Irene
Raising Originals

Ms. Merrill is the art teacher everyone wishes they had — and now, she’s family to us. She’s wonderfully hands-on and endlessly creative, always nudging my kids to stretch their ideas and try something unexpected.

One of my favorite moments: for my daughter’s 8th birthday, I asked if she could help us make anglerfish. She didn’t just show up with paint — she came with pre-made tin foil fish forms, clay, paint, styrofoam eyeballs, cardboard teeth, and an actual working light-up antenna. Twelve giggling girls built the wildest, sharpest, glowiest anglerfish you’ve ever seen — each one totally unique.

We’ve known Ms. Merrill for years, and she’s been sprinkling her creative magic on our family from day one. Any kid (or grown-up) is lucky to make art with her. She’s tuned-in, encouraging, and not afraid to dive in and get gloriously messy. Art is her happy place — and she makes it everyone else’s, too.

Joanne Sun, MD
Bay Area Parent

We first met Ms. Merrill as our elementary school's art teacher, and our girls immediately loved her kind and welcoming demeanor. She truly nurtured their love of creative expression from the very beginning. When the pandemic hit, Ms. Merrill was a lifeline—quickly pivoting to virtual classes that brought comfort, joy, and much-needed routine during a very uncertain time.

Since then, our daughters have continued to thrive under her guidance through her camps and art classes. Every session is a thoughtful balance of fun and learning. One art camp she hosted involved project ideas reflecting the current exhibits from local art museums- fashion plates, 3D mirror boxes inspired by Yayoi Kusama, and interpretations of Hokusai's Great Wave off Kanagawa block print. My 11yo daughter says: "This camp is my favorite camp I've ever gone to!"

I also deeply appreciate Dana’s attention to detail. In her classes, our daughters not only explore different materials and techniques but also build confidence in their creativity. Her interactions with kids are warm, genuine, and always affirming. It’s a joy to watch our girls continue to grow as artists with her, and I’m so excited to recommend Dana Merrill and her wide range of art services without hesitation.  

Lillian
San Francisco Mom of 3

For the past six years, Ms. Merrill has been a beloved part of our children’s creative lives. My daughters have participated in her summer camps, drop-in classes, and even one-on-one museum sketching sessions. My kids always come home inspired, proud of their work, and eager for more time with Ms. Merrill. She also helped plan a themed art birthday party for our middle daughter, which was a huge hit with all the kids. At a recent community event, her face painting booth had a line of thrilled children waiting their turn. Whether in a group setting or working one-on-one, Ms. Merrill has a remarkable ability to meet each child where they are. We keep coming back because her classes are joyful, skill-building, and filled with heart.

Mariama Wang
Bay Area Parent

I first fell in love with Ms. Merrill during the pandemic when she was my son’s kindergarten art teacher.  I love her style of teaching so much and how she incorporates iconic artists into her classes. She makes learning fun and whimsical!  Above all she is kind, engaging and patient. I love that she always plays music while her art classes are in session! She makes my heart smile and now teaches my sons privately.

Elaine Chung
Bay Area Parent & Working Mom of 3

Ms. Merrill was able to take my few words of "narwhal" and "art" and shape a variety of activities for almost 20 kids to celebrate our 5-year old's birthday. From face painting to a structured painting activity, she was able to engage these excited 5 and 6 year olds the whole time. Even our older 10 year olds enjoyed the painting instruction! Ms. Merrill's magic as a previous SFUSD art teacher really comes through in how she considers the age and the way to prepare these art activities so they are fun and age appropriate in skill level. When the 20 kids were all at the table listening and painting, parents mentioned how amazed they were that all the kids were suddenly so quiet and attentive and that the best "goodie bag" was the painting piece they got to take home.

Alice K.
Preschool Teacher

I had Ms. Merrill host a paint party for me and my friends. Ms. Merrill was my daughter's art teacher all throughout elementary school. Having witnessed her engaging art lessons and her encouraging, accessible teaching style, I knew Ms. Merrill would also be great at hosting an art party for grown ups! Ms. Merrill facilitated an acrylic canvas painting with my exact vision in mind. The activity was well structured, and she made each step of the process easy for us to follow, from beginning to end. We all loved how our artwork turned out, and Ms. Merrill made the experience fun for everyone with her friendly and welcoming demeanor. She is always communicative, punctual, and organized. Not to mention, all of her art projects always leave participants with a beautiful end result. I highly recommend her for art classes and paint parties for adults and children alike!

Conor and Joanne
SF Parents of 3 Boys

Ms. Merrill has been such a positive influence on our three boys. We loved Ms. Merrill as our elementary school art teacher because her projects were so organized and enjoyable for the kids. She makes art fun, and sparks curiosity and interest in learning more about it. She is personally engaged with each student and takes an interest in each student’s skills and development.

We have reached out to Ms. Merrill in so many ways to organize art experiences, from private backyard art lessons to small group summer camps. Ms. Merrill is incredibly kind, patient, and focuses on each child’s strength. We love her explanation of the lesson plan and the group wrap-up she does. Her skills range from complex and challenging art lessons with older, more advanced students to beginners who are just learning about shapes and spatial reasoning. I’ve always called her the Mr. Rogers of the art world.  Our family has been truly lucky to have Ms. Merrill as our art teacher.