Summer Marathons in drawing, painting and sculpture

The New York Studio School welcomes artists from around the world for ten-day intensive Marathons in drawing, painting, and sculpture. The strategies and concepts explored, in-person or virtually, form new models for art-making that energize an artist’s studio practice for years to come. 

Marathons utilize drawing, painting, and sculpture as direct methodologies for understanding one’s experience in the world. Artists will investigate a diverse range of process-driven approaches, discover new visual vocabularies, and expand their ability to describe form and space, guided by extensive group and individual critiques. The innovation and depth of these ten-day programs expand participants’ fluency with materials and lead to new ways of thinking and creating which continue far beyond each program’s conclusion. Open to artists of all levels, courses are taught daily in-person or virtually in real-time from 9am–6pm ET.

Generous partial scholarships available.

Summer 2023 Marathons
Session I: June 5–16, 2023
Painting Marathon (virtual): The Enigma of Color and the Shock of Sensation with Graham Nickson & Guests / Drawing Marathon (in-person): Portraiture and Presence with Linda Darling & Guests / Sculpture Marathon (in-person): Life-Size Figure with Brandt Junceau.

Session II: June 19–30, 2023
Drawing Marathon (virtual): Pathways to Abstraction with Fran O’Neill / Painting Marathon (in-person): Arbor Vitae Revisited with Graham Nickson, Sam Levy & Guests / Sculpture Marathon (in-person): Mold-making and Casting with Sam Nichols.

Session III: July 10–21, 2023
Painting Marathon (virtual): Why Paint the Figure with Elisa Jensen / Painting Marathon (in-person): Pompeii, Harmonics and Mystery with Sam Levy, Kaitlin McDonough, Clintel Steed.

Join us this summer in New York City or virtually from anywhere in the world to expand your practice and connect with a community of dedicated artists.

About NYSS
The New York Studio School was founded in 1964 as an intensive studio arts program with an emphasis on perception; artists learning from artists; and drawing as the most direct means of describing one’s ideas or experiences. To learn more about our full-time programs: MFA, Certificate and Virtual Certificate; or additional part-time options: Evening & Weekend Classes, Drawing and Sculpture Master Classes; please email info [​at​] nyss.org with any questions or to schedule a virtual or in-person visit. 

Full-time program highlight
The Virtual Certificate Program is an extraordinary opportunity for artists to pursue their full-time education with NYSS from their respective home studios. Artists from around the world are invited to participate in a structured real-time curriculum, led by the School’s dedicated faculty, with many options to study in-person throughout the duration of the three-year program. Virtual Certificate students can attend NYC-based Marathons each semester or choose in-person study for entire semesters at a time, cultivating a self-directed course of study that best supports one’s individual goals and life structure. Tune in to IG Live, @NY_StudioSchool, Wednesday, May 3 at 12pm ET for an Information Session about the Virtual Certificate Program.

*Images above: (1) Drawing Marathon in-person with guest artist instructor Stephanie Pierce. (2) Arbor Vitae Marathon in-person at Old Westbury Gardens, Long Island, New York. (3) Drawing Marathon in-person with Graham Nickson. (4) Painting from direct observation to integrate formal and perceptual elements. (5) Sculpture Marathon in-person, Seeing Between Dimensions: Bas-Relief. (6) Drawing Marathon in-person with guest artist instructor Gideon Bok. (7) Investigating pictorial narrative, structure, geometry in pursuit of a powerful image. (8) Drawing Marathon in-person with Graham Nickson.