SAW is changing!

And we want it to change to meet the needs of our past, current and future students.

For us, that means finding a way to open our doors to more people in a sustainable and equitable way. We’re reaching out to you because you’re apart of our SAW network and we need your help to redesign the year-long intensive program.

A little context…

Traditionally the year-long has required students to pick up their lives, wherever they are in the world, and join our school in Gainesville, Florida, for nine months of intensive storytelling, drawing illustration, history and miscellaneous classes. For the last nine year we’ve offered a range of programs and brought together dozens of comics enthusiasts.

In that time, we’ve had the privilege of hosting a bunch of comics professionals and engaging the Gainesville public in the power of comics.

For us, bringing together a community of comics makers for such an intense period of time is an invaluable experience but we recognize 9 months away from family, friends, work and existing communities can be a lot ask.

We’re currently looking to transition to a low-residency program that would include short periods as our school in Gainesville, with the majority of our learning opportunities available online.

All classes will be compulsory as they are now and we will maintain our high expectations about participation and engagement with this unique learning opportunity, but we want to help you fit it into your everyday life.

Okay, but what does that actually look like?

We’re not quite sure yet, that’s why we need your help.

Our current plan is to bring everyone together for an introductory week in August. Storytelling, drawing and history classes will be offered with our core instructors, Tom Hart, Justine Mara Anderson, Leela Corman and John Ronan, as well as a host of Florida-specific excursions.

The following week, the studio will remain open to students who have an extra week up their sleeve, with access to our Gainesville community of artists and alumni.

Over the following twelve weeks, there will be up to six subjects available to take online, from ‘Storytelling’ with Tom Hart to ‘Depths and Details’ with Justine Mara Anderson.

Our year-long cohort will return for another week in December, with check ins, critiques and classes, with an art show during Gainesville’s annual Art Walk. Again, the studio will be made available to students who are able to remain and develop their process. In the new year, there will be another online 12 week block, followed by a third in person week at the end of the semester.

But I already live in Gainesville?

If you live in Gainesville, we will continue to offer our range of short courses to the public which will be available to year-long low-residency students. We are committed to making the studio available to students who are in Gainesville and have the means to use the space to develop their artist practice. This will include regular year-long only critiques. Our community program is expanding and we want to make sure our year-long students are a central part of that!

Yeah, but how can I help?

Write back!

What we want to know is,

Does this make the SAW year-long more accessible to you?
Does this mean you can commit in the coming 2020-21 school year to a year of comics learning?
What kinds of subject areas are you interested in learning about?
What can we do to help you access greater learning opportunities at SAW?

The whole SAW team really believes in the ability for comics to carry important stories. We want to help as many people we can not just in Gainesville, but around America and the world! Help us!