Avery Z. Nelson - VIRTUAL 2026 Canopy Cohort

Avery Z. Nelson - VIRTUAL 2026 Canopy Cohort

$5.00

Program Cost:

$5 Application Fee
Donated to Alzheimer's Research
Course Tuition
Details about tuition and financial aid below

Application Instructions:

Application Information and Requirements
Applications are due Wednesday, January 14th, 2026
Applicants will be notified January 19th - 23rd, 2026
Each Cohort has the same application form. When applying, you will be able to select your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choice of Cohort Mentor for the 2026 program year.

Quantity:

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Cohort Overview

Faculty Mentor:	Avery Z. Nelson
Cohort Type:	virtual
Meeting Day:	Wednesdays
Meeting Time:	6-9pm (EST) / 3-6pm (PST)
Cohort Size:	10 Artists
3 Semesters:	Spring 2026 \| 9 Weeks Summer 2026 \| 2 Weeks Fall 2026 \| 9 Weeks *specific start dates below
Group exhibition in Chelsea, NYC:	December 10th - 12th, 2026

Faculty Mentor Bio

Avery Z. Nelson was born in Rhinebeck, NY and lives and works between NYC and Berlin. They are represented by Chozick Family Art Gallery (Tribeca, NY) and will be presenting their first solo exhibition with the gallery in March, 2026. Avery has recently presented solo exhibitions in Barcelona at Prats Nogueras Blanchard, and in NYC at Rachel Uffner Gallery and Blade Study. Their work has been included in group exhibitions at venues including Para Site (Hong Kong), DS Galerie (Paris), Mrs. Gallery (Queens) and the DePaul Art Museum (Chicago). Avery's work has been reviewed in publications including The Brooklyn Rail, Artforum, Artspace and Spike Magazine. In 2019 they were awarded a Sharpe-Walentas Studio Residency and in 2021 their work was supported by an FST Studio Projects Grant. Avery received an MFA from Columbia University, and has taught at The New School since 2018. They were a Canopy Program Mentor from 2023 - 2024, have taught multiple Crit Club classes, and are thrilled to be back on board as a Canopy Mentor in 2026.

Cohort Schedule Overview

ORIENTATION Founder & artist, Catherine Haggarty will lead a virtual orientation with all Canopy Artists before each semester of The Canopy Program.
FOUNDATIONS Semester 1 \| Spring 2026 Wednesdays, 6-9pm (EST) / 3-6pm (PST) 9 meetings via Zoom 9 weeks / 1 week off March 4, 11, 18, 25 April 1, 15, 22, 29 May 6 (No cohort meeting week of April 6th)	Mentorship Group Critique Personalized Prompts Artist Talks Guest Artist Blake Daniels Guest Artist Katy Kirbach
LECTURES & DEVELOPMENT Semester 2 \| Summer 2026 4 meetings via Zoom + Asynchronous Lectures + Workshops Monday, June 1 Tuesday, June 2 Monday, June 15 Tuesday, June 16	Mentorship Visiting Critics Artist Statement Edits Artist Lecture + Visiting Critic Angela Dufresne Artist Lecture + Visiting Critic Ashley Teamer Artist Statement Edits Amanda Nedham
THE FULL PICTURE Semester 3 \| Fall 2026 Wednesdays, 6-9pm (EST) / 3-6pm (PST) 9 meetings via Zoom 9 weeks / 1 week off September 16, 23, 30 October 7, 14, 28 November 4, 11, 18 (No meeting week of October 19)	Mentorship Visiting Critics Professional Practices Show Prep Visiting Critic Arthur Peña Artist + Independent Curator + Writer Visiting Critic Sara Salamone Co-Founder + Senior Director of Mrs. Gallery
GROUP EXHIBITION - CHELSEA, NYC December 10th - 12th, 2026 After completing 3 semesters with your mentor, your cohort experience will culminate in a pop-up group exhibition at The Canopy Studio in Chelsea (NYC). See previous Canopy Cohort Exhibitions at our Chelsea Studio!
ADDITIONAL MENTORSHIP Throughout The Canopy Program, artists will have numerous opportunities to work with additional faculty and hear from special guest speakers. Canopy Salons are cross-Canopy small group critiques, that are offered weekly to provide fresh eyes and feedback on your work. Virtual Salon Michael Berryhill Virtual Salon Rick Briggs Virtual Salon Meena Hasan In-person Drawing Salon Loren Erdrich
ADDITIONAL CONTENT Canopy artists will get access to The Canopy Portal, an archive of recorded Canopy lectures, readings, and resources. Additionally, here are some of the live lectures and worskhops taking place this cycle. All Canopy artists are invited to attend virtually! Artist Lecture Mark Thomas Gibson Special Topics Lecture: Color Julia Norton Keynote Lecture: Art Life Balance Basil Kincaid Techincal Drawing Workshop Andrew Prayzner Materials Workshop TBA Professional Practices Speaker TBA

Tuition and Financial Aid

The full tuition total is $6,500, which includes:

Deposit:	$500 deposit to secure seat in cohort (part of tuition)
Semester 1 Tuition:	$2000
Semester 2 Tuition:	$2000
Semester 3 Tuition:	$2000

The cost per contact hour is $88-92.

Please note: Upon acceptance, a $500 deposit is due on Friday January 23rd, 2026 in order to secure your spot in the cohort. The deposit will be applied toward your tuition.

You may choose to pay the full tuition at the start of the 1st semester or enroll in a payment plan.

Please see Tuition and Financial Aid for more information regarding extended payment plans and Financial Aid.