Palo Alto Art Center

The Bird exhibit is interesting. The feathers machine is fun and ingenious. This is a fun neighborhood Art Center where I bring my visitors for a relaxing 30 min walk through.

I went here because I was driving around and saw that there was an event held outside. I had time to kill so I decided to pull in and walk around. At first, I was greeted by someone who asked if I wanted a valet and said no thank you. There was visible parking right there, I don’t understand why people couldn’t just park right there and save $ 8. There were a bunch of tables and booths with various forms of art. I was able to look around and the people here were friendly.
There was also a food truck here! It was a great experience because I’m usually not the person to prospect art but I’m glad I was able to. The fact that it was outdoors was awesome because I was able to walk around my puppy and made a couple of new friends.

My daughter just had her 9^th birthday party here recently, and Palo Alto Art Center was FANTASTIC. I have never been to Palo Alto Art Center, and I simply booked the space by email and phone. Really easy and efficient. The art room they gave us was bright and sunny and beautiful, and adjacent to a lush, shaded courtyard that the kids also loved. A staff member led the kids through 45 minutes of clay sculpture (air dry), followed by a sculpture tour outside. We brought some additional crafts for the kids to do, and we served refreshments and b-​day cake for the second hour. The kids had a great time, and our daughter was thrilled! It was a lovely, lovely, leisurely afternoon. (And so different from the noisy, bouncy-​house, musty-​smelling, assembly-​line-​type birthdays we have typically hosted in the past and routinely attend!) We will definitely host here again for future bday parties, and will also check out their regular catalog of classes!!! A true gem in Palo Alto.

WOW — the remodel of the building goes well beyond bricks and drywall. The idea of Community Creates was supremely executed — wonderful connections to how community sees and participates in art.
The exhibitions on The Palo Alto Forest and the Veterans Project are outstanding. Angela Filo invited the community to participate in the Spring by sending in photos of trees in Palo Alto. her glass, wood and wire sculpture is exquisite. 120 of my students from last year sent in photos so I took 3 of my Photo classes from this year on walking field trips to see it. Angela Filo came and spoke to students about the work and gave me permission to videotape it to share with future students. One day I logged in 2 hours of walking time with 2 classes from Paly to PAAC. I had students read an article titled No Child Left Inside. They loved the field trip, the photos and playing in Patrick Dougherty’s stick houses out in front.
Students were delighted by Anthony Discenza’s Street Signs along the way to the PAAC — so nice to see the same posters on display in the gallery — a real treat!
The staff was incredibly accommodating to our time needs — opening early just for us! I was personally touched by the sensitive line drawings of Lava Thomas’ veterans and the way that she paired letters and photos with their stories. Magnificent drawing talent.

this review is for the preschool– parent and me clay class. Our teacher was kathleen. She is truly a gem!
she truly cares for the kids and parents. she makes this class so fun.
absolutely love this class and hope to take it again with my son !

This review is long overdue! I would like to give a shout out to the «Cultural Kaleidoscope» Program (funded by the city of Palo Alto). As a teacher in the public school system, it’s devastating to see so many programs being eliminated due to budget cuts. We lost our art teacher a couple of years ago due to lack of funding.
This is my 2^nd year getting selected into this program. I know, I don’t spend enough time teaching Art to my students. By the time, we cover all the core curriculum… there’s barely anytime to squeeze in any fun electives such as Art.
Kate is awesome! She is the coordinator of the program and is always so well-​organized! It truly amazes me how much love and passion goes into this program. We meet once every 2 months to go over with the artists what would be covered in the classroom. You will see dedicated teachers meeting outside of school time (meetings ending at 6:30pm) and artists working collaboratively. The meetings would take place at the Palo Alto Art Center. It’s always fun to look at the exhibits here since it changes throughout the year.
This is my 2^nd time working with Claude (artist) who has worked wonders in my class. My students love him and the kids always have fun making the Dogan African Masks. By the end of the project, the kids get to see their artwork displayed at the Palo Alto Art Center.
Field trips come out of the teacher’s pocket or through grant writing (done by the teacher as well). As the economy tanks, there are less and less grants out there for teachers. I can’t thank you enough for allowing us to go on some field trips through this program. It’s so crucial to keep the Arts and Music alive in our schools!
You guys ROCK… Kate, artists, teachers, and docents!!!

