Pratt Fine Arts Center

I cannot possibly put into words how great it was to take a 2-​day workshop on drawing and painting in the style of Matisse this past weekend! Kiki MacInnis was a superb instructor and got so much out of all of the students… she unlocked a lot of ideas and skills in each of us and presented everything in an organized and enriching progression. I am SO GLAD I took this class!!!

Great instructors, interesting and fun classes. I’ve taken glass fusing and glass beadmaking classes — really fun.
Some instructors have been disappointing. For instance, there was an intro fusing teacher a few years ago who just set us free to work on projects without really instructing us much. That would be okay for an intermediate workshop but not for an intro class and we didn’t know enough to realize that we should be learning more.
Other teachers have been excellent, like Cheryl Matson.
If you get a chance to take glass beadmaking classes, go for it! It’s so much fun, and you get to play with fire.

My daughter took a glass making class here in the summer and came home with some priceless pieces! This place is amazing and the instructors are awsome!

Two sweet, sweet words that make this place uniquely awesome:
COLOR PROCESSOR
Photo people, there’s a 30″ colex here for $ 7/​hr or $ 50/​day. Seriously reasonable rate for such a rare piece of gear. Todd runs it and is super helpful. All the staff seem great, and the rest if the facilities look rad too!

Pratt has kept giving, giving, and giving to me as I transform as an artist.
I’ve been going since 2006 for drawing, painting, glassblowing, metalworking, and flameworking. Pratt is the most competitively priced and fully featured glass studio in the northwest. You can rent studios for glassblowing, sand casting, kilns, flameworking, and coldworking for glass alone.
Every class has been excellent and provided me portfolio material that I used to get into art school. Every instructor has been awesome! The rental program in flameworking is easy to get certified if you know what you’re doing and inexpensive. I will continue going there as long as I make art in Seattle.
Caveats: the location is a little bit sketchy and there is not much space to store your ongoing projects. Solution: go by car and don’t bring valuables.

This place is great! I’ve only taken one class here (Intro to Glassblowing), but I’ll definitely be coming back. The enthusiasm of our teacher (Lydia Boss) was contagious. She was very clear, supportive, and encouraging. I was expecting to come away from the 2-​day class with just a paperweight… but at the end, I had filled a bag with a glass flower, bowl, and a couple of ornaments! Talk about a great experience– and a great value!

Located in the heart of the Central District, Pratt has existed since the late 1970’s serving up amazing art classes and resources for artists before living anywhere remotely near this area was «hip».
Currently I am thrilled with their Expressive Art class for 11 to 14 year olds. Parents of pre-​teens hear me when I say it’s hard to find classes for this narrow age group. Reasonably priced — about 2 months of 2 hour weekly classes are $ 125. The lessons are meaty and go beyond simple still life sketching… really exercising the young artist’s intellect.
Pratt offers «pay as you can» art classes for children of all ages also, with priority given to residents of the CD. Scholarships are available for most of their other classes as well and worth looking into.
A wide variety of mediums are offered: metal/​jewelry, printmaking, painting, sculpture, glass, multi-​media and drawing — but that’s not necessarily everything.
Pratt is a real urban pioneer, revitalizing force and innovator worth checking out and supporting!
²⁰⁄₃₀

I have only been able to dabble in Pratt’s Jewelry/​Metalsmithing Class I as well as a custom/​private class, so my experience is limited, but I think that no matter what class you try, you’re gonna like the end result with Pratt.
Pratt is a place you can come to regenerate, refresh, and appreciate the talents of others while learning to do as they do. The first class I took here was an 8-​week (meeting once per week) course in beginning metalsmithing that allowed us to learn basic to intermediate soldering at an appropriate pace. My instructor (Ms. Sarah Loertscher) is an amazing and very talented young artist with a lot to offer (and an amazing jewelry line). Pratt has every tool you need (and then some) and also offers open studio hours so you can come take advantage of their space and tools for a small fee. The website has an online catalog as well as online class registration that couldn’t be any easier to use. There is also ample parking space.
My experience has been very good here. My metalsmithing skills have come farther than they would have on my own and I am looking forward to my next class at Pratt.

