Our student, scholarship, and faculty applications for our 2018 session are now online! School of the Alternative is an experiment in education and community. We will all live, learn, teach, and work together for three weeks this May, in the magical mountains of Black Mountain, North Carolina.

At SotA, through a system of co-education, learners and educators cooperate in actively producing knowledge and forming new aesthetic experiences. Faculty are free to plan their class according to their own instruction, and are encouraged to join other classes as students. Students are expected to design their own curriculum but are also given the opportunity to teach. All members will participate in the school’s physical maintenance through gardening, cooking, cleaning, and will contribute to the gradual and continual transformation of the educational objectives, essential values, and political concerns bracing School of the Alternative.

We value experimentation as both an aesthetic drive, and as a way to push new ideas and old traditions to their limits. This radical power is one that allows for significant change – within us, our respective fields, our society, and our relationships with others.

OUR 3 WEEK SESSION WILL BE HELD: MAY 11TH-30TH

FACULTY DEADLINE: JAN 25
SCHOLARSHIP DEADLINE: FEB 15TH
STUDENT DEADLINE: FEB 25TH*

*We will accept student applications after 25th, and they will be reviewed on a rolling basis until all spots are full

LEARN MORE + ACCESS APPS HERE!

We aim to be accessible to anyone who wants access. We want to share our programming with all–regardless of race, sexual orientation, gender, income level, educational experience, or background. We value reciprocal education, wherein dialogue between peers, students, teachers, and community members creates space for all to learn. We are thrilled that you are interested in joining us this year!