The Alma Schapiro Prize Deadline is December 9: 2017 Fellowship at the American Academy in Rome

Sketch by Anthony Baus, Winner of the 2015 Alma Schapiro Prize

In partnership with the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art (ICAA), we are pleased to announce the next application deadline for the Alma Schapiro Prize, a three-month fellowship at the American Academy in Rome. The application deadline is December 9, 2016.

The purpose of the award is to advance the work of a mid-career or emerging artist, and to foster knowledge of the classical tradition. Past winners include Michael Grimaldi (2007), Jeffrey Mims (2009), Will St. John (2011), Katie Whipple (2013), Anthony Baus (2015).

A panel of 5 judges chosen by the ICAA and GCA will review the applications and select the next winner who will attend for three-months between September of 2017 and May of 2018.

The drawings included in this post are field sketches by Anthony Baus while on location.

By Anthony Baus

The award includes academy fees for lodging and a studio, travel funds and a stipend. The fellowship must begin between September of the prize year (2017) and May of the following year. Artists must be 21 years old to apply. Some rigorous training or career accomplishment in painting or sculpture tied in expression or technique to contemporary classicism are essential to competitive applications.

Visit the ICAA's website for full details about this fellowship and to complete the application and pay the $25 application fee. Applications will not be accepted through email; and include an essay, a resume, seven images and two recommendation letters.

By Anthony Baus

By Anthony Baus

By Anthony Baus

By Anthony Baus

We Caught a Werewolf!

By Jacob Collins 30" x 40" 

Dear Reader,

After reports of eerie howling last Tuesday afternoon heard by students in Katie Whipple's Designing Nature class and also the next night during Colleen Barry and Will St. John's Figure Drawing and Painting class, we are relieved to report that the peril is over. It is safe to sign up for classes.

Thursday night, after the crowd had cleared from the Bach and Beyond concert, Resident Artist Grant Perry, who was locking up the for the night, heard quiet howling that interestingly seemed to be mirroring the third movement of Maurice Ravel's Piano Trio Passacaille performed in the gallery earlier in the evening.

The sounds were coming from the boiler room.

Just as Grant was deciding which cast to grab as a weapon, a werewolf burst from the boiler room stairwell wielding a long white PVC pipe "tree" left from Joy Tomasko's installation piece last May.

Grant, who has many skills, battled and defeated the werewolf landing it with it's last breath on a still life stand perfectly lit. All while his girlfriend was waiting for Uber on the sidewalk.

Thank you Grant!

Recent Portrait Sketches

In the full-time program at GCA, there's a weekly portrait sketch session that all current students, faculty, Resident Artists and alumni may attend. We also hold a community portrait sketch event that is open to the public. These are held once a month on Friday evenings from 6-9pm. The next one is coming up on October 28th, followed by November 18th. For more information, click here.

Portrait Sketches are single sitting poses. In our daytime program they last 4 hours and artists will "get as far as they get." These portrait sketches are often more an exercise in trying to resolve something quickly and serve as a counterbalance to the long term drawings and paintings our artists usually work on. Instructor Ted Minoff selected the following collection of recent portrait sketches that were submitted for our blog.

by Dale Zinkowski, 4th year

by Eric Kerke, 2nd year

by Noah Offitzer, 2nd year

by Rodrigo Mateo, Resident Artist

by Kevin Müller Cisneros, 4th year

by Mackenzie Swenson, 3rd year

by Landon Clay, Drawing Year

by Liz Beard, alum

by Noah Offitzer, 2nd year

by Liz Beard, alum

by Mackenzie Swenson, 3rd year

by Kevin Müller Cisneros, 4th year

by Dale Zinkoswki, 4th year
featuring Alfredo from our friendly crew
at The Society of Mechanics & Tradesmen days!

Kevin Müller Cisneros wins the Seventh Structure Prix

The first Structure Prix of the 2016-2017 year was awarded last week by Instructor Colleen Barry. On the first day of class, Colleen also provided a list of judging criteria for students that we've shared below. The class meets once a week for four hours and this pose lasted 5 weeks.

drawing by Kevin Müller Cisneros

"Kevin captured the proportion and gesture of the model perfectly. The contours are very sensitive with a good rib cage and pelvis relationship and overall excellent value relationships. The portrait is beautiful and expressive as well."

A winning drawing should have:

1. Naturalistic proportion and gesture.

2. A clear and graphic display of the light and shadow pattern on the figure.

3. A bold and confident use of value to allow for visual clarity when viewed from a distance.

4. An efficient and descriptive use of hatching and or graining when describing the structural components of the half tones. A sensitive use of line to describe important overlaps and or ascents.

5. A convincing description of the core structural elements of the figure such as the relationship of the rib cage and pelvis, the head and neck on the shoulders and the relationship of the legs as they support the weight of the standing figure.

6. An over all sense of artistic integrity and aesthetic.

This is the seventh time the Structure Prix has been awarded in the spirit of inspiring healthy competition among peers as inspired by weekly cash prizes at the Academy Julien in Paris during the 19th Century. 

Jessica Artman and Savannah Tate Cuff won the sixth prize in May 2016.

Jon Brogie and Kevin Müller Cisneros won the fifth prize in April 2016.

Sandra Sanchez won the fourth prize in March 2016.

Katie Engberg won the third prize in February 2016.

Raina Dai won the second prize in November 2015.

Kevin Müller Cisneros won the first prize in October 2015. 

