Academies, Aterliers, etc.
There are many opportunities to learn to sculpt and brush up on skills or gain new ones, which is why we created this list of alternative edicational sources for sculptors beyond universities.
MID-ATLANTIC
ART STUDENTS LEAGUE
Certificate Program and Independent Study
theartstudentsleague.org
New York, NY
Committed to making fine art education accessible to all, the League is a member-run art school designed for and run by independent artists. The League offers artists the freedom to explore diverse practices, methodologies, and mediums while developing a mastery for traditional techniques. Students define their own curriculum and work at their own pace. No previous experience is needed to join and start learning.
COTUIT CENTER FOR THE ARTS
Workshops
Cotuit, MA
www.cotuit.org
With a focus on clay sculpture, hand building, and throwing, classes are open to all ages and levels of skill. They also offer classes in metalsmithing. Classes are affordable, and the atmosphere is welcoming.
GRAND CENTRAL ATELIER
Atelier and Workshops
Ridgewood, NY https://grandcentralatelier.orgThis full-time four-year atelier program is based on traditional training that pre-dates the 19th century and the advent of photography. Under the leadership of Jacob Collins and a faculty of dedicated artists, this program has consistently produced some of the world’s most skilled contemporary realist painters, draftsmen, and sculptors. The atelier also offers workshops
NEW YORK ACADEMY OF ART
Academy, MFA, CFA, Residency, Master Classes
New York, NY
https://nyaa.edu
NYAA is a graduate school that combines intensive technical training in the fine arts with active critical discourse. Dedicated to highly skilled, conceptually aware figurative and representational art, the academy teaches traditional methods and techniques and encourages students to use these skills to make vital contemporary art.
NEW YORK STUDIO SCHOOL
MFA, Certificates, Workshops
New York, NY
https://nyss.org
The New York Studio School offers an immersive experience for artists committed to full-time rigorous studio practice. Students work in an atelier setting with a faculty member. Studio practice is balanced with critical studies and critiques. Programs include MFA, Certificate Programs, summer marathon two-week sessions, and evening and weekend classes.
PENNSYLVANIA ACADEMY OF THE FINE ARTS
Academy Certificate or BFA
Philadelphia, PA
https://pafa.org/school
Accredited certificate programs designed for students wishing to refine their skills that include mentorship, studio space, and engagement with world-class collections. BFA program in conjunction with the University of Pennsylvania. With an emphasis on traditional technical training, PAFA also offers workshops.
THE COMPLEAT SCULPTOR
Workshops
New York, NY
https://shop.sculpt.com
From basic introductory workshops to intensive classes, sculptors of all abilities will gain valuable instruction on everything from modeling in clay and wax to stone carving – and all at reasonable rates.
FLORENCE ACADEMY OF ART
Academy, Certificate, MA in Studio Art
Jersey City, NJ
www.florenceacademyofart.edu
Located on St. Peter’s University campus in Jersey City, NJ, this school provides the highest level of instruction in classical methods for students pursuing careers as professional artists in the realist tradition. Dedicated to training artists through the combination of intense observation with advanced craft skills, the curriculum derives from the classical-realist tradition rooted in the 19th century and addresses the creative and professional position of the artist in a contemporary environment.
SOUTHEAST
BROOKGREEN GARDENS
Workshops
Murrells Inlet, SC
www.brookgreen.org
The Wallace Master Sculptor Program Workshops run throughout the year and offer intensive study with visiting sculptors and master sculptors in residence. Classes range from wildlife sculpture to figurative to mold making and relief.
CHERRYLION STUDIO
Workshops
Atlanta, GA
www.cherrylion.com
Offering extended instructional sessions with a model. Learn fundamentals of figurative sculpting in clay through observa-tional techniques.
TOWNSEND ATELIER
Workshops
Chattanooga, TN
www.townsendartlier.com
Located in Chattanooga’s arts district, Townsend Atelier offers art classes and workshops throughout the year. Taught by professional artists and art educators, they offer instruction in a variety of mediums as well as mold making and patina application. Weekly open-figure drawing studio.
MOUNTAIN PLAINS
MARBLE/MARBLE
Symposium
Colorado
https://marbleinst.org
Welcoming to all carving experience levels, MARBLE/marble offers three eight-day sessions in the Colorado mountains. This outdoor experience includes a block of Colorado marble, unlimited use of equipment, daily open-forum classes, demos, and workshops, as well as one-on-one instruction throughout. Professional sculptors cover finding form, relief, texture and finishing, lettering, pinning mounting, and lots more.
CANADA
LUNENBURG SCHOOL OF THE ARTS
Workshops
Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, BC
lunenburgarts.org
Located in a UNESCO World Heritage site, this school offers workshops led by professional art educators and working artists. Their small classes allow students to work closely with instructors and each other, fostering self-expression in a supportive atmosphere. Classes and workshops for sculptors are for pottery and hand-built works.
