irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2023
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $511KSTUDENT SERVICES:NYSS TAKES CARE TO PROVIDE CRUCIAL AUXILIARY PROGRAMMING AND SUPPORT SERVICES TO ITS STUDENTS TO FOSTER THEIR INTELLECTUAL, CREATIVE, AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. THE LIBRARY CONNECTS STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND OTHER RESEARCHERS TO ITS RESOURCES AND COLLECTIONS AS WELL AS TO THOSE OF OTHER NYC COLLECTIONS. THE OFFICE OF STUDENT SERVICES ORGANIZES PROFESSIONAL CAREER DEVELOPMENT EVENTS, FIELD TRIPS, AND OTHER EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES, IN ADDITION TO COMMUNITY BUILDING AND NETWORKING. NYSS ALSO RUNS A RESIDENCY IN DUMBO DESIGNED TO SUPPORT SELECT RECENT GRADUATE AWARDEES WITH THEIR TRANSITION TO A POSTGRADUATE WORKING PRACTICE.
- #2 $423KPUBLIC PROGRAMMING: FOR NEARLY 60 YEARS NYSS HAS ORGANIZED PUBLIC PROGRAMMING THAT IS FREE AND OPEN TO ALL. SINCE 2020, THESE EVENTS HAVE ALSO BEEN LIVESTREAMED AND DIGITALLY ARCHIVED, GREATLY EXPANDING NYSS' REACH. THE EXHIBITION PROGRAMS AND TWICE-WEEKLY EVENING LECTURE SERIES BRING THE STUDENT BODY AND A WIDER ART COMMUNITY FROM NYC AND BEYOND INTO DIALOGUE WITH BOTH EMERGING AND ACCLAIMED ARTISTS, CURATORS, HISTORIANS, CRITICS, AND OTHERS. THE SCHOOL ORGANIZES APPROX EIGHT EXHIBITIONS IN ITS MAIN GALLERY EACH YEAR, PROVIDES ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES IN THE STUDENT GALLERY FOR STUDENT-CURATED EXHIBITIONS, AND HOSTS A SERIES OF OTHER EVENTS CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH A WIDER ART WORLD.
named programs · 5 · from sources
What they call their work
DUMBO Artist-in-Residence Program
Post-graduate residency in DUMBO, Brooklyn that supports recent graduates with studio space and community engagement during the transition to professional practice
Drawing Marathon
Intensive drawing program founded by Dean Graham Nickson that explores the fundamental role of drawing in artistic practice; has become a nationally and internationally influential component of the curriculum
Evening Lecture Series
Free public lecture series featuring prominent artists, critics, historians, and poets that fosters discourse around contemporary art and ideas
Student Gallery Exhibitions
Exhibition series providing students with opportunities to curate and display their work in a professional gallery setting
Travel Scholarships and Grants
Programs including the Hohenberg Travel Award and Peter Rippon/Royal Academy of Art Travel Award that fund student travel for artistic research and development
activities · 7 groups
What they do
-
Community Art Education Workshops 2 activities
- Conduct art marathonsOrganizes intensive drawing and sculpture marathons led by artists, including the Drawing Marathon program emphasizing sustained drawing practice and visual perception, and life-sized figure sculpture marathons that bring together students from diverse geographic backgrounds.
- Deliver intensive studio arts education programsOffers in-person and virtual studio arts programs in drawing, painting, and sculpture for aspiring artists, including Certificate and Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degrees that emphasize rigorous thinking, ethical development, and strong work habits. The program is described as profoundly transformative by students.
-
-
Curated Art Exhibitions and Public Displays 2 activities
- Curate and present student exhibitionsPresents virtual certificate exhibitions featuring student works from across the country in a range of media and supports student-curated exhibitions in the student gallery. Hosted four exhibitions at the Dumbo Projects Space and 10 total exhibitions in fiscal year 2022.
- Operate public gallery exhibitionsOperates a public gallery open seven days a week for exhibitions, hosting approximately eight exhibitions annually in the main gallery and supporting student-curated exhibitions in the student gallery. Also operates a studio and gallery in DUMBO, Brooklyn, open monthly during First Thursday Gallery Walks and by appointment.
-
-
Artist Residencies and Studio Programs 2 activities
- Provide student support and community servicesProvides student support services including career development events, field trips, community building, and access to dedicated faculty and visiting critics and artists to support artistic development.
- Support student and artist residenciesHosts a studio artist-in-residence program funded by the Rosemarie Beck Foundation and a year-long post-degree DUMBO Artist-in-Residence program for recent graduates transitioning to professional practice. Hosted three artists-in-residence in fiscal year 2022.
-
-
Literary Events & Workshops 1 activity
- Host public lecture seriesHosts a free, ongoing Evening Lecture Series that brings together established and emerging artists, critics, historians, and poets to foster discourse on contemporary art, with 29 lectures hosted in fiscal year 2022 and over 61,000 views of archived lectures online.
