Grand Central Atelier F.A.Q. What is the Grand Central Atelier? The GCA is a collaborative workspace for the study and practice of drawing, painting and sculpture. To ensure a deep understanding of classical form, design, practice and discipline, artists- in- training work in a structured, organized studio with hands on guidance from the studio s principal artists. To educate the public about classically inspired art, the studio sponsors lectures, artistic competitions and exhibitions. What is Eleventh Street Arts? Eleventh Street Arts is a gallery space located in the GCA building. The space offers a program of professional solo and group exhibitions, lectures and social events. The goal is to promote and celebrate the best contemporary talents working in a classically inspired representational mode. The space is a hub for education, conversation and connoisseurship in the Long Island City arts scene. What is GCA s Core Program? Artists can apply to participate in a full time apprentice program where they will work in a structured, organized studio with the hands on guidance of the studio s principal artists. To ensure a deep understanding of classical form, design, practice, and discipline, artists commit to full time training in drawing, painting and sculpting from life from September May. Artists typically finish after four years. What is GCA s Resident Artist Program? Artists who have been through GCA s core program have the opportunity to share studio space with colleagues who are also developing their professional career. A studio fee covers year- round personal studio space and access to all studio resources. Besides technical training, does the atelier also teach theory, philosophy, subject matter, style, business/marketing, imaginative painting/drawing, as well as required reading, art lectures, field trips, anatomy classes, mentoring programs? We do host guest lecturers on a semi- regular basis and artists are encouraged to study all of these topics even though they are not necessarily a part of the official curriculum. GCA does offer anatomy, perspective and color theory. Do you teach sight- size? Sight- size is not a particular focus of our drawing conversation. I have already studied academic drawing. Will I be able to skip the drawing requirements of the first year and study painting? The cast and figure drawing education at GCA is unique and will introduce artists to the methods that they will be using in their painting. Incoming artists, no matter their prior art training are required to start at the beginning of the program. From there, artists will work at his or her own pace. Is the curriculum flexible?
In the first two years, before advancing to the figure, artists must achieve mastery drawing and painting antique casts. Exercises include copying the casts in clay, copying master drawings in pencil, and copying Bargue line drawings. Artists work at his or her pace. After two years, the program becomes more flexible. Those who finish the requirements may move on to drawing the figure. In addition to working on the figure, artists may also choose to study still life painting, figure sculpture, and perspective. What is the schedule for the core program? Core studios are open September through May. Attendance is required Monday through Friday, 8:30am- 5pm. There are two daily studio sessions. The morning session is 8:30am- 12:30pm. The afternoon session is 1-5pm. Artists break for lunch 12:30-1pm. Summer break is June through August. There is a week- long break for Thanksgiving and in the spring. Is the four- year core program accredited? The full- time program is not accredited. Artists do not earn a degree or college credits. How much does the core program cost? $8,500 per year. Fees are subject to change. Are artists in the core program eligible for student loans? Because the studio is not an accredited school, artists are not eligible for federal student loans or educational loans. Does GCA offer financial assistance for artists in the core program? GCA offers merit- based assistance to several incoming artists and studio prizes for artists mid- training. How many core scholarships are there? How are they decided? GCA is continually working to expand its scholarship program. Incoming artists may apply for one full years scholarship ($8,500) and one half years scholarship ($4,250). Recipients are decided by evaluating both talent and financial need. How are the merit- based studio prizes decided? How many are there? Studio prizes are awarded to artists in their 2 nd - 4 th years who a panel of judges deem to be doing the best cast drawing, figure block- ins (two prizes) and the best figure work (two prizes.) Four other prizes are awarded for excellence in other areas such as portrait or figure structure work. Prizes range from $8,500 to $2,500 are applied towards the next year s studio fees. Are there work- study opportunities in the core program? There are occasional, project- based work- study opportunities for artists who have light building and carpentry skills. General maintenance of the facility is the cooperative responsibility of the community of studio artists. Each person is responsible for certain jobs throughout the year. What are the application requirements for the core program? Artists must show through an online application (which includes a portfolio of their work) and an interview, a serious work ethic, a sincere desire to learn, and a commitment to make
