The Alpha Workshops
handmade wallpapers and textiles + decorative arts training
In addition to producing handmade wallpapers and handwoven/hand-dyed textiles, our newest fabrication shop offers decorative arts training to vulnerable community members who live with a visible or invisible disability and wish to experience the skill-building and mental health benefits of artistic practice in the classroom and studio.
The Alpha Workshops is an award-winning design and decorative arts studio founded in 1995 as a proactive response to the AIDS crisis in New York City. Modeled on the historic artisan guilds of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the studios seek to preserve traditional handcraft and provide a new model of economic development for at-risk individuals living with disabilities or other vulnerabilities. With nearly 30 years of expertise in art fabrication and interior product production, The Alpha Workshops continues to pioneer unique ways of working, teaching, creating, and collaborating that benefit the community.
capabilities
Hand-painted wallpaper has been one of The Alpha Workshop’s signature products since it was first introduced in 2001. Our designs reflect the diverse artistic talents of our artisans and the deep reservoir of traditional handcraft techniques that inspire and shape our explorations. Our wallpapers are made-to-order, and customization is always available.
The Alpha Workshops provides both traditional and novel decorative painted finishes for COM (Customer's Own Materials) small furniture and furnishings. Note that all items must be finished in-studio.
Our artistic capabilities include interior mural design, unique painted artworks on canvas (or other materials), and custom textile or painted artwork fabrication.
The Alpha Workshops is pleased to offer interior design and decor consultation. We're particularly enthusiastic to partner with fellow nonprofits on spatial refreshments and refurbishments.
Introduced in 2022, our textile collection takes inspiration from Modernist art, historic decorative motifs, and traditional dying and weaving practices. The hand-dyed collections encompass interior fabrics suited to upholstery, table linens, and drapery, as well as fine art panels for display/decor. Our woven products include small rugs, scarves, and throws. Custom textile projects are welcome.
News
The Alpha Workshops and PHA in Artnet
Adam Schrader of Artnet spoke with the PHA family about how this new partnership allows PHA to continue evolving and growing its mission-driven programming while simultaneously offering viability for organizations faced with the rising cost and challenges of doing business in New York.
Programs
Dedicated to creating beauty and changing lives, The Alpha Workshops is the nation’s first nonprofit organization to provide decorative arts education and employment to adults with visible or invisible disabilities and/or other vulnerabilities.
The Alpha Workshops Studio School
The Alpha Workshops Studio School (AWSS) assists adult vocational students with visible or invisible disabilities in reclaiming and refocusing their lives by embracing the powerful healing tools of meaningful work and creative self-expression.
Decorative Arts Techniques (DAT) is a 13-week curriculum in which students study the practice and current applications of various decorative arts techniques. DAT is designed to enable students to observe, comprehend, and analyze the foundational aspects of decorative art and the creative process. Students learn the fundamentals of color theory, traditional transfer and enlargement techniques, gilding, mural design, specialty painted finishes, and much more.
Weekly class activities prepare students to accomplish a range of projects from small accessories to large-scale murals. Instruction also includes work-readiness preparation, including resume building and mock interviews. The course culminates in a formal portfolio presentation during the final week of classes. Skills acquired during DAT support each artisan’s personal creativity, and form the solid foundation for a lifetime of professional practice.
Studio Practice
Studio Practice welcomes at-risk adult participants who want to acquire artistic skills without a specific vocational focus. Weekly classes encourage participants to develop creative techniques while exploring tools and mediums associated with the Decorative Arts and Fine Arts. Working artisans guide students through commonly practiced techniques.
My Creative Future
My Creative Future (MCF) is an innovative arts program that provides vulnerable young adults ages 18-24 with the opportunity to explore the creative process through multiple visual mediums. Students cultivate and enhance artistic abilities that can be used in any professional art career or creative environment. Each participant is afforded full creative freedom and space to define and explore their own personal style in a safe, inclusive, working art studio.
MCF is designed for students of any artistic skill level, and new artists are always welcome.
