Make, don't watch
Skills are built with your hands. Every session puts materials in front of you and gets you working.
Our story
It began in a borrowed tannery
Atelier Academy opened in 2009 when a group of working artists took over a disused leather tannery and turned it into open studios. They had a simple frustration: too many art courses taught theory at a distance, while the real learning — the smell of linseed, the weight of clay, the honesty of a group crit — happened in studios most students never got to use.
So they built a school around the studio itself. One shared floor became three. A single evening class grew into six full programs across painting, drawing, sculpture, digital art, photography and illustration.
Today more than 1,800 alumni have passed through these doors, going on to art colleges, galleries, design studios and practices of their own. Through all the growth, the founding rule holds: you learn to make art by making art, surrounded by people who do the same.
2009Founded
1,800+Alumni artists
6Studio disciplines
1:9Tutor to student
What we believe
The values that shape every studio
Five principles guide how we teach, critique and make work together.
See clearly
Honest, generous critique teaches you to look — at your own work and everyone else's.
Find your voice
Technique is the start, not the goal. We help each artist develop a point of view that is their own.
Learn in community
A studio is more than a room — it is the people in it. We keep classes small and collaborative.
Show the work
Art is meant to be seen. Public exhibitions are built into every program, not an afterthought.
Welcome everyone
Career-changers, school-leavers and returning makers all share our benches. No experience required.
Our faculty
Working artists who teach
Every tutor at Atelier Academy keeps an active studio practice. They teach what they live — and bring the wider art world with them.
Elena Marchetti
Head of Painting
An abstract painter exhibited across Europe, Elena leads the painting studio with a focus on colour and surface. She has mentored two decades of painters into colleges and galleries.
Theo Novak
Sculpture & Ceramics
A ceramicist and public-art commissioner, Theo runs the kiln and the sculpture floor. He pushes students to work bigger and braver than they thought possible.
Priya Anand
Digital & Illustration
An illustrator and motion designer who has worked with studios worldwide, Priya bridges traditional drawing and digital craft for screen, print and game.
Marcus Hale
Photography
A documentary photographer and committed darkroom traditionalist, Marcus teaches seeing first and equipment second, from exposure to the final hand-made print.
Grace Okonkwo
Drawing & Life
A draughtswoman and printmaker, Grace runs the weekly life-drawing room. She believes drawing is the foundation that makes every other discipline stronger.
Daniel Reyes
Studio Director
One of the founding artists, Daniel oversees the studios, the exhibition programme and the wellbeing of every student. He is the first face you meet on a tour.
Our studios
Spaces made for making
Three floors of light-filled, well-equipped studios — yours to use seven days a week.
Accreditation & partners
Recognised, trusted, connected
Our programmes are quality-assured and our portfolios open doors. We work closely with colleges, galleries and arts bodies.
National Arts Council
Guild of Fine Art
City Galleries Network
Design & Crafts Board
Portfolio Pathway Partner
Come and see the studios
The best way to understand Atelier Academy is to stand in a studio while work is being made. Book a visit and meet the faculty.