As a patron and docent, I can’t say enough good things about the art center. Every few months another interesting show – all free unless you can leave a donation which is appreciated.
Classes have been fun that I’ve taken too.
This is typically a terrific outing for families. You can take in the Palo Alto Jr. Museum and Zoo in the same trip as well. It’s only a few blocks away. Or, spend some time in Rinconada Park for a picnic and swim.
You can always check the Web page to see what’s showing.

After years of driving by the Palo Alto Art Center, my children and I finally had a chance to visit the place. What a wonderful place it is too! We recently attended a family day for Dia de Los Muertos where we enjoyed learning about this rich Mexican tradition through arts and crafts as well as the beautiful exhibit of treasures from the country as well.
The facility is open and ready for imaginative work. The staff is friendly and encouraging. I can’t believe it took us so long to get ourselves to this treasure that has been hiding in plain sight for all of these years. We will be back much, much sooner next time!
The exhibit, «Treasures from The Mexican Museum: A Spirited Legacy» will run thorugh April 18, 2010, make sure you stop by and enjoy this amazing display.

You’ve got to love this little arts hub.
Right now they have Treasures From The Mexican Museum on display. Free!!! This is a wonderful collection. If you have a chance to drop by… do it!
Every time I come by here they have something great going on. Today was the Family day for Dia de Los Muertos. Craft projects and the exhibit as well. All included in your free admission. For the festival they also had a wonderful Mexican Food vendor.
Janette H. is the volunteer coordinator for the programs and can always use a helping hand, so if you feel like participating in an event or two, you should call the center. She is very charming and has a great sense of humor.
This is a great way to meet local people. I love volunteering.
Here’s the link to the center. (see the volunteer link.)
P. S. tomorrow is the S.F. Dia… procession in the Mission! I’m so there.

So much happens here, there are art exhibits, classes, lectures and a store where you can buy items. A great art center for adults and children. I have seen exhibits and gone to the free summer lecture series with visiting artists in the auditorium.

Although small, the Palo Alto Art Center regularly houses some of the most interesting cultural exhibits in the city. From Native American artwork to an exhibition of local startup IDEO’s inventions through the years to the annual favorite Glass Pumpkin Festival, the Art Center has a ton to offer.
The Art Center also hosts art, music and dance classes, as well as special events and art fairs. Check the schedule to see what’s coming up.

I haven’t been here in a long time, but I volunteered here several times and had a great experience each time. As a volunteer they really seem to care about your experience as well as your education. The art exhibitions and events are great for the whole family. It’s not the biggest place but it utilizes what it has.

Went to see the exhibit, Intertwined: Contemporary Baskets. Every item was woven out of some type of material such natural fibers, metal and man made (fabric, plastics). There were even some chain mail items which gives you an idea of the looseness of the «woven» theme. My favorite item was the woven square that had a woven ball suspended in the middle. Off to the side was a hands on room for people to weave various materials in a bicycle rim.
There are other exhibit rooms as well as a gift shop. There are various types of studios and courtyards for art classes. It looks like an inspiring place to work.

Yesterday we took our munchkins out to a «Cultural Kaleidoscope» event hosted by the Art Center and associated Palo Alto Art Foundation. This one was a free public event hosted in the auditorium of a nearby elementary school.
I have to admit that although I went along rather grudgingly (most sunny days I’d prefer to be out playing at a park than inside painting), I was very impressed with the event and ended up having a great time. The Art Center folks and their army of volunteers had setup about 8 different tables, each with its own fun and thoughtful art station ranging from Mosaics to Native American Masks to «Stained Glass Windows» made from tissue paper. Each of them was well thought out and amazingly accessible to everyone from our little guys (our 3 and 5 year olds had a blast) to the many junior high school students we also saw there.
Apparently they host free public art & craft days like this every few weeks. I can’t seem to find a schedule online right now… but would definitely suggest giving them a call if your little one could use a fun creative experience.

Good teachers and interesting classes. The grounds are pretty impressive too compared to other places I have taken figure drawing workshops. Free gallery onsite with interesting shows, there’s a donation box but no gatekeeper.
The only complaint is about the administration — if the class starts at 9AM the doors don’t even open until 9AM. No time to set up early, but you can run late on the back end sometimes. The studios are big and they provide decent easels. I think you can also pay a fee to work there during the non classtimes if you need studio space. Presumably then you can use one of the lockers for storage — not sure.
Really good selection of classes, check them out at
And there’s parking!

I nannied a girl who took classes here and enjoyed them. I like the exhibits. The space is interesting and small, with changing displays. It is usually empty, so it is a great place to take kids; it’s free, the exhibits are good conversation starters, and you can cover the whole space without running out of steam.