Independent Study Program (ISP)
A completely customizable mentorship and exhibition journey—built around you, not a template
The Independent Study Program is Yellow Chair’s most open, flexible, and artist-driven offering. It’s created for artists who’ve moved through our Salons or Symposia! and are ready for something that doesn’t feel like a “program” at all, but more like a personalized ecosystem of support. The ISP adjusts to the artist—not the other way around.
There is no fixed track, no single expected outcome, and no assumptions. Instead, the ISP is shaped piece by piece around your practice, your curiosities, and the life you’re building in and beyond the studio.
You’ll work closely with a lead mentor and a small advisory circle—artists, writers, curators, and gallerists chosen to match your needs. Together, you design a rhythm and structure that feel right for you. That might mean scheduled studio visits every month or longer cycles of independent making punctuated by deep, intensive conversations. Some artists build a curriculum that leans heavily on critique; others focus on research, writing, or practical professional development. Some want accountability; others want wide-open room to experiment. The ISP makes space for all of it.
The program also offers optional residencies in Brooklyn, NY and Tivoli, NY for concentrated studio time, hands-on guidance, a reset, or a creative push—again, customized to the artist. These residencies can be used at the beginning, middle, or end of the ISP, or not at all.
OVERVIEW
Throughout the process, you’ll receive support in whatever shape your work requires, including:
Regular one-on-one critiques
Material exploration and studio setup guidance
Writing and language development
Research support and conceptual expansion
Professional presence and online identity building
Assistance preparing opportunities, proposals, and future exhibitions
Some artists use the ISP to completely reinvent themselves. Others use it to refine what’s already working. Some move quickly; others work slowly and quietly. The pace is up to you. The intention is clarity—of vision, of voice, of direction.
At the end, the program can culminate in an exhibition at M. David & Co., with format options tailored to your practice: traditional solo show, experimental installation, a focused selection of works, or something entirely hybrid. This marks the first formal joining of Yellow Chair Salon and M. David & Co.—a partnership built to meet artists where they are and help them step into what’s next. The exhibition isn’t a requirement, and it isn’t a finale. It’s simply a moment of arrival.
Format: Fully individualized mentorship with a lead mentor + small advisory circle
Focus: Completely customizable—pace, structure, critique, research, residencies, professional development
Outcome: A tailored exhibition opportunity at M. David & Co. and a more grounded, expansive artistic path
Key Distinction: The ISP is not a preset program. It’s a long-form, artist-defined mentorship that adapts to your practice, your rhythms, and your evolving goals.
Visiting Critics
Tom McGlynn is an artist, writer, and independent curator based in the N.Y.C. area. His work is represented in the permanent collections of the Whitney Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Cooper- Hewitt National Design Museum of the Smithsonian. He is the director of Beautiful Fields, an organization dedicated to socially-engaged curatorial projects, and is also currently a visiting lecturer at Parsons/the New School.
David Rhodes (b. 1955, Manchester, England) is a New York-based painter known for his austere yet expressive works made using black paint on raw canvas or Sumi ink on paper. His abstract compositions—structured through repetition, mirroring, and spacing—emphasize process, line, and materiality, offering a tactile and temporal experience that resists representation. He has exhibited internationally, with solo shows at venues such as Anthony Wilkinson Gallery (London), Galerie Katharina Krohn (Basel), and High Noon Gallery (New York, 2024), and his work is held in the permanent collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; the Victoria & Albert Museum, London; and The Huntington Museum, among others. A recipient of a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant and nominee for the Louis Comfort Tiffany Award, Rhodes continues to explore the boundaries of abstraction and perception.
-
“My experience at the residency was transformative in ways I hadn't anticipated. Working in this wide-open space allowed me to witness how individual pieces could be in dialogue with each other, and expanded my understanding of what is possible both in terms of scale and conceptual reach. This residency provided the precious gift of focused time and was rich with struggle and breakthrough. With the expert guidance of Michael David, I was able to push my boundaries and clarify my vision. I came away with so many new ideas to explore and I'm still processing the creative potential that emerged. I expect the experience will inform my work for years to come.”
Janet Jaffke, MCP 1
-
“The Yellow Chair Master Class Program propelled my work further than I could have on my own. It gave me the chance to show my ceramic sculptures and paintings on a wall as white and vast as any blue-chip gallery. Thanks to the expert curatorial support from Michael David and his team, I was able to find a way of presenting my work that gave it more meaning and impact. In addition, two established art critics, whom I would never have had the chance to meet otherwise, provided in-depth critiques. The entire experience gave me a glimpse of the level of support available to more established artists. It's already leading to more opportunities.”
Lynn Basa, MCP I