Our Impact
For nearly four decades, starting with a small, passionate group of artist educators and students, WSS and its dedicated teaching artists have provided students of all levels with an in-depth and original studio art education. With your support, WSS will continue to enhance our studio classroom spaces and curriculum, provide meaningful financial and material support to our students, increase and expand our public art programs, and deepen our collaborative initiatives.
We are pleased and proud to report that WSS is standing strong and facing forward. It is a future of growth and innovative arts education and programming. We thank you for being a part of this success!
As a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization, Our fee-based income only covers about 60% of the costs of keeping our class offerings affordable, programs free, equipment in good shape, and talented faculty and professional staff on board. The remaining 40% of our budget comes from the generosity of individual, foundation and corporate donors as well as grantmakers to help support our ambitious programs.
Support our future by making a gift
Thanks to your support, WSS successfully turned the multiple challenges of the pandemic into an exciting new chapter in our school’s history. A mix of online, outdoor, and in-person courses and public programs sparked new connections between students, faculty, visiting artists, and the community at large throughout the DC area, across the country, and around the world.
Virtual programming has produced unexpected benefits by making our programs accessible to more people of varying abilities and by allowing us to re-envision how we engage with our community, visiting artists, and the general public.
But we still need your help to support our staff and make further progress on engaging broader communities reflective of the District. As a student, visitor, and supporter, you are at the core of what makes all of our current and future work possible. When you take a class or workshop, attend a public program and share what you do at WSS with others, you are supporting our mission and vision to make Washington Studio School a place where people come together to grow, explore and learn together.
Join us by making a contribution today. You will champion our excellent faculty and staff, and help sustain, strengthen and broaden our programs.
What Our Students Say About Us
RACHEL HEISS ARTIST & ILLUSTRATOR / WORK-STUDY PARTICIPANT
"Taking courses at WSS made me feel like an art student again. My instructors taught me everything from
foundational skills such as setting up a palette and color-mixing, to more complex skills, strategies and thought
processes. Their courses helped me dust off the artistic cobwebs and gain confidence as a painter. I have a
deeper connection with the school because of my time spent as a work-study participant. WSS has outstanding
teachers, staff members, donors, and students, and I'm happy to be a part of their community."
SERENA MARTIN ILLUSTRATOR and DESIGNER
"I am a self-taught Washington, DC-based watercolor illustrator and stationery designer, and I began taking
classes at Washington Studio School in June 2018. I can tell that my skill level as an artist has improved
since taking classes, but also my appreciation for art history and ways of looking at art. The community of teachers, students, artists, and volunteers also provides a warm and welcoming environment. The teachers I have taken classes with are all phenomenal. They not only teach students the foundations, but they also show students new ways to look at their surroundings, subjects, and how art responds and captures what we feel and see. It is a truly comprehensive art education and experience!"
