The Alternative Art School (TAAS)

Colette Copeland
September 2024

I first learned about The Alternative Art School (TAAS) during the pandemic. One of my favorite artists–Janine Antoni posted about teaching there. In 2022, I signed up for my first online course with Amber Imrie on Artists and Social Media. Over the next two years, I’ve taken seven courses in a variety of topics including gender/performance, embodying the artist’s process, art and social engagement, magic and most recently an overview of digital—A.I. and NFTs. TAAS’ faculty includes well-known contemporary artists and curators and the student body includes a global community of artists in all stages of their careers. Below is a conversation with founder Nato Thompson and Program Director Amber Imrie about TAAS’ trajectory and their exciting new artist membership program.

Colette Copeland: Nato and Amber—I’ve heard you both speak about TAAS’ origin story. With everyone stuck at home during the pandemic, TAAS offered a prime opportunity for artists to foster their continuing education and develop a community of kindred spirits. However, it seems quite daunting to start a school, find high-caliber faculty who will commit to teaching, fundraise, develop partnerships and attract students. And you did it without a staff—just the two of you. What was the original vision and how did it come to fruition?

Nato Thompson:  The origin is deep and certainly not new. I had a gig working on building a new museum for Philadelphia. It was exciting and after working as a curator in contemporary art for most of my career, I was eager to take the next step at building actual cultural infrastructure. While that museum never panned out, the gears had definitely begun turning about finding a way to create sustainable infrastructure in the arts that also sidestepped the traditional non-profit model. As for the school, after spending much of my art life hosting conferences, I wanted an online place for a truly global art community to come together. I have a lot of relationships with incredible artists and believe in the catalytic power of artists sharing ideas and experiences.

Amber Imrie: Nato launched The Alternative Art School shortly before I came on board. I first heard about TAAS during lockdown from Portugal in the fall of 2020. I was sketching out on an online class idea and scrolling instagram. I saw an ad, clicked and emailed the Admin account. Perhaps a bold move but life is short and my ambitions are high and I was stuck at home without a job. I think my email started with, “I can see you just launched a school and I’m sure you have a lot to do…” I stated my experience managing an online business I founded before I got my MFA. To my surprise Nato emailed me back and we jumped on a zoom. There was a lot to do! Four years later, we can look back at some incredible programming and relationships that have grown from TAAS. Our vision for the school has grown as we’ve learned from our global community the needs and desires of artists in the 21st century and this is what has shaped our Membership program.

CC: In speaking to many of my fellow TAAS students, one of the greatest benefits of TAAS is meeting and working with artists around the globe. In my classes, I have met artists from New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, India, Iran, Turkey, China, Italy, Brazil, France as well as all across the U.S.. What are the benefits of developing a global art community outside of mainstream art world and what are some of the success stories you’ve witnessed since TAAS’ inception?

NT: Art is a way to expand your horizons. It is an amazing magical global language and with the capacity to travel online at little cost, we are able to develop intimate communities. We can stitch them together. There are self-identified artists in every corner of this fragile world and their voices lend a different perspective on places and time.

AI: The benefit is that you discover how art flourishes at every level of life, expanding your mind to a world of opportunities and ways to live creatively. More concretely, it connects you with artists from various fields, allowing you to build supportive relationships which can change your life in very real ways. I’ve curated and exhibited work through this network – but TAAS is more than a network – the brilliance of having everything centered around a school is that the environment fosters idea exchange and mutual learning rather than mere “networking,” which often feels transactional—”What can you do for me?” versus “What can we create together?”

We’ve seen artists pursue and achieve their goals – some have experienced breakthroughs in their “careers” —many have had their proposals we gave them feedback on, accepted into residencies, received grants, and earned fellowships for MFAs, among other opportunities. TAAS has played a pivotal role in facilitating this growth, but it ultimately depends on the artist’s dedication and effort. We provide the infrastructure, but it’s the artist’s commitment that drives success.

CC: Besides global community, a major benefit for me is how my own artistic practice has developed through classes with some of my favorite contemporary artists and curators such as RAQS Media Collective, Alicia Framis, Sasha Stiles and Aaron Gach. How do you choose which artists to recruit for teaching and how do you know that their teaching style will mesh with TAAS philosophy? In working at a variety of institutions, I’ve witnessed that just because someone is a great artist does not ensure that they are a great teacher.

NT: Certainly the quality of being a humane person interested in people is one of the attributes that goes into making a great teacher. That isn’t necessarily the qualities of all great artists, so we do have to be selective. I would say that the quality of our instructors at the school is absolutely unbeatable by any institution out there. It’s entirely next level.

AI: I’d say, we’ve gotten a lot better at this over the years! Nato and I have taught at TAAS consistently and learned what thrives in an online learning environment. Some great irl teachers aren’t as well suited for online teaching, but we’ve found that there’s a flow and now offer support to our instructors in translating their knowledge into a compelling course.

CC: Tell us about the new membership program. Why have you evolved into this model and what are the benefits for artists?

NT: I will let Amber take it away, but just to say, this is a profound and important shift in the way we feel art communities, and ours specifically, can evolve.

AI: Before Membership, we offered classes and ran a small, free campus program for alumni in our network. With free offerings, attendance and engagement were hit or miss—some people showed up consistently, others never did, and some were occasional participants. We observed significant changes in the lives and practices of those who attended regularly. Based on this data, we developed Membership.

Membership addresses issues of affordability and accessibility, making it easier for artists to connect with their community and engage in their practice daily. This regularity is transformative, but we recognize that people have different needs. That’s why Membership offers both passive and active ways to engage with others.

The benefits extend beyond being part of an exclusive social network of ambitious artists from around the world. Membership includes an introductory course, a visiting lecture series, and bi-weekly opportunities for peer-to-peer discussion and feedback on your work. Additionally, our app delivers inspiring and motivating content directly to your phone—so you can explore artist features or reflect on your practice through a poll while waiting in line at the DMV. It’s a refreshing alternative to Instagram scrolling, with no ads!

TAAS has always been the global extension of your localized practice, and with Membership and our app, it’s become even more expansive. It’s quickly becoming the app I turn to in between tasks, and it feels so much better than social media!

For more info about The Alternative Art School →

Colette Copeland is an interdisciplinary visual artist, arts educator, social activist and cultural critic/writer whose work examines issues surrounding gender, death and contemporary culture. Sourcing personal narratives and popular media, she utilizes video, photography, performance and sculptural installation to question societal roles and the pervasive influence of media, and technology on our communal enculturation.

Colette Copeland →