BACH AND BEYOND - Chamber Music @ Eleventh Street Arts

Grand Central Atelier and Eleventh Street Arts recently welcomed Michelle Ross as our newest resident artist. Last year, Eleventh Street was honored with Ross' performances of the complete solo Bach Violin cycle. Thursday, October 27th marks the first concert in the inaugural season of Chamber Music @ Eleventh Street Arts, a three-part series curated by Ross. We celebrate this exciting new program with Bach's Goldberg Variations in a string trio arrangement by violinist Dimitry Sitkovertsky. This music will be juxtaposed with French composer Maurice Ravel's Piano Trio a kaleidoscope of color, with it's third movement, Passacaille, an interesting homage to Baroque composition.

Artists: 

Michelle Ross, violin     

Margaret Dyer Harris, viola     

Jia Kim, cello     

Brook Speltz, cello     

Euntaek Kim, piano

more about the artists

"Chamber music is about our humanity: a model where democracy, unity, and transcendent beauty all exist, each of the members coming together for a greater whole. Composers often write the most intimate and profound ideas in these ensemble works. My performances last year at Eleventh Street Arts felt like a place where I could take risks and grow my craft in front of and with a curious and warm audience. I am so excited to bring more musicians into this space this year, and for us to create moments of discovery for everyone, performers and audience alike. 

The Goldberg Variations is an incredibly spiritual piece. Having spent so much time immersed in solo Bach, playing this piece (in this string trio arrangement) with two other players reveals so much of the polyphony and conversation that happens within Bach's music - there is extreme  joy in sharing this process with other players. It's a different experience from tackling Bach alone, which can feel scary; the Aria and its 30 variations of unbridled joy. Ravel's piano trio is an extremely different work in comparison, but I love the juxtaposition of their sound worlds and think it will be a unique listening experience to hear both of them in the same concert. 

We can't wait!" -- Michelle Ross  

purchase the $10 tickets here: Eleventh Street Arts

listen to Suggested Donation Podcast interview with Michelle Ross here

Bach and Beyond 

Chamber Music @ Eleventh Street Arts

46-06 11th ST, Long Island City, NY 11101  

7:00 pm 

refreshments will be served

Q&A with artists after performance 

tickets $10

September Core Student Work

At the end of September, Instructors Justin Wood and Ted Minoff selected some core student work that shows the process and experiences of students in their first month either returning or starting at GCA. And...the first Structure Prix of the year will be announced next week!

In the Core Drawing Year, students have enthusiastically thrown themselves into working on cast drawings in the morning and the Charles Bargue plates in the afternoon. Each Friday afternoon they end with cast sculpture taught by Zoe Dufour. We have 12 artists in our new program and most of them have come to us from outside of NYC. Here's a selection of some of their first casts.

Leonard Ray Clark, Core Drawing Year

Landon Clay, Core Drawing Year

Martha Crow, Core Drawing Year

John Darley, Core Drawing Year

Ananda Fetherston, Core Drawing Year

Ananda Fetherston, Core Drawing Year

Jonathan Pinkett, Core Drawing Year

Meanwhile, in our figure studios...

Mackenzie Swenson, 3rd Year
Sculpture, "Bruce", water based clay, 3' tall

Emily Denise, 2nd year
"Andre" 18x24", graphite on paper

Savannah Tate Cuff, 3rd year, "Bruce"

Mackenzie Swenson, 3rd year, "Bruce"

Instructor Ted Minoff: "A color study divides the complex task of figure drawing into more manageable steps where the artist can focus solely on the color relationships and palette which will inform a more resolved painting." 

Tsultrim Tenzin, 4th year, color study, "Bruce"

Tsultrim Tenzin, 4th year, color study, "Devin"

Kathryn Kincaid, 3rd year
"Devin", 15x22", graphite on paper

Rachel Li, 3rd year
"Devin", 18x24", graphite on Strathmore

Kevin Müller Cisneros, 4th year
"Devin", 11x14", oil on canvas

Instructor Ted Minoff: "Below are Kelly's block-in and in-process grisaille where she's engaging with form in value in paint on top of the transferred block-in drawing."

Kelly Foss, 4th year
"Devin", 18x24", graphite on Strathmore

Kelly Foss, 4th year
"Devin", 18x24", oil on Centurion oil primed linen

Open for Registration: Winter Boot Camp 2017

Winter Drawing Boot Camp 2017

January 2 - 27, 2017  

Mondays - Fridays - 9am - 4pm

Week 1: Cast with Devin Cecil-Wishing

Week 2: Portrait with Patrick Byrnes

Week 3: Figure with Katie Engberg

Week 4: Perspective for Artists with Anthony Baus

Special Evening Events each week.

View the full course descriptions and register online here.

Take 2 weeks: Save 10%

Take 3 weeks: Save 15%

Take all 4 weeks: Save 20%

1 Scholarship for 50% off the total studio fee for taking the full Boot Camp.

Deadline to Apply for the Scholarship: November 10th at 5pm EST

Notification: by November 17th

Scholarship Requirements: 3 images sent as jpegs (72dpi & 6x8") and a letter of intent (which must answer why this scholarship and program will benefit your artistic studies at this time.) 

Ideally three works are drawn from life. 

Please include your name and contact email and phone.

Label all attachments with your last name and title.

Send all documents in one email to: info@grandcentralatelier.org 

with the subject:

2017 Winter Boot Camp scholarship application.

Additional Winter 2017 Workshops will be announced by October 20th.