Where else can your 14 year old learn to work with glass, metal work and forging? Not sure there is anywhere else quite like this. The quality of instruction is top-​notch. Thank you, thank you, thank you to Pratt staff for sharing their passion with kids and for offering a unique teen program.

AMAZING. Go to a glass blowing class here, go now! You won’t regret it! It’s worth it!
I went here for a work morale event recently and I now have a new-​found appreciation for glass art. We got a sort of intro to glass blowing with our group of about 15 people with 3 instructors; it was like a private lesson, perfect!
We were able to cater Thai food (what else, of course!), bring beers/​wine to drink, then learn how to blow glass. WAAAAAAY harder than I imagined.
The instructors varied in teaching style, but were all nice, real, and down to earth people who honestly love what they are doing. Always the best type of people to learn from. In our 4-​hour class, we were able to make flowers, both white and colored, ornaments, bowls, paper weights, and the instructors even contributed to an over-​the-​top vase!
Glass blowing is incredibly hard and takes so much work/​practice to really make some of the amazing things out there.
Bottom Line: Take classes here. The instructors are awesome, what you learn is priceless. It’s totally worth it — do it. DO IT. :)

I LOVE Pratt. Enough said? No.
I was researching drawing classes in the city, and finally decided on Pratt because it just sounded like the approach I wanted to be taking. It is a place where you will not cease to be inspired by your instructors and your peers. If there is anything your creative soul craves, I think you’ll find it here.
It’s more a sanctuary than just a space and place for art. You’ll feel it with everyone who teaches and learns there. The instructors are passionate and very encouraging. They always have the time to talk and listen to you. I never notice how time flies when I’m there!
Just when you thought you had an excuse to say you never had the chance to take art in school, or pursue it, or explore it…
… oh, no. Not anymore. Go on. Sign up. It’s never too late.

There’s no place like Pratt anywhere in the US, as far as I have been able to find, except maybe a place in Oakland called «The Crucible».
Basically, Pratt has all the facilities of a big University fine arts program, without all the annoying professors and all the other baggage that comes with college. You can rent use of the facilities by the hour-​block, day or by the month. You can also take mini-​classes that are focused on specific processes and skills, not on esoteric stuff like how to be an artist or what is art.
I use Pratt as my welding studio and have taught classes there.

I recently enrolled in weekend class. The weather this particular weekend was really great. That being said, I think the instructor thought that spending the beautiful day outside was better than showing up to teach a scheduled workshop. He later balmed it on a scheduling error. After the instructor never showed, we were informed there would be no make up session. I expected WAY more from Pratt and will not come back anytime soon.

Pratt is my adult playground. They offer a wide range of disciplines — you can learn welding, blacksmithing, drawing, painting, silversmithing, jewelry making, printmaking, and hot/​warm/​cold glass. I’ve primarily taken metal working and drawing classes over the past 2+ years and every teacher I’ve had has been amazing. The classes are low-​key and people are there because they want to be there. No one has any expectations of you beyond learning a new skill and having fun.
Many of their studios are also available for rent during the day. You simply have to pass a studio renter test so they know you won’t be killing yourself on anything and pay a daily, weekly, or monthly fee. I rent out the sculpture studio frequently and every time I go I emerge happier and messier.
The classes are a little pricey, but they offer both need and merit-​based scholarships. If you miss art class you have no excuse to not check out Pratt’s offerings.

A unique art facility in the middle of Seattle.
I’ve taken glass torchworking and metal jewelry making classes here.
The teachers are very good.
The facilities are well maintained.
The class offerings are amazing!
Where else can you take blacksmithing classes?
You can’t!
Do yourself a favor and treat your self to a class here or just swing by and take a tour of the facilities.
And check the website for specific info.
Bön inspiration!

Took my husband to the open house so he could check it out. It was packed. I couldnt tell if people were interested more in the beer and pizza or actually what the artists were doing.
We will probably go back and take some classes … I can pretend to be artistic if it involves fire.