Program Format

The foundation of the program rests on each person’s commitment to themselves and their work. All students are given considerable independence in managing their time. Each student signs up for two studios- a morning studio and an afternoon studio, each of which is three hours of formal instruction per day, Monday through Friday.

Open studio time before dinner and in the evenings gives students an opportunity to choose between their two studios and continue working on projects started during the day as well as to explore independently. Students should be prepared to spend a total of about nine hours per day working in studios.

“I liked the level of freedom given to make what I want. In that way I was able to challenge myself.”

Because we are a small and spontaneous community, we have the flexibility to make time for fun on-site activities (like homemade slip n’ slides) as well as trips to swimming holes, ice cream stands, and local places of interest.

Individual classes may take short trips to the Smith College Art Museum or to nearby downtown Northampton to find inspiration for their projects through nature or the local arts scene. Often an opportunity arises to take a trip to a local artist’s studio to see the work in progress and get a tour from the artist themselves. Interspersed with evening open studio time, visual presentations will be given by each member of the teaching staff. These presentations serve to inspire students to create a body of work as well as demonstrate the incredible skill level that resides in the community.

“I was very inspired by the slideshows because they made me visualize what my full potential as an artist may look like.”