little ones with sweaty palms carry around ceramic statues. Luckily kitty will be easily glued back together).
A trip to the Art Barn is a great rainy day activity for families in town with kids or for couples or groups of friends in town and want to do something other than walk around town or go to the beach. The perfect afternoon activity that let’s your creative juices run free.