fine art their career. High school diplomas are not required. In- person interviews are preferred, but long- distance applicants may request a phone interview. What level of experience or training does GCA look for in applicants? Artists are accepted into the program with different levels of experience and training. In reviewing applications, principal studio artists give serious consideration to applicants with little training if they show a serious work ethic and a sincere desire to learn. Applicants who have done their homework, who are familiar with the GCA and what it offers artists are also appreciated. One way to achieve a deep understanding of GCA s program is to take a tour, or to enroll in a part time class or workshop. What is the number of artists? About 50. What is the average age of artists in your full time program? Most artists are in their 20 s, 30 s and 40 s. The youngest artists are 18. What is rolling admission? What is Fall and Winter Admission? Most artists enter the program for September admission. Sometimes an artist will enter for February admission. Applications are accepted year- round from artists who wish to apply for entrance at other times. For early September admission, applications are due on February 1 For early February admission, applications are due on October 1 How do I get an application and where do I send it? Applications can be downloaded from our website. Materials are emailed to: info@grandcentralatelier.org How many samples of life drawing and painting do you expect in an application? How is the interview process structured? The application requires that you submit 7 works that show a range of the kind of work you have made. All works should be done from life (not from photos). Works should be a good representation of the different types of work that you like to do. For example: While cast drawing is a valuable exercise, please do not submit a group of only recent cast drawings. How do I know if the GCA core program is a good fit for me? We recommend that artists visit the studio to tour the facilities and speak to some artists before applying. Artists who enroll in an evening or weekend studio, or for a daytime workshop will have the invaluable opportunity to experience the training first hand and meet other artists. I am new to classical drawing, painting or sculpture. What studio or workshop do you recommend as a starting point? For beginners, or artists who want a serious dose of GCA training, the month- long, summer drawing intensive is a strong introduction to long- term study at GCA. Artists draw from the cast in the mornings, and from the live model, in a single pose in the afternoons. The drawing intensive is typically offered starting in late June or early July. Scholarships are available!
For beginners who live in the area, we suggest a taking an evening or weekend cast- drawing studio. This studio is an introduction to the basic skills and vocabulary that will be used in successive study. Artists may take any studio that interests them provided there is no pre- requisite. I would like to visit. What would be a good time during the year? Tours are scheduled Tuesdays and Thursdays at 12:30pm. Please check the calendar on our website for studio closings/holidays/studio events. It is fun to come during one of our artistic competitions or gallery exhibitions if you can schedule it. Is housing arranged? The studio does not arrange housing for incoming artists. Many studio artists live in residential areas of Queens and Brooklyn with short subway commutes to the studio. We can share a list of neighborhoods that are generally affordable for artists and attempt to informally connect roommates. Is the studio located in a safe neighborhood? Is there a nice residential area nearby? Is there parking nearby? The studio is located on a safe, busy street with some warehouses and a growing number of apartment buildings. A block away is the lively Vernon Blvd lined with restaurants, bars, comedy clubs, and deli s. Several blocks away is the beautiful recently renovated LIC waterfront with playgrounds, stores and restaurants. There is convenient subway access to other neighborhoods in Queens and Brooklyn. On the 7- train, Grand Central Station in Manhattan is one stop away. There is limited parking. What is approximate cost of living and rent expenses? Artists who creatively share apartments might be able to pay monthly rent of $500- $600. (Expect close quarters for this rate.) Expect to pay at least $2,000/month for a single apartment or $1,000 for one roommate. An unlimited monthly subway pass costs $112. Thrifty artists can live affordably by finding affordable local restaurants and grocery stores. (do not dine in Times Square!) The studio has kitchen facilities for those who want to cook while they are at the studio. As for spending a lot of money on entertainment, artists spend most of their time working at the studio What is the estimated cost of materials? First year artists will need pencils, pads, erasers and a few sculpting tools. This may cost $50- $100. The cost of clay is covered by the studio. First year artists who enroll in Value Workshop may spend $150- $200 buying a grisaille palette of black, white, raw and burnt umber paint, along with a couple of brushes and a palette. The cost of full color palette will run $300- $500 depending on the product. Artists will not usually need this in the full time studio until after the second year. Do full time artists hold jobs outside of the studio? Many full time artists do have part time work outside the studio. Examples include; working in restaurants, catering, graphic design, babysitting, private instruction etc. May I enroll in your studio and study as an international student?
While some artists have made their own visa arrangements, the GCA can not currently offer international students help obtaining student visas. We are working with a lawyer on obtaining certification however we cannot say how long this process will take. We thank you for your patience! Does the studio offer part time training opportunities for artists? GCA offers year- round evening and weekend studio workshops that typically last 8-10 weeks. Shorter daytime workshops are offered year- round, with the majority scheduled for the summer months. These are all open to anyone and you do not need to go through an application process. Do part time studios or summer workshops cover the same material as the full time studio? Many of the artists who teach in our full time studio also teach in weekend, evening and daytime workshops offered in the summer (and increasingly year- round.) Artists enrolling in these short- term studios will be exposed to the same pedagogy and curriculum that is imparted to artists in our core program.