Making A Life of Art
with Nato Thompson
In this course, Thompson will address and workshop the complexities of living an artistic life. Ranging from practical issues like artistic work routines and navigating the art world to more philosophical issues of community, sustainability, and life-work balance; the course is meant as a hands-on workshop for artists and curators interested in making a cultural life amidst a difficult and socially arduous world. The course will also include visiting artists, readings, and discussions.
Office Hours: TBA
***ALL Classes include FREE & Continuous Membership Access to our virtual campus Programming called Student Life
** Payment Plans Available
September 13th - October 25th
Wednesdays
12:30 - 3pm EST
20
Students Max
$1,500 New Student
$1,250 Returning Student
USD
Nato Thompson is an author, curator, and what he describes as “cultural infrastructure builder”. He has worked as Artistic Director at Philadelphia Contemporary, and Creative Time as Artistic Director and Curator at MASS MoCA.
Thompson organized major Creative Time projects including The Creative Time Summit (2009–2015), Pedro Reyes’ Doomocracy (2016), Kara Walker’s A Subtlety (2014), Living as Form (2011), Trevor Paglen’s The Last Pictures (2012), Paul Ramírez Jonas’s Key to the City (2010), Jeremy Deller’s It is What it is (2009, with New Museum curators Laura Hoptman and Amy Mackie), Democracy in America: The National Campaign (2008), and Paul Chan’s Waiting for Godot in New Orleans (2007), among others.
He has written two books of cultural criticism, Seeing Power: Art and Activism in the 21st Century (2015) and Culture as Weapon: The Art of Influence in Everyday Life (2017). He founded the Alternative Art School in 2020.
Drifting in Daylight, 2015, Collaboration with Central Park Conservancy.
Chto Delat, A Monument to the Century of Revolutions, 2017 Creative Time Summit, Toronto, Curated by Nato Thompson.
Living As Form, 2011, With Creative Time.
Kara Walker, A Subtlety, 2014, with Nato Thompson and Creative Time.
More Classes
Live online classes with the world’s best artists and curators
Let’s Make A Show
This course offers an opportunity for artists to work with other artists to make exhibitions together. This course is led by and facilitated by Nato Thompson, who has already had tremendous success in his courses at The Alternative Art School, working with artists to figure out ways to make exhibitions together. The basic motto is: rather than waiting for someone else to give you a show, artists can work together to produce exhibition opportunities. Of course, these will not be classic exhibitions in white cube galleries, but instead provide lower-cost fun ways in the spirit of Fluxus to get their work out into the world and into conversation with new audiences and artists. Past examples include work trades in living rooms or even on refrigerators, WhatsApp exhibitions, PowerPoint shows, PDF exhibitions, collective meditations, postcard campaigns, and more.
Lost & Found:
Artistic Approaches to the Photographic Archive
This two-hour, fully theoretical workshop is designed for those interested in reinterpreting personal or found photographic archives—whether working with printed photographs, film slides, film negatives, or other materials. Through discussions on contemporary artists, alternative techniques, and unique installation methods, participants will gain new perspectives on how to engage with archival imagery. The session will provide inspiration and strategies for transforming archival materials into meaningful artistic expressions.
Crash Course in Adobe Premiere Pro:
Video Editing Basics
This one-day intensive workshop is designed to get you up and running with Adobe Premiere Pro. Learn the essential tools and workflows to create high-resolution, professional-quality video works. We'll cover importing footage, basic editing techniques, timeline navigation, multi-channel video editing, and exporting for different platforms. Perfect for beginners or those looking to sharpen their foundational skills, this crash course will give you the confidence and tools to start editing with clarity and creativity. This course will be recorded for anyone unable to make it LIVE.
