Marathons
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NYSS Marathons occur in January, June, July, and September in a two-week format. Five-day Intersession Marathons occur in March and November. Please enjoy descriptions of upcoming Marathons below and apply to join us.
The School’s internationally-recognized Marathon programs were developed in 1988 by Dean Graham Nickson, initially as a measure for the rest of the semester at the start of the program year. The program has since expanded to become a core component of the School’s curriculum. Meanwhile, intense outside interest led to the extension of the Marathons to a wider audience of participants outside of the full-time student body. Renowned artists, art historians, dealers, collectors, art educators, writers, journalists and students of all levels and affiliations have since experienced the intensity of the program.
Originally designed to address the importance of drawing as the basis of understanding one’s experience in the world, the Marathons are based on an exploration of this most direct route to an enriched understanding of the language of the plastic arts. The innovation inherent in the Marathon program reawakens the way that drawing is experienced by artists and appreciators alike. The Marathons are intensive, all-day programs that run for two weeks at the beginning of each semester and during the Summer Session. Drawing, Painting, and Sculpture Marathons are offered by both regular faculty and distinguished visiting artists who are present for the entire two-week session. All programs operate along the same basic model of immersing the student in their chosen discipline.
The level of commitment reached by participants during the Marathon is extraordinary. Each individual must confront the problems of drawing, painting, and sculpture with vigor and intensity if they are to show that they are equal to the fierce demands of concentration and stamina necessary for the program. Not only are participants fully engaged in the physical aspects of making art, they are also intellectually challenged and stimulated by extensive group and individual critiques. The creation of strong and surprising works can be the catalyst for future work. In addition to being part of the full-time program, application to the Marathons are open to beginning and advanced artists regardless of their affiliations. Admission follows the same requirements and procedures as the full-time program. Fees for the ten-day course must be paid in full upon registration.
The Marathon course hours are 9am to 6pm, with a lunch break from 1:00pm to 2:00pm. In some Marathons, there may be critiques. The specific critique schedule will be determined once courses have commenced.
If you are currently enrolled as a full-time student at NYSS, or if you have successfully completed a Marathon or full-time program within the last five years, you are not required to submit an application in order to enroll in upcoming Marathons. Learn more here.
Virtual Marathons
Virtual Marathons are an incredible opportunity for artists from around the world to experience the high caliber NYSS Marathons from their respective homes and studios. Taught through a combination of Zoom and Padlet, these courses bring the rigorous exercises, profound insights, and deep connections of in-person Marathons to participants via virtual means. Artists of all levels are welcome to join. Virtual Marathons are offered as two-week sessions (10 days) in September, January, and during the summer months. Virtual Marathons are offered as one-week (5 consecutive days, Thursday through Monday) Intersession Marathons in November and March of each year.
Looking for information about classes at New York Studio School during the summer months? Explore Summer Session.
Marathon Tuition
Two-Week Marathon: $1,800
One-Week Intersession Marathon – $1,450
Westbury Marathon – $2,300*
*The higher cost for this Marathon reflects location fees and additional costs of transportation to and from Old Westbury.
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
All levels are welcome.
Please scroll down to view course description and syllabi.
Apply On SlideroomPlease email info@nyss.org with any questions.
Painting Marathon – VIRTUAL: The Enigma of Color and the Shock of Sensation with Graham Nickson & Guests
9am - 6pm ET
In this Painting Marathon, size, scale, and mark will be investigated using acrylic paint. The language of the marks will change each day, along with the extreme formats of our painted surfaces. We will experience returning to a painting to develop it over time and discovering a complete idea in just a day. The acrylic will empower us to make bold and brave color changes.
Drawing Marathon – IN-PERSON: Portraiture and Presence with Linda Darling & Guests
9am - 6pm ET
In this intensive two-week Marathon, we will engage in the practice of drawing for eight hours per day, a rare opportunity. The focus will be on portraiture, closely observing the unique features and character of the model.
Sculpture Marathon – IN-PERSON: Life-Size Figure with Brandt Junceau
9am - 6pm ET
The life-size figure is a touchstone of sculpture. Making something our own size, standing like oneself, with every surface, each feature– a head, a face, a gaze like our own– that’s a very peculiar proposition, unlike anything else mankind makes for itself.
Drawing Marathon – VIRTUAL: Pathways to Abstraction with Fran O’Neill
9am - 6pm ET
This Drawing Marathon will encourage students to make many works and studies, with the idea of pushing students past their thresh hold of what they might consider to be the final product, into new arenas of abstraction.
Painting Marathon – IN-PERSON: Arbor Vitae Revisited with Graham Nickson, Sam Levy & Guests
9am - 6pm ET
Working outdoors in the fields and gardens of the impressive grounds located at Old Westbury Gardens, this two-week Painting Marathon will take on the challenge of painting the landscape from direct perception. Working between morning and afternoon paintings, at times extended to multiple days on the same image, students will learn how to translate their experience of light, color, space, and form into paint.
Sculpture Marathon – IN-PERSON: Mold Making and Casting with Sam Nichols
9am - 6pm ET
This Marathon will explore the process of mold making and casting sculpted forms using a variety of materials. Through demonstrations, presentations, class discussions, and direct experience, participants will learn to prepare a form before making a mold of it; learn how to design and build a variety of molds.
Painting Marathon – VIRTUAL: Why Paint the Figure with Elisa Jensen
9am - 6pm ET
This figure painting Marathon will explore in depth the development of figurative imagery in art. Focus will be on finding personal imagery and developing that imagery to the fullest extent by working from drawings, from the imagination and from memory.
Painting Marathon – IN-PERSON: Pompeii, Harmonics and Mystery with Sam Levy, Kaitlin McDonough, Clintel Steed
9am - 6pm ET
Buried under two days of the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, the frescos in Pompeii, Italy, lived frozen beneath time and space until archaeological digs exposed its wonder mostly in the 19th & 20th centuries. These paintings contain mysteries upon mysteries.