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 Message from the Director
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The drive to express ones self visually is as old as humankind itself. The ability to convey what one perceives in nature and all that that encompasses is one of the most cherished human qualities we have. Art has always been a key underpinning of civilization; an insight into our intelligence, our compassion, our capacity to communicate.
The Art Students League of New York has always stood behind the principle that anyone who seeks to understand the process of making art and to develop their ability to create should have access to the finest quality of art education for tuition that is affordable to all. That credo has not only allowed the idly curious to discover art, it is also the reason why so many students who have studied at the League have gone on to become prominent artists. Another important aspect of the League’s philosophy of training artists is that the path to becoming a professional artist is one that is carved out by each individual student. The League is not accredited and offers no degrees. No curriculum is dictated. What is provided is a learning environment in which each student, through practice and perseverance and a commitment to learning, can realize his or her full potential as an artist in whatever amount of time they require.
Since its founding in 1875, the League has offered instruction in drawing, painting, sculpture and printmaking, taught by professional artists who are masters in their field. They teach their classes as they see fit without curricular restrictions allowing them to bring their own unique and diverse artistic philosophies to their students with the same passion they bring to their art. In each class, there are students with years of experience and those who are beginners; men and women both young and old; those preparing to become professional artists and others with professional backgrounds in business, math, and science who want to understand artistic thinking. What they all have in common is the deep desire to learn how to make art. There is no greater educational environment for this endeavor.
Over the last few years, new programs and initiatives designed to meet the needs of students on a professional track have been conceived and launched. The art of League students is now being exhibited in numerous venues around the city. Special Mentor and Apprenticeship programs will become available for advanced students this year. At the League’s 15 acre Vytlacil Campus in Rockland County , an Artist-in-Residence program is underway. The campus also has a bronze foundry, walk-in kiln and metal forge. The League, in association with Studio Art Centers International (SACI) holds two week workshops in Florence , Italy each spring.
With the League’s adherence to its time honored approach to the training of artists, we continue to grow and reach out to each new generation of artists, empowered by the belief that art, a language with a vocabulary and grammar all its own, evolves and changes just as other languages, but always has an underlying structure that gives it form and clarity. We are equally determined that everyone who comes into contact with the innate desire to articulate visually should have the opportunity to do so.
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