Academy of Art & Design

Located in the beautiful, historical community of North Adams, Massachusetts, our academy offers students the opportunity to train with local and visiting art instructors in person. The Academy brings together students of all ages and skill levels to learn usable skills in traditional drawing and painting, direction, mentorship, to help you attain your goals, while studying in a professional studio environment.

Join us long term, or plan a shorter visit and participate in one of our workshops or mindset boot camps. With a low student-to-teacher ratio you’ll receive the personalized attention you deserve.

Class Descriptions

  • Bi-weekly Support Group

    Members Only Artistic Development group for artists and creatives of all disciplines and experience levels. Free to members led by professional working artists who have been there, this group encourages artistic expression, productive discussion, and a sense of community to empower your creative practice and remind you that you are not alone.

    Register

  • Songwriting with CJ Field

    10% off for Members!

    Join Grammy, ACM, and CMA-nominated songwriter, CJ Field, for a three day workshop. Gain invaluable insight into the artistic processes of a seasoned singer songwriter as he guides you from inspiration to creation.

    Scholarships are available for veterans, made possible through CJ Field’s non-profit organization, Fight 4 Them.

    Limited to 12 participants. First come first served.

    Register

  • Surrealist Landscapes with Alexis Rosasco

    10% off for Members!

    Join local artist, Alexis Rosasco, as she leads a three day workshop exploring intuitive painting. Learn how to relax and follow your instincts as you create a large multi-layered landscape on canvas while building confidence.

    Register

Meet Our Instructors

  • Alexis Rosasco

    FOUNDER

    Alexis Rosasco is a Visual Artist best known for her whimsical illustrations, vibrant acrylic paintings, and photography. She received her BFA in Fine Arts from Tufts University and is a graduate of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. Alexis has acted as a mentor and coach for young artists from the North Adams community for nearly a decade.

    Pictured: Brain by Alexis Rosasco

    Website

  • William Oberst

    PROFESSOR

    William Oberst holds an MFA in painting from Stony Brook University and a Ph.D in philosophy from Claremont Graduate University. He taught painting and drawing in the Stony Brook Art Department for over a decade, as well as courses in the history of ideas for the university's Honors College. Selected as one of Today's Masters by Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine, his paintings are in collections in Italy, Canada, and the United States. He maintains a studio-residence in downtown North Adams, MA, where he continues his art practice and research in the foundations of representational art.

    Pictured: Mill Boy by William Oberst

    Website

  • CJ Field

    INSTRUCTOR

    CJ Field is a talented musician with a unique voice and impressive songwriting abilities. He was nominated for Grammy, CMA, and ACM awards. After moving to Nashville in 2011, he quickly established himself as a sought-after songwriter, working with Ashley McBryde and other notable musicians. He co-wrote the song “Home Sweet Highway” with Ashley and Blue Foley, which was included in Ashley’s Grammy, ACM, and CMA-nominated album “Girl Going Nowhere”. As a multi-instrumentalist, CJ not only writes and sings, but composes, plays and produces the majority of is own material, inlcuding his Apologies EP that was released in 2017. Most recently, he teamed up with Grammy-nominated producer, Eric Torres, to release his latest singles “Good Day” and “Bad Decisions” in 2022 and now splits his time between Massachusetts and Nashville.

    Photo Credit: Tony Sarria

    Website

  • Lama Tashi Norbu

    INSTRUCTOR

    Lama Tashi Norbu is a Buddhist monk and multidisciplinary artist whose work investigates the spiritual journey of the human being, our connection with nature and the challenges of modern life. Of Tibetan heritage and born in Bhutan, Tashi grew up in Dharamsala, India. His childhood was spent in Tibetan monastic schools living with Buddhist rituals and where he studied at the Institute of Tibetan Works and Archives/Traditional Thangka Painting. His name, Tashi Norbu, was given to him by Namkhai Nyingpo Rinpoche, considered one of the legendary and sacred Sky Dancers of Tibet. Among many other achievements, Lama Tashi was a Thangka painter under the residence of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. He studied at the Academy of Visual Arts of Saint Luke in Ghent, Belgium, and is the founder of the only registered Tibetan Museum in the world, The Museum of Contemporary Tibetan Art based in Emmen, Netherlands. His work has been exhibited in various galleries and museums such as 20th Anniversary, Trace Foundation in colaboration with the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Art With Me Festival Miami, Florida Museum and Gandhi Museum Bihar/India, among others.

    Credit: Lama Tashi Norbu

    Website

Featured Artwork

  • "Mill Boy" William Oberst

  • "Sunday's Rest" William Oberst

  • "Cottage" William Oberst

  • "End of the Point" William Oberst

  • "Tree" William Oberst

  • "Hoya Plant" William Oberst

  • "Chasing the Rain" Alexis Rosasco

  • "Leopard 1" Alexis Rosasco

  • "Serenity" Alexis Rosasco

  • "Untitled" Lama Tashi Norbu & Alexis Rosasco

  • "Untitled" Lama Tashi Norbu & Alexis Rosasco

  • "Untitled" Lama Tashi Norbu & Alexis Rosasco

  • "Be the Flower Not the Bee" Lama Tashi Norbu

  • "Burning Away Ignorance Leaving Behind Wisdom" Lama Tashi Norbu

  • "Untitled" Lama Tashi Norbu

Let’s work together.

Interested in becoming an instructor or hosting a workshop? Please submit a proposal below with tentative dates and a link to your portfolio. We look forward to working with you!