All aspiring Art Department professionals aged 18 and older are eligible to apply. We are looking for participants who are self-motivated, team players eager to challenge themselves with a new range of skills. There are no educational requirements or age limitations. No prior experience in film or theater is required. Participants will gain the best experience in the program if they have had some practical on-set experience (as a set pa, student film production designer, day playing union set dresser, etc.) and know they’re interested in a long term career in the art dept, but not exactly sure which department yet. You don't need to have drawing abilities, but any artistic skills are a bonus. 

There are currently no residency requirements to attend. However, this is a program by New Yorkers and for New Yorkers. We want to keep it open to folks who may be trying to move to NYC and want to get started with local networking opportunities. We do not advise you to attend Art Craft if you do not intend to live and work in NYC immediately following program completion. The program is very specifically catered to the local industry here, and we want to make sure every single participant is getting the most out of the experience as possible. Instead, we recommend you check out our Resources Guide and sign up for our mailing list to know when we add networking events and weekend workshops to our program roster. 

The program is in-person only with daily instruction taking place from 10a to 3p at Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema located in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Each day after instruction, the classroom will remain open until 6p for general studio time with instructor support. The program also features a variety of field trips around the city at trusted industry vendors. Trainees are expected to self-report to the field trip locations, but will be provided with weekly unlimited metro cards.

Lectures are not recorded or posted online.

The program structure varies from day to day. Most days begin with a lecture or hands-on demonstration, followed by a lunch break and then time to apply the lecture to the course-long group projects. The day ends with open studio time, where students work on their group projects with the support of instructors and fellow classmates. Some days will have field trips to places like prop houses, studios, and research libraries.

The teachers and instructors vary year to year. Each cohorts instructors are subject to variation due to the nature of having working industry professionals as teachers.

There is no tuition, and course materials are provided. This includes basics such as an architectural scale ruler, a sketchbook, and drawing pens. A laptop computer is required for in-person instruction and must have a 2.8+ GHz Intel processor, 8GB+ RAM, and at least 1GB of free desk space. If you would like to apply, but don't have a laptop with these capabilities, and can't afford one, contact us.

Yes! We’ve added weekly stipends for all trainees to our 2025 expanded programming. Each trainee will be paid $500 per week for all 6 weeks. We hope this will ease financial strain and allows all trainees to be fully present in the program and focus on their partnered course work.

You must have permission to work in the United States to receive a stipend

Attendance is required Monday through Friday from 10 am to 3 pm for regular instruction, with some field trip days running up to 6 pm. Participants will have some daily studio time until 6 pm to work on their projects with support from peers and instructors, but are highly encouraged to dedicate a few hours per day outside of class. Trainees are expected to put in time towards their projects over the weekend. The more time you put into your project with your partner, the better your portfolio will be at the end of the program when local industry department heads are invited to view coursework and collect resumes. The structure of this program is highly rigorous and fast-paced, and missed hours will lead to falling behind.

Art Craft focuses only on the skills relevant to the process of conceptualizing and executing the design of a narrative project without the unnecessary fluff. 

Lessons move quickly through a partnered course-long design project simulating the collaborative, yet fast-paced nature of the business. 

During lectures, each instructor shares real examples of specific scenarios they face to prepare students for the realities of the ever-evolving industry.

Each class, whether it's lectures, field trips, or demonstrations, is led by active industry professionals. With the class size capped at 12 students, there is clear opportunity for students to make direct relationships with potential future employers.

The program concludes with an open portfolio review where members of the local industry are invited to view student design decks, wrap books, and resumes.

We are not currently accredited, and cannot offer credits towards college degrees. Our focus is equipping students with skills as defined by the changing industry standards, not traditional education standards. However, feel free to contact us if you would like us to be in touch with your school about course completion qualifying other graduation requirements, such as an internship.

Art Craft is a jumpstart for art department newcomers' careers. Guest instructors become mentors and career advisors. There is no direct pipeline to union membership.

Though there is no direct job placement, we do connect alumni with job opportunities through our online message board. We also provide a one year subscription to ArtCube Nation, an online hub of art department materials, resources, and job opportunities.

Not at all! There's so many positions in the Art Department that don't require drawing skills. And for the drawing portion of the course, we teach you the basics from how to use an architecture scale ruler to how to draw a floorplan to how to take your 2D drawings to a 3D rendering.

If you are unsure if your experience level is the appropriate fit, I recommend you look at the Art Craft Alumni Directory and the linked portfolios. If you feel you currently hold the skills to create this level of design deck for a short film, or If you currently maintain steady work in the art department and are a part of a regular crew, this probably isn't for you. If you feel you have many skills, but just want to learn drafting, then Art Craft is not a good fit for you, and the resource guide on our website lists an online SketchUp course taught by a high-level art director, and we also offer a promo code.

After an overwhelming amount of applications for our inaugural cohort in 2024, we're working hard to address the expressed needs and offer more support throughout the year. You can start with our Resources Guide and sign up for our mailing list to know when we add networking events and weekend workshops to our program roster.