Great Lakes Atelier of Fine Art’s 2026 Student/Instructor Exhibition: What You Missed Last Weekend

It started with an idea. It became a world class art school attracting dedicated students from across the country to Duluth. This past weekend the school hosted its ninth annual Student/Instructor exhibition. 

The church, St. Peter’s, was on its way to demolition before the Larsons purchased it and turned it into a fine arts academy. It’s a staple of traditional training in Classical Realism and it’s the only place like it in the Northland, and among only a handful of its caliber in the nation. The four-year program is modeled after the traditional European Atelier system of training. The focus of the Atelier is to train individuals in Classical Impressionism. On day one, the student starts with pencil in hand, and over the course of the apprenticeship will systematically work their way through the program at their own pace, eight hours a day, five days a week.

There were examples of full-time student work, part time student work, instructor work, and children’s class student work on display. Here are some things we saw:

Patrick Glander, one of the school's first grads, is now an instructor.

 

Related Links

A Visit with Jeffrey T. Larson, Founder of the Great Lakes Academy of Fine Art

Rewarding Insights About "Seeing" from a Dialogue at the Great Lakes Academy of Fine Art

Weekend Open House Shows Why the Great Lakes Academy of Fine Art Is a Gift to Our Community

More on Jeffrey T. Larson here: http://jeffreytlarson.com/

The Atelier’s website: http://greatlakesatelieroffineart.com

Background on Jeffrey T. Larson: Jeffrey T. Larson was born in 1962 in Two Harbors, MN and grew up in the Twin Cities. Jeffrey has been trained in the manner of the Old Masters at the prestigious Atelier Lack, a studio/school whose traditions and training methods reach back through impressionism and the 19th century French Academies. He followed his four-year formal training with museum study in the US and Europe and has been painting full time for over 30 years. Jeff recently won the Draper Grand Prize honored by the Portrait Society of America, the country’s most prestigious portrait painting competition. 

Recommended: Make an Effort to Visit the Great Lakes Academy of Fine Art This Weekend

Consider yourself invited to the 2nd Annual Student/Instructor Exhibition at the GLAFA. You'll not only get a chance to see the progress this batch of young artists has made, you'll also get a chance to see the progress the Larsons, Jeffrey and son Brock, have made in renovating the former St. Peter's Church, transforming it into an stellar representation of a classical school for the arts.

I managed to steal a few moments of founder Jeffrey Larson's time to gain a better understanding of where things are at and his vision for the future. The past month has been a whirlwind of activity getting ready for opening doors to the public again.

Jeffrey Larson explains Atelier teaching method.

When you talk with the man, you can tell the senior Larson has a teacher's heart. "It's fun to see the light bulbs go on in these kids' minds," he said. Though he's experienced the "starving artist" syndrome at one time, he's also known what success and achievement feel like. Whereas outsider might believe he's already at the top of his game, he acknowledged that teaching has helped him re-think his own approach to painting, thereby bringing his own work to a higher level.

Before settling on Duluth, Jeffrey Larson envisioned what his ideal space would look like for a school. "Forty by one hundred, two stories, light flowing in from large windows." When he and Brock selected Duluth, it was a serendipitous to discover this former Catholic church building waiting for them. 40 x 100 feet, two stories, large wall of windows facing sunlight.

The school practices the Atelier Method of training. Just as in chemistry one must understand the basics as a foundation, so the Larsons teach foundations, meticulously. It is a fine arts tradition which begins with learning how to see honestly. "One thing you can't teach is passing on how the eye sees. You need someone to be there. You can't get it from books."

True art involves keen observation.

Larson notes that "talent and creativity is abundant. At issue is the question of how committed one is to develop it."

When you attend this second Student/Instructor Exhibition this weekend, you'll see some jaw-dropping good stuff. Here are the hours:
Opening Reception
Friday, May 18 -- 5-9 pm
Saturday, May 19 -- 1-7 pm
Sunday, May 20 -- 12-3 pm
810 West 3rd Street, Duluth

Before you can achieve this...

...you must master this.

The work you see this weekend will be by both first and second year students. Congrats to all of you for the privilege of being part of this program. 

2nd year students: Kelly Schamberger, Patrick Glander,  Eric Rauvola, Jessie Kane, Cameron Conlon, Nick Fettig 

1st year students: Archie Page, Ben McGaffey, Isabel Drake, Brenna Kelly

Meantime, ,art goes on all around you. Engage it.

Local Art Seen: Jeffrey T. Larson's Great Lakes Academy of Fine Art

This weekend I stopped to visit the Great Lakes Academy of Fine Art to see how things were unfolding. Earlier this year I went to hear founder and classical impressionist Jeffrey T. Larson give an artist talk at the Tweed and came away thoroughly impressed as well as honored that of all places in North America he chose Duluth to call home. The facility he selected was a former Catholic church up the hill on West Third Street.

I arrived to find the building abuzz with all kinds of activity. Students were on a break for lunch, but carpenters and others were active in the back stairwell and downstairs. Mr. Larson gave me a quick tour and explained his vision in terms of how the space would be used. "An apartment will be here, a bathroom will go over there..." The former sanctuary is where the students will be drawing and painting. All about the room there were various workstations set up displaying works-in-progress.

The photos here show first year students mastering the art of drawing. Drawing is one of the essential skills, though not the essential skill. Once students master black and white, they will progress to color. The program aims at teaching the full toolkit of essential skills. As I walked about it gave me a feeling akin to the Renaissance school with activity going on in every direction and everyone very seriously engaged in what they were doing.

Follow this link to learn more about the Great Lakes Academy of Fine Art.

To purchase giclee reproductions of Jeffrey T. Larson's original paintings, visit CPL Imaging. All proceeds go to the Great Lakes Academy of Fine Art.

Architectural drawings serve as a roadmap to where the building itself is going.

It all starts with learning how to see.

Only the beginning...

Meantime, art goes on all around you. Get into it.