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. Building on the foundation of Salon, Symposia!, and our residency programs, ISP is designed for artists ready for something that moves beyond the structure of a traditional program and into a more personalized ecosystem of support. The ISP adapts to the artist—not the other way around.

There is no fixed track, no single expected outcome, and no assumptions about how your practice should evolve. Instead, the program is shaped piece by piece around your work, your curiosities, and the life you’re building in and beyond the studio. Whether you’re seeking sustained critique, focused research, professional development, or exhibition preparation, the ISP creates space for a process that reflects your goals.

Each artist works closely with a lead mentor and a carefully assembled advisory circle—artists, writers, curators, and gallerists selected to align with your needs. Together, you build a rhythm and structure that feels right for your practice. That may mean monthly studio visits, concentrated periods of independent work, intensive one-on-one conversations, or long-term project development. Some artists lean heavily into critique; others focus on writing, research, or expanding professional opportunities. The ISP makes space for all of it.

The program also includes optional master classes and residency opportunities in Brooklyn and Tivoli, New York, offering concentrated studio time, hands-on guidance, and moments of reset or creative acceleration. These can take place at any point in the program—or not at all—depending entirely on what best serves the artist.