apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

This is a great post, as I am possibly moving to DC this summer and would be looking for an interior design school to attend! Does anyone know is Corcoran is a good school?

I'm so glad I found this post - it's one of my New Year's resolutions to take an art class and I live in the area so I'm definitely going to check these out. thanks!

tabitha
http://www.fromsingletomarried.com

ps - cool sculpture you made!

How about art classes that are NOT at an art school in DC. I am looking for just fun community art/craft classes. For now, I don't need serious art instruction, just some structure, simple direction, supplies and a nice big space to get messy.

I have looked at Corcoran and the Art Institute but the classes are kind of pricey - but they seem super high-quality and college level. I just want fun!

~k

Do investigate the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, VA. It's a brisk walk east to the waterfront from the King Street Metro stop. I lived in the area for twenty years and really enjoyed spending Sunday afternoon there. Have fun!

I second the Torpedo Factory. I've taken a ton of classes there - from print and tile making to a few intro graphic design courses.

I learned basic sewing from G Street Fabrics as well. They have more advanced stuff, but I was happy enough to learn how to sew a napkin.

There is a G Street Fabric that I go to that's in Seven Corners in Falls Church, VA - just a couple of miles (5 miles) outside the District line.

What a pleasant surprise to see one of my favorite design blogs has a posting about art classes in DC! There is an open house at the Corcoran downtown campus this Thursday January 15th from 6-8p.m., please stop by to check out our facilities.

kathyh - I may be a little biased but yes Corcoran is a good school and the interior design faculty are fantastic.

kdear - if you are looking to take some classes just for the fun of it check out our short courses.

Doris Ostrander
Director of Continuing Education
Corcoran College of Art Design
http://corcoran.edu/ce

places i like:

Capitol Hill Arts Workshop
http://www.chaw.org/

DC Glassworks
www.dcglassworks.com

and i do my glass work here:
Washington Glass School
http://washglass.com

Keep doing posts like this!

Regarding Corcoran and moving to the DC area; I moved out here about 2 years ago and was disappointed that I could not find anything in the tri-state area around industrial design or furniture design. I just registered for my first class in continuing ed at the Corcoran and am VERY excited. It took me a while to find out they offer classes in furniture design and such under their sculpture program. I am told their degree programs push you to challenge your artistic outlets.

I have also heard really good things about Artspace for just fun, inexpensive classes.

kdear- I've taken art classes and photography classes before at my local community center. You might check out the DC Parks and Recreation website to see if there are any classes that interest you.

Any ideas about where to take classes in the Baltimore area? I haven't really located anything since I moved here last year from San Francisco.

I take classes at the Art League in Alexandria with Robert Liberace. He's a great teacher and I've learned a lot in the year I've studied with him.

There are some wonderful teachers there and people in my class come in as far away as Front Royal VA, Fredrick MD and Baltimore. They offer a variety of fine arts classes in sculpture, painting, drawing and fabric arts. They also reach out to the local community by supporting A Space of Her Own project which reaches out to local young girls.

There's also Glen Echo!
http://www.glenechopark.org/class/classctlgIndex.aspx

Check out the Arlington Arts Center:
http://www.arlingtonartscenter.org
You can literally see it from the Virginia Square Metro stop. I have a bunch of friends who take classes there and really like it.

Art classes!
Baltimore has MICA, a top-notch art school with BA and MA programs. I've taken a semester-long drawing 101 class there that was fantastic. Maryland Institute College of Art.

Sewing classes!
I just found out that the Marimekko Concept Store in downtown Silver Spring offers sewing classes - kowabunga! They're not cheap, but I plan to take a couple this year. Marimekko class information.

G Street Fabrics classes do tend to be good and in summer and early fall, when the days are longer and the weather is nicer, it's not a bad walk from the Rockville Metro stop, maybe 20 minutes each way, and with a sidewalk the whole way. I don't know who plans their curriculum, though, and I have a hard time finding classes there that pique my interest.

Also, the DC Chamber of Commerce has just recently provided funding for a group called DC Threads, which has monthly Sewing Lounges on the second Saturday of the month from 1-4 pm at the North Michigan Recreation Center in Northeast DC, near Fort Totten. DC Threads.

Marymount University in Arlington also has a fashion program, but I don't know how easy it is to take individual classes. Marymount Fashion Design Program.

Kathyh-

My 2 cents about interior design schools in DC...there are basically 3 options. The Corcoran, GW, and Marymount.

I am in the Master's Program at Marymount. I looked at all 3 schools and decided on Marymount because a) it's ACCREDITED by CIDA (which the Corcoran is not, which will make it all that much harder to be eligible to take the NCIDQ exam down the road), b) they offer night classes and flexible scheduling for the people who still have day jobs, aka ME (GW requires that you go to school full time), and c) more affordable than GW.

While Marymount is by no means perfect, overall it has been a very positive experience for me so far. Much of the faculty is excellent, and I see continuing efforts to improve the program. I don't know what your needs are, but check out all 3 schools! If you have more question feel free to post again on here and I can get back to you with my email address.