Sweetwater Center for the Arts

Had a ceramics class with Liana. I had a great time and made cute pieces.Update: when I was finally able to pick up my items after two months, none of them were done right. I'm not going to take the time to enumerate everything that is wrong, but I was told that the pictured piece fell off in the kiln. If that were true, there wouldn't be glaze on the surfaces that need to be re-joined. This cannot even be fixed. So in addition to doing careless work with the glaze, they were untruthful about what happened. This was a frankly a terrible experience.

Took a planter class in April. Was told it would be a month. Every time we asked, they had excuses and said it still wasn't ready. Said we wanted to pickup our pieces whether they were finished or not and would finish the pieces elsewhere. The day we were coming, they called to say it was ready. One piece was glazed only halfway and in the wrong color. The other was over glazed enough so the relief is gone and they dripped another glaze on it and you can see the finger mark where they attempted to wipe it off. When we called about a refund, we were quite frustrated and were told that we needed a discussion with the instructor to figure out if they had done anything wrong. Could not be more disappointed. Will never return. Would recommend trying somewhere else if someone is considering going here.

Every neighborhood in Western PA has a little gem. Sometimes a few. Well this is one for Sewickley.Been to a couple of art exhibits here and have thoroughly enjoyed myself.Not so long ago I took a ceramics class here. Ceramics was a big thing when I was a kid and always had so much fun doing it with my mom and sisters. Being able to take a class again brought back all of those childhood memories growing up in Beaver County.The instructor was patient, informative and very good at ceramics.

A little over a week ago, my boyfriend and I went to a ceramics class at Sweetwater and we couldn't be happier with the wonderful experience we had! Typical ate nights are fun, but we like to shake things up and go do things that are a little eccentric. We had been talking for a while about wanting to experiment with ceramic art and this was the perfect opportunity.I had found out about Sweetwater through a program Pittsburgh has called RADical Days, where a multitude of local businesses offer free demonstrations, samples, admission, etc. Sweetwater was one of them, but the free registration for the open ceramics studio was filled up. This inspired me to look into the classes they offer, and as a result I ended up registering us for a class making ceramic ornaments. The neat things about this class were that it only cost $50 each for 3 hours of studio time, and that it was BYOB. We arrived with a bottle of red blend wine in hand and no idea what to expect but we quickly found our studio. Our instructor, Meg, was extremely friendly and welcoming. Meg did a demonstration on how to get started using the tools we had to work with the clay. Soon enough we were cranking out our ornaments and pondering ideas for the next piece to create. After we carved them or shaped them, it was time for the underglaze. For $50 we had a lot to work with, from several types of clay to the array of pigmented underglazes with unlimited possibilities. We made a whole tray of ornaments and will be returning to paint them in the next couple weeks. I'll post some pictures once they've gone through the works entirely.Sweetwater was so kind to us and without a doubt I will be back to take another course or attend a workshop. Aside from ceramics they offer programs in acting, jewelry making, culinary arts, painting, etc. They also have classed for kids which is wonderful. I love everything that Sweetwater stands for, and I'm fortunate to have been able to visit!

OMG this place is infuriating. First, I took a ceramics class. Me and one other student sat there for AN HOUR, and then had to go find someone, because the instructor never showed up. Then the next week, I get an email 15 minutes before the class starts telling me I have been reassigned to a different class that is during the day... Ummm, some people have real jobs.Then, I settle on an open studio class, with no instruction whatsoever, instead, which they tell me will result in a $65 credit on my account. Ok, whatever, but I already have plans for one day of the class, so I ask to reschedule. I am told that they don't do make-up sessions, but I can pay to rent the studio. So, I call to talk to the person that I have been emailing with, since there was obviously a misunderstanding. I explain to Erin that she had just switched me into that class and my original class was on another day, so I was asking for a make-up day for the switch (which was completely their fault). Erin immediately gets an attitude with me and tells me that this isn't going to happen, huffs at me, and goes silent. I was livid.I re-explained to her that I was in the Monday class, but they didn't have an instructor, and now they put me in another class, etc. She still refuses, so I ask to talk to someone else. At this point, she immediately gives in and lets me do a make-up class (super weird, right).I take open studio, it is fine.Next session, I take screenprinting. The first class the instructor tells us that they do not actually have anything at Sweetwater to create screens for screenprinting, and we proceed to cut out paper and tape to make shapes to print on paper. This is not my idea of screen printing. Then, (big surprise here) I get an email telling me that the instructor is no longer teaching the class. I email back asking about printing screens, but get no response, so I call and get to talk to Erin again (Yay). I tell her that I am done, and would like all of my money back (the credit to my account and the money for screen printing). She immediately huffs at me again and gets an attitude. She proceeds to tell me that I must have used the credit to pay for screen printing (which I didn't), and then starts asking me about how I paid and why I paid the way I did. Ummm, hello, I paid online with a credit card, like we do in this century. She then tells me that I should have called to use the credit BUT WAIT then continues to tell me that the credit is gone!!I did finally get her to admit that she could see that I paid for screenprinting with my credit card, and am waiting for a refund there, but she is supposed to email me about my other credit. This place is such a debacle. I don't know what is going on, but EVERY class I have signed up for had the instructor quit, and now they may have lost track of my money.All of this being said, I have met some really wonderful people at Sweetwater including both a ceramics instructor (Meg) and another employee (Alex). I might consider going back at some point, just because it is really conveniently located for me. If I do, I will update this post.Edit 2-13-2018 (14 days later): I still haven't gotten a refund and Erin has told me that she can no longer help me, I need to talk to my credit card company. This is for refunds that should have been given Oct 18 and Jan 31. I am going to have to charge back the transactions to get my money back.

Let's see what does Sweetwater offer to the community- A lot. So much that I don't know if I can cover everything in just one Yelp review. And that is why Sweetwater Center for the Arts is amazing. It's an arts center that is perfect for anyone aged 2-112. Children, Adults, Singles, Families. Sweetwater is the Place for you. There are classes, performances, gallery space, camps, special events- just too much to detail. And the staff is just fantastic. Great people who are passionate about the community & arts. Check it out.

Great gallery space, classrooms for art and music. Classes for children and adults. The space is a beautifully renovated historic post office. A wonderful resource for the community!

I have had the best experiences at Sweetwater!! Wonderful classes and great staff! Had to make a change to a class and Erin made it painless! Was surprised to see a negative review that mentioned her, she's always been so professional and upbeat in my dealings with her! Five stars to Erin and the rest of the staff!

The Sweetwater is an amazing center for the creative arts. My 8 year old has taken art classes, pottery classes, christmas classes, and henna tatoo classes. Each class is well prepared and fun for the children. I recommend for anyone who has a love for the arts.