-
-
Arts Education Scholarships 1 activity
- Offer student travel awardsAwards the Hohenberg Travel Award and the Peter Rippon/Royal Academy of Art Travel Award to support MFA students in travel for artistic study and in sustaining studio practice after graduation.
-
-
Specialized Research Library Access 1 activity
- Provide library and research resourcesProvides access to a library collection and research databases for scholarly research; acquired 125 books, digitized 56 archival lectures, and added nearly 1,000 item records to the online catalog in fiscal year 2022, with an 11% increase in library usage.
-
-
Uncategorized 1 activity
- Maintain studio facilities for student useProvides five spacious painting studios with skylights, individual easels, and tabourets; two large sculpture studios with dedicated project rooms including a welding room, kiln, and workspaces for plaster, stone, and wood; and lockers, rack rooms, and flat files for student storage of works on paper.
-
financials · form 990 · fy2023
revenue
Total revenue$3.77M
Contributions & grants$1.90M50%
Program service revenue$1.60M42%
Investment income$156K4%
Other revenue$115K
expenses
Total expenses$3.79M
Program expenses77%
Admin / overhead16%
Fundraising7%
Salaries & benefits$2.14M
Grants paid out$496K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$7.02M
Cash$4.14M
Investments$0
Liabilities$3.00M
Net assets$4.02M
Liquid reserves13.1 mo
5 years on record · 2019–2023 · YoY revenue +14.1%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2023
Who runs it
paid leadership · 2
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| GRAHAM NICKSON | DEAN (TO 8/31/24) | 40 | $185K |
| KAITLIN MCDONOUGH | ACTING HEAD OF SCHOOL | 40 | $127K |
board members · 20
- ALLA BROEKSMIT — TRUSTEE
- ANTHONY F ZUNINO — PRESIDENT
- BONNIE BURNHAM — TRUSTEE
- CARLEEN MURDOCK — TRUSTEE
- CHRISTOPHER HARLAND — TRUSTEE
- DEANNA E KING — SECRETARY
- DITA AMORY — TRUSTEE
- ELISABETH SCHARLATT — TRUSTEE
- JESSICA CHERMAYEFF — TRUSTEE
- JOHN MIDDENDORF — TRUSTEE
- KEITH G WHITE — TRUSTEE
- KEJIA WU — TRUSTEE
- MAUD BRYT — TRUSTEE
- PAULA HORNBOSTEL — TRUSTEE
- PHILIP ISLES — TRUSTEE
- SEWARD RYAN — TRUSTEE
- STEVEN SHAFFER — TREASURER
- SUSAN SUSSMAN — TRUSTEE
- WINTHROP CONRAD — TRUSTEE
- YAEL MERIDAN SCHORI — TRUSTEE
relationships · 9
Who they work with
- Board of Trustees Partner — Oversees the governance and strategic direction of the New York Studio School.
- DUMBO First Thursday Gallery Walks Partner — Collaborates to open the NYSS DUMBO Studio and Gallery during monthly gallery walks.
- Mercedes Matter Partner — Co-founded the school with students and served as faculty and leader; instrumental in shaping its founding vision and pedagogy.
- Other NYC Collections Partner — Collaborates with other New York City collections to connect students, faculty, and researchers to broader library and archival resources.
- Rosemarie Beck Foundation Partner — Funds the Studio Artist-in-Residence program at New York Studio School.
- Rosemarie Beck Foundation Partner — Provides studio space for the Studio Artist-in-Residence program at Kenkeleba House.
- Royal Academy of Art Partner — Cosponsors the Peter Rippon Travel Award for MFA students.
- Samuel D. Waxman Foundation Partner — Hosted a program at the Gardens at Old Westbury in collaboration with the School.
- Working Artists and the Greater Economy (W.A.G.E.) Partner — W.A.G.E. certified organization, indicating a formal commitment to fair compensation practices for artists.
strategies · 4
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Foundational Perceptual Trainingmethodology: perceptual-based art educationBy grounding artistic education in sustained observation of the human figure and life drawing, students develop deep spatial and perceptual understanding because this foundational practice supports both figurative and abstract artistic work across media and conceptual frameworks.
- Immersive Studio-Based Learningmethodology: immersive_art_educationBy providing an intensive, disciplined, and continuous studio environment centered on sustained perceptual training and drawing from life, the school fosters deep artistic development and expanded creativity because immersive practice enables transformative growth that fragmented academic schedules cannot support.
- Inquiry-Driven Artistic Developmentmethodology: inquiry-based art educationBy prioritizing open-ended inquiry and independent thinking over prescribed outcomes, the school cultivates a personal work ethic and aesthetic philosophy because student-led exploration fosters ethical, philosophical, and creative ownership of artistic practice.
- Open-Access Public Engagementmethodology: open-access public programmingBy offering free public access to exhibitions, lectures, and digital archives, the school expands engagement with art and scholarship because removing financial and geographic barriers enables broader participation in artistic discourse and learning.