Previous Studio 56 vacation locations

Introduction

Studio 56 organizes exciting vacation workshops in gorgeous locations around the world.

Our intention is to exceed our customer’s expectations by delivering an unforgettable vacation package that will motivate participants to join us again.

Instructing a Studio 56 Vacation Workshop is Fun + Profitable!

Studio 56 helps artists make a living from their art. All Instructors are paid the same with the same expenses covered.

• Instructors are paid per workshop participant (minimum 10, maximum 15) after the workshop.
• Economy airfare or train fare is reimbursed.
• Transportation to and from the nearest airport is reimbursed.
• Hotel including breakfast is paid for the 6 nights of the workshop and 1 or 2 nights prior depending on time zone differences.
• Admission tickets for the instructor to all of the cultural activities are also paid. Instructors are not expected to teach more than one 2-3 hour workshop per day that can be divided into two sessions if preferred.

Required Qualifications of New Workshop Instructors 

• Studio 56 Instructors must have previous teaching experience in their respective artistic area of expertise and enjoy teaching.
• They must be experienced travelers who enjoy traveling and learning about other cultures.
• They must have a robust newsletter and/or email list of previous and current students, and an active social media presence.
• Full- or part-time teaching instructors are preferred over instructors who work full-time in another field.

Why Partner with Studio 56?

Studio 56 has worked hard to grab the attention of our followers on social media and has, in most cases, surpassed our competitors even though our business is only 5 years old. Below are some stats to back up this claim. Please click the links to see for yourself.

Studio 56 is a Hub

Studio 56 is a hub for artists interested in taking in-person and online workshops. Participants of a previous vacation workshop with Instructor A may next be interested in a vacation workshop with Instructor B. That same participant may next be interested in a vacation workshop with Instructor C.

We can see that some participants travel again and again with the same Instructor and others prefer to discover new Instructors.

This is a win-win for Instructors because it means that they are getting discovered by people previously not in their network.

Promoting a Vacation Workshop

It is the Instructor's responsibility to promote their workshop and Studio 56 will make every effort to match their efforts with regular posts on social media and via their newsletter and email lists and will provide Instructors with promotional graphics that they can use to promote their own workshop.

It is expected that the instructor will make use of all their communication platforms for acquiring the minimum of 10 participants prior to the deposit deadline (150 days before the start of the workshop) so that the workshop can be greenlighted.

Instructors unwilling to make every effort to promote their workshop will not be considered.

Selecting the Vacation Location

Studio 56 selects workshop locations (in collaboration with Instructors) that are appealing to the Instructor, the Tour Manager and participants. Because Studio 56 is not a travel agency, we are not collecting a commission from hotels and are therefore not limited to specific locations and hotels. We will go anywhere our participants want to go!

Also Instructors are never sent back to the same location twice. Even if the location is fantastic and the instructor and participants love it, we know that most participants are not interested in returning and would prefer a different location. Therefore to increase the possibility of participants traveling again with the same instructor, we send the instructor to a different location. Most instructors appreciate the opportunity to get inspired themselves by working in a new location.

Teaching Methods

Studio 56 welcomes the unique teaching and communication style of each instructor. Participants expect that each day the instructor will gather the students around them, will outline the subject for the day, will communicate the goal of the lesson, and will actively teach with demos and shared tips. The participants expect that the instructor will cheerfully answer questions and discreetly offer suggestions to individual students in areas where they could improve.

Studio 56 Policy on Accompanying Spouses/Companions

A vacation workshop is a not a vacation for the Instructor or Tour Manager. It is work--although, can you think of a better job?

Spouses or companions of the Instructor or Tour Manager are welcome to come along. Below are our policies on accompanying spouses:

• Any additional hotel room rate costs from having a second person in the room will be deducted from the Instructor's or Tour Manager's remuneration.
• Any additional hotel costs including breakfast costs will be deducted from the Instructor's or Tour Manager's remuneration.
• Spouses and companions are welcome to join the cultural activities in the afternoon but the cost of their admission will be deducted from the Instructor's or Tour Manager's remuneration.
• Spouses or companions of the Participants, Instructors or Tour Managers do not attend the morning art classes even as "Assistants". The Instructor relies on the Tour Manager for assistance if needed.