MIDWEST
FISHERS ART CENTER
Workshops
Fishers, IN
www.fishersartcenter.org
Part of the new Fishers Arts & Municipal Complex, Fishers offers classes for all levels and interests. Practical hands-on classes teach the basics, while more advanced classes in metalsmithing, welding, wood, and clay nourish artists and advance your skills. This community- driven atmosphere is welcoming and generous.
INDIANA LIMESTONE SYMPOSIUM
Symposium
Ellettsville, IN
limestonesymposium.org
Learn to carve limestone in a community based on the Greek model of gathering and celebration. The Symposium’s instructors believe that anyone with the desire to carve can learn how. The atmosphere is relaxed, congenial, and non-judgmental. Two week-long immersive sessions during the summer cover the basic techniques for carving and sculpting with instruction geared for each sculptor’s need and level.
PALATTE & CHISEL ACADEMY
Atelier
Chicago, IL
paletteandchisel.org
With the mission to foster growth in the visual arts, the storied Palette and Chisel Academy provides a place for serious artists to work and take classes to advance their knowledge and careers. Past and present members are a who’s who of artists. The academy offers classes, open studios, and model sessions for members.
NEW ENGLAND
LYME ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS
Academy, Core Sculpture, Continuing Education
Old Lyme, CT
lymeacademy.edu
Comprehensive, multi-year program taught by professional artists who encourage individuality and innovation through skills-based training. Disciplined study integrates rigorous studio instruction in drawing and painting with anatomy, sculpture, and twenty-first century approaches to the histories of art. Located in the celebrated Lyme Art Colony, this school remains an active site for progressive artists to congregate and find their own creative voice.
THE CARVING STUDIO
Workshops
West Rutland, VT
https://carvingstudio.org
Situated on the grounds of Vermont’s historic West Rutland marble quarries, they offer instruction on a wide range of media with workshops taught by professional artists and craftsmen from around the world. Techniques range from traditional to contemporary to abstract and include figurative and portraiture.
SILVERMINE
Workshops
New Canaan, CT
https://silvermineart.org
The School of Art faculty are distinguished artist educators offering courses for students of all ages and levels of experience in a range of media.
WEST
BEAUX ARTS ACADEMY
Academy
Provo, UT
beauxartsacademy.org
Four-year program dedicated to the highest standards of artistic excellence and classicism. Students focus on their chosen medium, and learn from the sister disciplines: drawing, painting, sculpture, and architecture, through the aesthetic of classicism. Training is based on traditions and methodologies that have produced timeless masterpieces of history.
DOGTOWN SCULPTORS
Workshops, Collaborative Studio and Model Sessions
Berkeley, CA
www.dogtownsculptors.org
A collaboratively run studio, Dogtown members pool their resources to pay rent and hire models five days a week. Workshops are offered frequently throughout the year. Join their mailing list to find out what’s coming up.
GAGE ACADEMY OF ART
Atelier Immersive Instruction
Seattle, WA
www.gageacademy.org
Founded by Juliette Aristides, Gage offers eight immersive ateliers a year. They are fiercely committed to excellence in the fields of sculpting, drawing, and painting, and offer skills-based studio instruction from professional artists. Open to all abilities, ages, and backgrounds. Gage also offers free programming, lectures, and demos.
LAGUNA COLLEGE OF ART & DESIGN
Undergraduate and Graduate Degrees
Laguna Beach, CA
www.lcad.edu
As a student of LCAD’s Sculpture Minor, you will explore a range of classical and contemporary techniques that support your individual artistic practices. LCAD’s Sculpture Minor offers you a 15-credit sequential curriculum focused on classical figurative sculpture, armature building, mold mak-ing, casting, and fantasy sculpture. Courses in the Sculpture minor offer you valuable hands-on approaches to advancing your skills in drawing, painting, animation, and modeling.
MAGRATH SCULPTURE ATELIER AT GAGE
Academy, Three year program
Seattle, WA
www.gageacademy.org/
The Magrath Sculpture Atelier is a multi-year, part-time atelier designed to confer the core disciplines needed to become a practicing figurative sculptor at a high level of excellence. Led by award-winning sculptor Michael Magrath, students learn to become adept in both traditional approaches, as well as contemporary concerns, in a variety of media. Build cumulatively upon the core skills of drawing and modeling from life, while adding critical understanding of structural and artistic anatomy, composition as well as technical skills such as mold making, casting, basic fabrication, and subtractive techniques in wood, stone, metal and composite materials.
PACIFIC NORTHWEST SCULPTORS
Workshops
Portland, OR
www.pnwsculptors.org
Membership-based group with the mission to share knowledge of sculpture, inspiration about building sculpture, and artist’s resources. They offer classes and demonstrations on building sculptures, aesthetics, processes and techniques in a variety of media including ceramic, clay, bronze, steel, glass, wood and mixed media sculptures.
SCOTTSDALE ARTISTS’ SCHOOL
Workshops
Scottsdale, AZ
www.scottsdaleartschool.org
Dedicated to the artistic enrichment of the community and to the development of the capabilities of artists and aspiring artists of all ages, classes focus on the applied fundamentals of fine art. Instructors are working professionals.