The Art School, Inc. — Attraction in Milwaukee

I have been attending The Art School for a little over a year now and I have nothing but wonderful things to say about the environment and the class room. Whether you're a practiced artist or just want to learn something new, The Art School is a good place to take your first step or enhance your abilities.

Lisa (the teacher) is amazingly approachable and sweet. She takes generous time to instruct every student individually and allows every student to learn at their own pace, rather than propel the class at a single speed. If you are new to art she will provide many options to begin your journey. If you are more experienced (as I was) and wish to wade into new territory, she can expertly act as a guide. Her only wish is to help you make art, in nearly any medium you can think of, and allow you to take as much time as you need to complete a project. One of her greatest qualities is making everything understandable and teaching art theories/techniques in language even someone who has never held a piece of charcoal can understand. Any questions about art she will have a good answer to. She also offers multiple suggestions about how to tackle any creative problem so you are never railroaded into a single methodology.

The classroom/studio itself is a very warm and safe environment. Nick-nacks and other student's art hangs on the walls, some finished, and some in progress. It is inspiring to see how everyone else has their own style and that style is allowed to grow here. The area is wide open and allows for plenty of space to work in without bumping arms with the other students. There are also plenty of supplies to be shared in case you forget a brush or need more time to procure a supply of your own (you are expected to buy your own supplies for a project).

Besides the supplies you should acquire before starting a project (a detailed list of which will be provided depending on the medium you choose to tackle) the price for classes is very affordable. You can sign up for 8 weeks at a time (with 2 skip days allowed in case life happens) and continue paying for another 8 weeks once the first are done.

I have found the experience at The Art School to be tremendously relaxing, confidence building, fun, and inspiring. I would recommend this place to anyone looking to learn how to be a better artist on...

My teen (they/them) has been attending class at The Art School, Inc. just over a year now and really looks forward to class each week. I’ve seen their skills grow tremendously, but more importantly than growing in ART techniques, they are developing as an ARTIST.

AUTONOMY/RISK TAKING: My child has full freedom to create whatever project their artistic heart desires… sketch, watercolor, sculpture or otherwise. Andy, co-founder/instructor provides the perfect balance of guidance and independence. He knows when to let my child run with an idea and when to provide constructive feedback.

RISK TAKING/TENACITY: My teen has chosen to take on some fairly involved projects. The starting vision sometimes takes a different path as it leads towards the finished piece. They’ve learned to practice flexibility and pivot when things don’t go as planned (sometimes clay has a mind of its own!) Often, my child struggles to stay focused in regular school and other activities, but NEVER at The Art School, Inc., many times spending weeks on a project to fine-tune and explore layers of details.

COMMUNITY: Andy does an amazing job of creating a sense of community within the group. Students enjoy working on their individual/independent projects, while also sharing “all-class breaks”, where they take turns suggesting something they can all draw, but in their own style (think “improve for art”). Sometimes the topic may be cartoon characters, sometimes it’s seasonal, but it’s always fun. As an instructor in other venues and as an artist himself, Andy has been great about connecting my teen to the bigger picture – to think of their art as a body of work and selecting pieces to become part of a portfolio. Beyond the weekly class, he helps my child to explore how they might develop art into a future career. We’re fortunate to consider him a part of that network.

The weekly class is a bright spot in my child’s life – we highly recommend The Art...

My child did not receive fair, respectful and equal treatment during attending sessions provided at the art school. During session 3 my child expressed concerns about working on the same project that was worked on during session 1 with new art teacher named Lisa. My child mentioned experiencing criticism throughout the session while working on the project and was told to watched an art YouTube video during the class. Session 3 was a different experience than session 1 with the art teacher name Andy.According to the website, classes I signed my child up for, and the supplies recommended to buy we were never told what to expect from each session as there was not an agenda. In addition we were never informed of the instructors who were working for the day/week etc. Based on a previous conversation with Lisa I was under the impression that there would be a variety of art projects throughout these sessions and questioned what we could expect considering there was no set agenda in addition to her agenda in session 3. I received a response from the art teacher Lisa confirming what my child mentioned with additionally stating she would be discontinuing my child's enrollment based on the false description of the session and breaking policy based on demeanor. My spouse and I were never contacted, informed or approached about our child breaking policy and when I asked Lisa to elaborate on how my child broke policy based on demeanor, she had no response. If my child's actions were that extreme and severe, where participating in sessions were no longer allowed due to breaking policy etc..the issue would have been addressed immediately.The decision appears to be made more personally and based off personal emotions on the fact that the session/agenda/shenanigans were questioned. This is disturbing see that we're still living in a time where cultural diversity and equality is...