Participant Skill Levels 

Instructors should expect that workshop participants could range from complete beginners to more advanced sketchers. All should be made to feel welcome. Instructors will discourage competition between participants as everyone is working at their own level. Some participants will easily pick up the tips of the instructor and others will struggle to absorb all the information. That’s ok. The Tour Manager and the Instructor will work together to manage the expectations of the participants.

While on Location

Studio 56 workshops are led by a Tour Manager and an Instructor who work as a team supporting each other and delivering an unforgettable experience for the participants.

Generally the day is divided into morning and afternoon activities with the art classes taking place in the morning and the cultural activities in the afternoon. But this pattern may need to be switched as some cultural activities may only be available in the morning or maybe an afternoon plein air art class would be better because of weather.

The morning art classes are the Instructor's moment to shine and the Tour Manager is there to assist the Instructor with whatever they need. Participants who prefer to skip their art class will not be refunded for the unused portion of their vacation package. The Instructor and the Tour Manager are working to keep the group together as much as possible. 

During the afternoon the Tour Manager is "on" leading the group to a fantastic cultural experience. The Instructor accompanies and supports the Tour Manager if needed. Of course, participants may wish to sketch/paint during the cultural activity and that is fine but the Instructor is not teaching. Participants who prefer to skip their cultural activity will not be refunded for the unused portion of their vacation package. The Instructor and the Tour Manager are working to keep the group together as much as possible. 

Role of the Tour Manager during the Workshop

The Tour Manager tracks the whereabouts of the participants, arrives with tickets to activities, and keeps the group on a schedule (if that is important). The Tour Manager may also deal with solving problems that impact the experience of the participants such as ill health and the need for medical assistance, lost materials, changing hotel rooms, finding drinking water, and finding public bathrooms, etc.

The Tour Manager assists the Instructor in selecting the location of the 5 workshops in advance of the arrival of the participants. This is so that the locations can be communicated to the participants at the start of the workshop to ensure that everyone knows where they are supposed to be and when. The location of each workshop is the Instructor’s decision as the Instructor will be looking for a site/subject that is exciting for them to sketch/teach but the Tour Manager helps ensure that the chosen locations are spacious, in the shade, quiet, walkable and near bathrooms.

During the cultural activities, the Tour Manager will also communicate to the participants that the Instructor is now “off” and needs time to rest.

The Tour Manager will welcome participants at the Welcome Reception and briefly outline the activity plan for the week. At the Farewell Dinner, the Tour Manager will thank participants and the Instructor.

The Role of the Instructor during the Workshop

The Instructor teaches a 2-3 hour art class every day for the 5 days of the workshop. This art class can be broken up into two 1-1.5 hour art classes if the instructor prefers. While participants are encouraged to bring their materials to the cultural activities after the official art class (as there may be opportunities for sketching), the Instructor is not expected to teach all day. Neither are the participants expected to sketch all day as they may be tired in the afternoons and ready to move on to something else.

We know that participants arrive expecting to learn new skills, explore a new place and make new friends. With this in mind, the Instructor and the Tour Manager attend the cultural activities with the participants and are working together to develop a comradery amongst the participants and to deliver a very positive experience for our customers without favoritism for individual participants.

While the vacation package may be named for the instructor such as, “Amsterdam Vacation Workshop with John Smith”, the instructor and the Tour Manager are working together to serve the participants. It is the participant's vacation workshop and our focus is on the participants.

The Instructor will welcome participants at the Welcome Reception and may briefly outline the teaching plan for the week. The Instructor will thank participants and the Tour Manager at the end of the workshop during the Farewell Dinner.

Outdoor Workshop Locations 

While the Tour Manager and Instructor make every effort to select comfortable and inspiring workshop locations, things happen and sometimes the exact location of the art class needs to change without warning because of inclement weather or unexpected obstacles. The Tour Manager and the Instructor will work together to find an alternative location and to mitigate the expectations of the participants who have been told in advance that the exact locations are subject to change. The Tour Manager and the Instructor will work together to move the participants from one location to the next as a group. 

Let's have fun!

Vacation workshops should be fun for the participants, the Instructor and the Tour Manager. Let's keep the tone of the vacation workshop as fun and enjoyable as possible for the entire group.

Photo Albums from Previous Vacation Workshops