The Alternative Art School

10/02/2026

Join us this coming Tuesday for our first class included in the TAAS School Plan.

Most artists are never taught the unsexy-but-essential side of a creative life: how to find funding, navigate galleries, pursue residencies, or turn your practice into something sustainable. This bi-weekly course fills that gap — giving you the tools, networks, and real-world knowledge to move through the art world with confidence. From grants and teaching positions to licensing, museum exhibitions, and alternative curatorial paths, you’ll leave with a clear-eyed roadmap and the connections to walk it.

✷ TAAS Community members are welcome to check out the first two months of TAAS School for no extra charge or commitment.

Visit our School Membership 🔗 in Linktree to Sign up!

09/28/2026

Registration is open and classes begin for TAAS School October 6! Explore our expanded programming, as well as our upcoming Curator and Artist Talks.
Our past Community members can access a 2-month trail at no added cost. School Orientation is Oct 2, 12pm ET.
Cancel Anytime

✷ TAAS School: Choose from 4 workshops that enhance your skills and sharpen your focous.

✷ Mark your calendars: Oct 9 Bev Butkow, Oct 14 Allison Glenn, and Oct 21 Jean Shin will be speaking about their work in our rotating lecture series.

Visit our 🔗 Linktree to Sign up and register on Mighty

09/18/2026

In The Slip, art historian and MoMA Director of Content Prudence Peiffer explores how a single block in Manhattan transformed the landscape of American art forever.

Awarded the NYC Book Award and longlisted for the National Book Award, Peiffer’s book tells the story of a community of artists—including Ellsworth Kelly, Agnes Martin, and Robert Indiana—who redefined modern art from abandoned sail-making lofts along the East River.

Join us next Wednesday 7-8pm EST for a talk with Prudence as we dive into spatial practices, artistic community, and the places that make art possible. This is also our last Book Club meeting; expect an announcement about our next book soon!

TAAS Members: RSVP via the link in today’s Stories or on our Mighty Networks platform

Portrait Courtesy: MoMA
HarperCollins
Prudence Peiffer Fulford

09/14/2026

TAAS Member Kit Rutter has been hard at work on an intricate new papermaking project as part of a bookmaking residency at Bernheim Forest, home to a 600-acre arboretum and over 40 miles of hiking trails. 

Kit joined us this past summer as part of our Ozark Storytelling Residency Cohort hosted by Mount Sequoyah. Concurrently, she is completing a year-long residency with the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and Arkansas Children’s Northwest Hospital in Springdale.

Huge congratulations, Kit! We’re thrilled to see your practice growing across so many incredible spaces.

Read the full feature from the Bernheim Artist in Residence program via the link in today’s Stories.

Katherine Rutter Bernheim Forest and Arboretum Crystal Bridges Arkansas Children's

09/10/2026

✻ NEW EPISODE: Counterproductive Vol. 3 featuring Mel Chin

TAAS founder Nato Thompson sits down with artist Mel Chin to explore a five-decade career fusing art, ecology, and civic action. From Revival Field to Operation Pay Dirt, dive into a deep discussion on research-driven art and public activism.

✻ Link in Linktree to watch/listen to the full episode on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube.

Counterproductive is free and accessible to everyone. Subscribe to automatically receive the next episodes, and please leave us a review! 


09/08/2026

Tomorrow! Join us for a live Visiting Curator Talk with Vasıf Kortun, one of contemporary art’s most influential curators, writers, and institutional innovators.

From founding SALT Istanbul to co-curating major international biennials (Istanbul, Taipei, São Paulo), Vasıf has spent nearly four decades redefining how art institutions operate as democratic spaces for artists and the public.

Recent topics of interest include:
✷ How to navigate and challenge institutional spaces
✷ Alternative model-building and collective practices
✷ The intersection of curation, research, and publication

Event Details:
Wednesday September 9
12-1pm EST
Online via Zoom
 
🔗 Members can sign up using today’s story link

09/04/2026

When we asked our community which conversations need more dedicated space, “Working in the Arts, as an Artist” came out on top.

Artists fuel the entire cultural sector across education, non-profits, museums, and galleries, yet structural under-compensation remains widespread.

Brooklyn Museum Director and TAAS Advisor Anne Pasternak eloquently addressed the urgent need to properly value art labor recently on Freakonomics Radio.

Swipe to hear her clip and join the discussion in the comments!
Better in Person Freakonomics Anne Pasternak

09/02/2026

09/01/2026

Welcome to TAAS!
Not sure how to navigate our Mighty Networks platform? Don’t sweat it. Join our New Member Orientation this Friday, September 4 at 1 PM EST.

Eden Imrie will walk you through all of our resources, space navigation, and how to register for upcoming talks and workshops.

✺ RSVP link in our Calendar above.