Philly Art Center Fairmount Location

I took a mixed media art class here during winter ²⁰¹⁴⁄₂₀₁₅. The instructor was Amy Ritter and she was great, she gave us detailed instructions and made sure to monitor our projects and help us throughout each 3 hour class.
Prior to this class, I hadn’t taken an art class in years, so I opted for an intro class and I received both an excellent refresh on work I had done in the past and introductions to techniques new to me. The cost of the class is a bit high, but all supplies are included (though they’re a bit worn, so some people opted to bring their own supplies anyway. I personally had no issues.). That said, it seemed like I was the only one who paid full price, everyone else in the class mentioned that they found a Groupon that cut the price; I’m not sure how much of a discount they got from the Groupon, but it’s something to look out for.

My grandson’s third birthday party was held here and I was totally impressed. The staff was sweet, helpful and relaxed, in spite of the fact that they were dealing with kids of mixed ages and in the middle of a snowstorm. The art activity they did with the kids was age appropriate and they did a great job of helping the kids get started and then letting them do their own thing. Even the two year olds were completely engrossed. They have a room in the back for pizza, cake, etc. and they do all the party favors for you. This is a great place to have a birthday party! Highly recommended!

I really want to give this place a higher rating because it has such a great vibe and the owner is just a wonderful seeming person. I have only taken adult art classes there and they might be fantastic for kids classes, but I found the adult classes lacking.
I was very impressed that they went ahead with a class that only had three people enrolled. Kudos. But the teacher was not that good. I have taken adult art classes in Philly and many other cities and usually have teachers who are practicing and exhibiting artists in their field, who know a great deal about their craft or art form. I did not find this to be true with the teacher I had here.
The assignments were broad and unrealistic for the seven week course. There was little guidance or feedback. The teacher’s inability to give detailed information about the skills we were learned made so much sense when she said she is not a practicing artist any more and does not make work.
The center is a wonderfully friendly place and I did meet some nice students there. The relaxing vibe made it worth the money and I thought the classes were reasonably priced. But what I got was a few hours of downtime and social time each week, and what I had hoped for was a learning experience.

There are 2 locations, though offerings can vary, one in Fairmount and the other in Queen Village. The staff is great and they are really flexible on who can come when. My 13-​year-​old son really liked it.