Contact Us

Let’s connect! Whether you want to book a team build, become a member, or find your perfect class, we can help. Learn more about visiting the studio below. Feel free to get in touch by using the contact form or call us at (510) 444-0919 during office hours and we will point you in the right direction.

Office Hours

Monday–Friday: 10am–6pm
Closed Saturday & Sunday

Studio Hours

Monday: Closed

Tuesday: 11:30am-6:30pm

Wednesday: 11:30am-6:30pm

Thursday: 11:30am-6:30pm

Friday: 11:30am-6:30pm

Saturday & Sunday: 10am-6pm

The Crucible closes for holidays, including New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President’s Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving, the Friday after Thanksgiving, and the week between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

When a holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, it is usually observed on the preceding Friday or the following Monday, respectively.

FAQs

Classes

We offer classes for adults, and youth, along with group team building workshops. All of our class offerings can be found on our website at thecrucible.org/classes. If you are having trouble deciding which class to take or want more information on our offerings don’t hesitate to reach out to our customer service department over email at [email protected] or give us a ring at 510.444.0919

The Crucible offers private instruction at a rate of $125/hour for one person or $200/hour for two people with a minimum required time investment of 8 hours. If you are interested in setting up a private lesson please contact our private instruction team by emailing [email protected] or calling (510)444-0919 (ext. 125)

Facility

We have a small student parking lot (about 10 spaces) in front of our warehouse on the corner of 7th and Union. It tends to fill up quickly, so arriving earlier is advised if you need to park in the lot. There is also street parking on 7th street leading to Mandela Parkway; occasionally you can find some spots in the surrounding neighborhoods as well. Additionally, we are a short walk from the West Oakland BART station and have an indoor bike rack if you would prefer to utilize alternative forms of transportation.

The Crucible values the safety of our students and has been operating without any incident for quite some time now. As with any city in the Bay Area, we ask that you do not leave any valuables visible in your parked vehicle. If you are walking when it is dark outside, we advise folks to be aware of their surroundings. If you do not feel comfortable walking along to or from class we are happy to facilitate groups heading to and from the West Oakland BART station. 

Given safety concerns, we cannot offer public access to our facilities, however we do have a number of other options available! 

Studio Access Labs – Crucible Members are eligible to sign up for a lab in departments in which they have previously taken or are currently enrolled in a class with. No instruction is provided during lab sessions, but a lab monitor will be present to answer questions, manage safety, and provide overall support. You are free to come and go at your convenience during open lab hours, however you must provide your own materials. 

CRucible’s Expanded Access to Tools and Equipment (CREATE Program) – Crucible Members who have taken the departmental prerequisite and complete a safety check out may sign up for access to studio space, tools, and equipment to work on individual art projects. 

Enameling Open Studio Hours – The Crucible’s Enameling Department offers open studio hours. Enameling Faculty will be present to answer questions, manage safety, and provide overall support. You are free to work on your own projects and come and go at your convenience during open studio hours. Some supplies will be provided and you will have the use of studio tools. Additional materials will be available for sale through the facilitator. Enamel Open Studio Hours are open to all students, at any experience level, who have taken or are currently enrolled in any enameling class at The Crucible or with permission from the department.

Membership

Crucible Memberships are fully tax-deductible donations that provide benefits based on the donation amount. Memberships are valid for a full calendar year and are not eligible for a refund.

Your 10% membership discount applies to course tuition. In addition to course tuition each class carries a studio fee which pays for the materials and energy costs required to run the course. The details of our pricing and discounts are available on our website on the Policies and Resources. If you ever require a breakdown of the pricing for your specific classes we are happy to provide this information upon request.

Gift Certificates

While specific classes can be more personal, we encourage folks to purchase gift certificates for your gift-giving purposes. Scheduling conflicts can arise and classes that are given as gifts are still subject to withdrawal fees. You can purchase a gift certificate through our website for any denomination here. 

If you are attempting to redeem a certificate and are receiving an error, please email [email protected] with the following information: Your name, the name or organization that gave you the certificate, the date it was issued, and the certificate code. With this information our registrar staff will then be able to activate the certificate in our system so that you can apply it to your online purchases.

Other

Our classes are considered short form compared to vocational or trade schools and thus our instruction is centered on personal artistic development rather than certification or accreditation. Upon request we are able to offer a letter of completion to show a student has performed a certain amount of hours of instruction; grading and degrees are not part of our school’s mission.

We don’t have the capacity as an organization to assist with individual projects, however we do have a Jobs Board where members of The Crucible community can search for and offer assistance on all kinds of cool stuff. Feel free to post your project using this form: Get Help with a Project!

The Crucible has only one location in Oakland, California. As a non-profit we are unable to recommend another organization specifically, but a web search for industrial art schools in your area may lead to helpful results.

You can also use this tool to find local maker spaces – https://makerspaces.make.co/

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Getting Here

The Crucible is conveniently located near BART and AC Transit. We encourage public transportation as our parking lot is small.

BART

From the West Oakland BART Station, exit onto 7th Street, turn right and walk 2 blocks east to Union (at the 2nd light). The Crucible is on the northwest corner of 7th & Union, at 1260 7th Street. To plan your BART trip, visit www.bart.gov.

AC Transit & 511.org

> Bus schedule

> More transit info

Parking

The Crucible has a small parking lot on the corner of 7th & Union. Spaces are available on a first come first serve basis, but will not be available during events. Street parking is available on 7th Street to the west of Union.

Please do not block the Union Street entrance marked in red, the 7th Street entrance, or the roll up doors. Please do not park in lots owned by local businesses—they will tow your car.