Enthusiastic, encouraging, well-qualified teachers and a spectacular array of offerings - including family classes, and comprehensive afterschool and summer programming - make instruction here a terrific choice for children as well as parents.

Kids can explore pottery, sculpture, drawing, painting, jewelry-making, multimedia, photography, fabric arts, knitting, and more during children's classes; teens ages 15 and older are welcome in adult classes. Some offerings combine visual with performing arts. Parent/child classes are offered for newborns and up as part of the center's Art for All Ages program, and family workshops are offered year-round, many with holiday themes. Homeschoolers can arrange custom classes; call 612.915.6600 to schedule.

The long waiting list for the unique Art Academy, for kids ages seven and up who demonstrate exceptional talent in the visual arts, attests to its quality.

Parents can book time in the Peggy Kelly Media Studios to shoot portraits, transfer videos to DVD, and create electronic scrapbooks. If they don't know how, they can sign up for a class to learn. Handcrafted gifts, wearable art, and art supplies are sold in the Clark Gift Shop, and baked goods and coffee are available in a cafe area.

tips:

Family membership is a steal at $45/year - it can pay for itself quickly with the 10% discount it gets you on classes and camps, but best of all, it allows for registration before classes open to the public. Given how many fill, that's a valuable benefit, especially for summer camps!

getting there:

The center is on the frontage road of Highway 62, just west of the France Avenue exit. Access is through Kenneth Rosland Park at Lake Cornelia. Drive - slowly! - around the bend to reach the small parking lot; when it's full, park along the frontage road.