about

Membership

History
Benefits of membership
Becoming a member
For members
Serving on board of control
Board minutes
a group of people posing for a photo

Membership History

The League was founded by a group of art students who were determined to create a school where their opinions were taken seriously and their needs were met. Membership at the League ensures that the ideals of our founding artists are continued. Today, the nearly 4,000 members of the Art Students League of New York make up the school's governing body.  

The first League members determined the League’s structure and set parameters that have guided the institution, as outlined in the League’s constitution, for more than a century. To this day, all League members have voting power, which they use to elect the Board of Control from their ranks and determine any changes to the League’s constitution.

Learn more

Benefits of Membership

Discounted tickets to the League Dream Ball and other special events.

Free admission to Weekday Open Sketch sessions.

Reduced admission to Weekend Open Sketch and Painting sessions.

Voting rights at League Member Business Meetings.

Eligibility to serve on the League’s Board of Control

Eligibility to apply for grants for League members.

Invitations to attend special events and exhibitions throughout the year.

Eligibility to exhibitions and news listed in the Members Newsletter.

Becoming a member

The membership of The League is made up of longtime students and instructors at The League. Any student who has completed at least 210 hours of classes is eligible for membership. Members pay annual dues to maintain their status as active members. After 10 years as a member in good standing, members become life members, and dues are no longer required.

To become a member, a student must be proposed by a current member, seconded by two additional members, and voted in during the Members Business Meeting according to the procedure outlined below.

I.

Required hours of enrollment

A student who wishes to apply for membership must have attended the League a minimum of 210 class hours. This is approximately:

  • Three months full-time classes
  • Six months part-time (2 days/wk) classes
  • One year part-time (1 day/wk) classes

II.

Application procedure

  • Students apply for membership by first entering their information into the CANDIDATE FOR MEMBERSHIP book in the main office. Next, a current member must propose the student for membership by signing and dating the entry in the Candidate for Membership book. Finally, two additional members’ signatures (for a total of three) are needed to complete the candidate’s entry.
  • The Art Students League is not responsible for errors due to illegible entries or changes of address during the candidacy period. When applying for membership, it is therefore extremely important to provide clear and accurate name and address information, and to inform the office of any subsequent change of name and/or address.

III.

Deadlines

  • The student’s entry, with all three signatures, must be completed in the CANDIDATE FOR MEMBERSHIP book in the main office no later than 30 days prior to the date of a forthcoming League Members Business meeting, which takes place three times during the regular session – January, April, October & December.
  • At 30 days prior to a meeting:
  • Candidates are checked for eligibility
  • All names are compiled into a Candidate List
  • The list of eligible candidates is posted in the main lobby of The League’s building
  • At the Members Business Meeting the list of candidates for membership is put to a vote. Following the meeting approved candidates are notified. Within 30 days from the date of notification, new members must come to The League’s registration office to sign the Constitution Book and pay membership dues. Failure to complete this process within the 30 days results in an expiration of candidacy. In this event the application process must be repeated from the beginning.

For Members

Membership Status: Renewals, Reinstatements, Voting Status

Stay In Touch

Our membership team regularly emails about Member's Meetings and events. We want to stay in touch with you! To sign up for email newsletters, please click this link. If you haven't heard from us in a while, or would like to contact a member of our team with your questions or concerns, you can reach them below:

Anastasia Gudko

Development/Membership Manager

o. 212 247 4510 x 196

e: membership@artstudentsleague.org

Renewals

The membership year runs from September 1 through August 31. Annual membership dues, currently $40, are due August 31 of each year, regardless of the date of your initial payment.

Please note, the payment of the annual dues is the responsibility of the Member. Notification that renewals are due will be done via email. Please note that Membership dues are not the same as the annual Student Registration fee.

Life Membership

After 10 years of active membership (and upon the 11th payment of dues) a member will be considered a Life Member of the Art Students League, entitling the member to all the privileges of membership without annual dues.

Membership Standing

Good Standing: Members who keep current with annual dues are considered to be in Good Standing.


Lapsed: Members who do not renew by August 31 become Lapsed Members.


Dropped: Failure to renew within 12 months of becoming a Lapsed Member results in a member being Dropped.

  • A Dropped Member is ineligible for membership benefits and must apply to the Board of Control for reinstatement.
  • A Reinstatement Request Letter (generated by the Registrars) and signed by the member, must be submitted to the Membership Department by the Thursday prior to the monthly Board of Control Meeting. The reinstatement fee is $80.
  • The Board of Control meets on the second Wednesday of each month, except in July and August.

Member Voting Status

A fundamental right of members is to decide who sits on the Board of Control through the annual election. Members also participate in key decisions by voting on important issues during regular members business meetings.

Active voting status is a Member designation for those who vote or attend Member Business Meetings on a regular basis by either returning (completed) the yearly Ballot, OR by attending  one of the four (4) yearly Member Business Meetings— January, April, October, and December. Not doing one of the above will result in your status becoming inactive. To restore your active voting status you will need to request a status change from the Board of Control. However, this request must be submitted no later than 30 days prior to a vote.

Voting status is distinct from, and does not affect, Membership standing.

Serving on the Board of Control

The Art Students League of New York is governed by the Board of Control, which is annually elected by the membership. If you are a member in good standing of the League and are interested in serving on the League’s Board of Control, please contact membership@artstudentsleague.org for the appropriate form.

When your form is received, a member of the Board of Control Search Committee will contact you to arrange for an opportunity for you to discuss your interests with a current Board member.

We thank you for your interest in serving The League through Board membership.

Meeting Minutes