Gage Academy of Art

The Gage Academy of Art is a fine art school located in Seattle, Washington, specializing in drawing, painting, and sculpture. The core of its programming is traditional observational training, with an emphasis on the foundation skills of figure drawing and painting. Other classes include perspective, cast drawing, and color theory. [ [http://www.gageacademy.org Gage Academy of Art] official site]

The Academy was conceived in 1989 by New York artist Gary Faigin [ [http://www.garyfaigin.com Gary Faigin] official site] and architect [http://gageacademy.org/about/?page=staff&b_id=1 Pamela Belyea] , [ [http://gageacademy.org/about/?page=staff&b_id=1 Pamela Belyea] on the Gage Academy site.] and opened the following summer as a month of workshops held in Santa Fe. By 1992, after the founders moved to Seattle, it expanded to scheduled workshops in New York, Seattle and Santa Fe with a roster of nationally-known professional artists.

In 1995, the school began operations year-round in Seattle with a variety of classes and workshops for artists of all levels of ability. In 1997, the Academy added teen summer art workshops, an aspect of the Academy which has grown into year-round children and teen programs on-site and in Seattle's public schools. The school became a nonprofit in 2000 known as the Seattle Academy of Fine Art.

The school grew rapidly. In 2004 the Academy moved into the historic St. Nicholas School Building in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, quadrupling its square footage and allowing the school to offer a broader range of educational and community events, especially public programs tailored to serving emerging artists from Seattle and the region.

Over the years, prominent nationally-respected contemporary realist artists have taught workshops at Gage including John Nava, Martha Mayer Erlebacher, Jacob Collins, Michael Grimaldi, Tony Ryder, Scott Fraser, Sandra Freckleton, Michael Bergt, Wade Schuman, Steven Assael, Sigmund Abeles and many more. Four prominent Northwest artists teach year-long ateliers at Gage: Juliette Aristides, Mark Kang-O'Higgins, Suzanne Brooker and Gary Faigin. Youth Programs instructors have included Marita Dingus, Jim Woodring, Susan Robb, and a long line-up of excellent local professional artists.

Two major annual events at Gage showcase the school's commitment to serve the local public and artists' community. The "Drawing Jam" held every December features models in every studio accompanied by live musicians. Hundreds of artists of all ages and stripes attend to spend the 12-hour day drawing with free art supplies, free cafe refreshments and 12-hours of music and models.

In June of every year, Gage hosts its "Annual Student Show and Open House". Every Gage adult student is invited to show their artwork in a one-month exhibition juried by a local gallery owner. The evening culminates with the "Academy Awards" where winning students receive donated art supplies and first prize winners walk down the red carpet to accept "Oskars" (gold-painted studio mannequins) from the school's Directors. The free event draws hundreds and raises thousands of dollars in art supplies for deserving art students.

In 2006, the school changed its name to "Gage" Academy of Art, an old French-English word meaning "a challenge or a promise." The metaphor seemed apt and now, in 2007, Gage continues to serve approximately 800 adult students and 700 youth students a year with arts programs that challenge assumptions and promise artist engagement.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.gageacademy.org Gage Academy of Art] official site
* [http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/visualart/151995_cart11.html"Seattle P-I" article on Gage]
* [http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=207213"The Stranger" article on Gage]

* [http://www.jtnews.net/viewArticle.php?headline=How%20to%20make%20an%20artist,%20Northwest-style "Jewish Transcript" article: "How to make an Artist, Northwest Style"]