Art school thrives in Kalorama with aim to contribute to DC arts scene

Behind the formal portico of a 1909 Sheridan-Kalorama townhouse, the Washington Studio School welcomes and nurtures artists and aspiring artists.

In high-ceilinged rooms that once housed the girls of Holton-Arms School, artists — both adults and teens — draw, paint and sculpt in a creative and supportive environment that offers small classes, experienced teachers and studio space. The Washington Studio School moved there in 2007.

“The school’s goal is to be a major contributor to the city’s arts scene, and through outreach and teaching to fill the gap left by the closing of the Corcoran School of Art,” Laila Jadallah, the school’s managing director, said, adding that the WSS wants to appeal to and attract artists “of all backgrounds and ages.”

WSS PHILOSOPHY

The school’s philosophy emphasizes strong observational skills and the understanding of visual language.

“We teach a language — a visual one — rather than a style or formula,” WSS artistic director Jill Phillips said. “Good perceptual skills, along with strong skills of hand, give you the tools to execute any type of intention. We want our alumni to become lifelong artists.

“The combination of superb teaching, hungry students, welcoming events, wonderful supporters, a desire for depth rather than breadth in our programming, and a big heap of passion adds up to the ‘secret sauce’ that makes WSS so special,” she said.

Lee Newman, a painter and printmaker and one of the school’s founders, emphasized this philosophy at a recent exhibition featuring his work and that of co-founder Joey Kossow.

“Looking at something in its space trains the mind,” Newman told the crowd gathered at the show’s opening reception in April.

HISTORY

Established in 1985, the Washington Studio School traces its origins to the Phillips Collection.

In the 1940s a group of artists began teaching area students in the “Studio House” behind the Phillips Collection in Dupont Circle. When the museum reclaimed the space, some of the students and teachers moved to American University, which Kossow praised as one of the first universities to offer a fine arts degree.

However, Lee remembered: “Across the country there were cuts in arts funding. Education was operating on a business model.”

Lee and Kossow moved to the top floor of the Jackson School in Georgetown, where they and other artists rented studio space. After founding the Washington Studio School, they taught in several Georgetown locations, including the basement of the Jelleff Boys Club, where Kossow remembered trying to paint to the thud of basketballs over their heads. The school was located in Bethesda for five years after leaving their final leased space in Georgetown in 2002.

Then a supporter purchased the Biddle Mansion on S Street for the Washington Studio School. Designed by architect Nathan Wyeth, who also designed the first Oval Office, the house had been part of Holton-Arms School. The girls’ school — which owned several buildings on S Street, as well as a gymnasium and playing fields, now the site of townhomes and a park — moved to Bethesda in 1967, but still holds some of its reunion events in the building.

OFFERINGS

Students may pursue either a non-certificate program or a certificate program, which requires an application. There are three terms a year and a condensed summer program, which kicks off in early July.

Phillips emphasizes that there is a strong thread and shared teaching language among the faculty, enabling students to “easily move from one class to another without hearing conflicting lessons.”  

This spring’s course offerings have included Advanced Drawing, Getting to the Essence of Landscape Painting, Meditative Drawing, Travel Journaling, Drawing Two Models, and Learning Form Klee. Teachers are mostly local, and visiting artists are drawn from Master of Fine Arts programs nationwide.

WSS also stresses the importance of its “atelier tradition.” With several shared studio spaces available to current and former students, WSS enables artists to pursue their own work while, as Phillips explained, remaining “part of a vibrant arts community.”

TEEN PROGRAM

Art programs for teens remain an important focus for the school. Founder Lee Bowman remembered that in the past these programs were hard to find, and WSS’s commitment underscored what Bowman said is still important for artists of all ages: working from observation and models.

Art teacher Mary Freedman highlighted the school’s six-year-old summer portfolio program in drawing, print-making and painting for teens. Applicants are expected to interview and present a portfolio. The program is fee-based with available scholarships.

OUTREACH

A hallmark of the Washington Studio School is its commitment to community outreach. The school recently launched the Alma Thomas Scholarship, a needs-based scholarship for DC teens and adults who attend the University of the District of Columbia, Howard University or DC public or charter schools, as well as teachers in these schools. The program’s namesake, an African-American abstract expressionist and the first fine arts graduate of Howard University, taught art at Shaw Junior High School for 36 years.

Future directions for the school include “more community outreach through increased partnerships with other organizations in the city,” Jadallah said.

Jadallah and the school’s board of advisers hope to bring people from all over the city to the school, as well as to take programs to underserved populations in different parts of the city. WSS is exploring satellite programs and possible partnerships.

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

WSS participates in Dupont Circle’s “First Fridays,” when galleries in the Dupont Circle area hold receptions that are open to the public during evening hours on the first Friday of each month.

The Big Draw is another free public event that the school sponsors. On Sunday, June 24, from 2 to 7 p.m., anyone who wants to draw is invited to WSS, where the school will provide costumed models, still-life setups, and mirrors for self-portraits. The event will emphasize both portraits and self-portraits. All materials will be donated by Blick Art.