Birmingham-Bloomfield Art Center

I was pretty disappointed in an oil painting class I signed up for recently. Although the description of the class said the class would involve instruction and warm-​ups, so far there hasn’t been much of that, it’s been more of an «open studio» environment. If you know what you’re doing already then you’ll be fine, but if you don’t you’ll be completely lost (and if you know what you’re doing, why bother signing up for a «class»?). The «instruction» I received was the instructor coming over, and just painting over my picture (in black oil paint — do you know how hard that is to remove?!) what I should be doing — that is NOT HELPFUL. The purpose of my taking a class is for me to learn how to do it, not for your to do it for me! He also did this when what I was doing was correct — I’d be doing something in near-​white paint and he would come over and, without bothering to ask, start painting over it in black, just to illustrate how my proportions were *correct*. If they’re correct, just say so! Don’t wreck my painting!
The instructor also listed about $ 400 of required materials, but this list was not helpful either — although it listed twelve specific oil colors to buy only five were really used, and then for brushes there are *no* specifics, just «brushes». Having to guess I bought a few of several different sizes, and ended up wasting money by buying brushes that were too big, and also being ill-​prepared for the first class with not enough small brushes.
He also did not manage the classroom set up well, either, allowing a few individuals to crowd in by the model resulting in incredibly limited/​blocked view for others. Students in the front were not discouraged from randomly moving their set-​ups, meaning that even if you managed to find a non-​obstructed view, chances are one of the front people would eventually move in front of you anyway. There were not always enough supplies/​seats for students — I needed to scavenge trolleys from another studio.
Although there were several people in the class (including myself) who had never painted in oil before, which the teacher knew and asked about the first day, he offered very limited assistance on this — during the class I heard another beginner student asking an advanced students about all the basics of oil painting, from mixing paints to cleaning brushes — these are things the instructor should be teaching, the other students are not there to be teachers. To avoid teaching these things it appeared the instructor recommended these other beginner students work in a different, easier media. Um — I already *know* how to draw in pencils and charcoals, I am taking an oil painting class to learn about *oil painting*.
I’ve been teaching for almost ten years, and I would be mortified if I’d ever run a class as sloppily as this.
The only reason I am giving BBAC two stars instead of one is because of the very helpful staff. When I voiced my concerns the person I spoke to was very friendly and accommodating, offering to switch me into another class. I am hoping the next class will be better! However, when I spoke to the person on the phone they did say the class I registered for was designed for people who already knew the basics of oil painting — perhaps this could be made more clear. Although it says the class is for level 2 and up, it does not say what is equivalent to level 2 — having completed several art classes in college, I figured I would be roughly equivalent to a second-​level art student. It does not say the level is in oils specifically, not does it say in the description that the student is expected to have a proficiency in oils already — if I’d been the only beginner to show up I could chalk it up to my own deficiency in understanding, but since several beginners had shown up, perhaps the prerequisites should be clearer.
Still, even if I had a basic understanding of oil paints, I probably would not take this specific class again. I don’t believe the fees were worth the amount of instruction being given.

Anything art related can be done here. Birmingham-​Bloomfield Art Center hosts numerous art classes throughout the year for any age range, as well as summer art camps. You could also stop by and enjoy the variety of exhibits (which is something my family does at least once a year). If I am not mistaken, they are FREE. There is also the opportunity to buy diverse pieces of art, which always makes a good gift piece during the holidays. It’s sort of a hidden jewel that not many of my friends know about, so I am definitely a fan of spreading the word and getting people out here.