/ Upcoming & Current
elan vital: living in the still life
David Gersten
/ongoing | Seminar | Tuesdays 2026-2027
This fall, Arts Letters & Numbers opens Élan Vital: Living in the Still Life, a weekly seminar with David Gersten, to the wider community. The seminar begins with a simple proposition: a creative life grows from the sustained pursuit of one’s questions.
TRANSFORMATION SHOW
Frida Foberg
/upcoming | Exhibition | November 7–13
The Transformation Project is an annual art show dedicated to raising awareness, providing support, and fostering hope and recovery in response to Substance Use Disorder (SUD) and its impact on individuals, families, and communities.
Weekly life drawing free sessions
Paria Shahverdi
/ongoing | Sessions | Thursdays 2026-2027
Life Drawing is a free weekly gathering led by artist Paria Shahverdi, offering participants an opportunity to explore observational drawing from a live nude model in a welcoming, informal, and collaborative environment.
Drawing Course: From Basics to Advanced Techniques
Paria Shahverdi
/upcoming | Class | November 7–13
Led by interdisciplinary artist and educator Paria Shahverdi, this comprehensive four-semester drawing program offers a progressive exploration of drawing, beginning with fundamental techniques and advancing toward more complex approaches to artistic practice.
Creative Music Intensive 2026
In-Person Program August 1-9 2026
CMI 2026 brings together composers, performers, improvisers, and interdisciplinary artists working across contemporary music and experimental practices in a concentrated environment …
Craft 1o1 2026
In-Person Program July-August 2026
At its core, Craft 1o1 is built on a simple premise: that learning deepens when it moves across boundaries. Participants are invited to engage with a wide range of practices spanning …
DJ Screw: A Life in Slow Revolution
In-Person Talk February 22
Tracing the path of the late Texas DJ as he grew up as a fan of hip-hop and then moved the genre forward both during his lifetime and long after, as chronicled by his biographer, whose …
/recent programs
Some Recent Kerfuffles in Vermeer Studies
In-Person Talk August 7
Lawrence Weschler presents “Some Recent Kerfuffles in Vermeer Studies,” starting with Penn and Jilette’s film Tim’s Vermeer from a few years back (with a denouement in Chris Marker’s La Jetée);
Long Tone: Spring Thesis Studio
Thesis Studio February 14
David Gersten leads the second twelve-week studio program rooted in his seminal approach to education as an art form in itself, where our studios become open sites of inquiry, where listening, making, and perception converge to form a practice of deep attention …
The View From The Ground
In-Person Talk October 18
Jamie Kalven will frame the challenges of contemporary reporting in relation to the history of the Invisible Institute, which began as an insurgent human rights reporting project operating from a vacant unit in high-rise public housing on Chicago’s South Side.
CONTACT, CONNECT, COLLABORATE
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CONTACT, CONNECT, COLLABORATE /
/ recent events
DJ Screw: A Life in Slow Revolution
In-Person Talk February 22
Tracing the path of the late Texas DJ as he grew up as a fan of hip-hop and then moved the genre forward both during his lifetime and long after, as chronicled by his biographer, whose …
Beacon for the Millennium
In-Person Talk February 22
Tracing the path of the late Texas DJ as he grew up as a fan of hip-hop and then moved the genre forward both during his lifetime and long after, as chronicled by his biographer, whose …
DJ Screw: A Life in Slow Revolution
In-Person Talk February 22
Tracing the path of the late Texas DJ as he grew up as a fan of hip-hop and then moved the genre forward both during his lifetime and long after, as chronicled by his biographer, whose …
DJ Screw: A Life in Slow Revolution
In-Person Talk February 22
Tracing the path of the late Texas DJ as he grew up as a fan of hip-hop and then moved the genre forward both during his lifetime and long after, as chronicled by his biographer, whose …
DJ Screw: A Life in Slow Revolution
In-Person Talk February 22
Tracing the path of the late Texas DJ as he grew up as a fan of hip-hop and then moved the genre forward both during his lifetime and long after, as chronicled by his biographer, whose …
DJ Screw: A Life in Slow Revolution
In-Person Talk February 22
Tracing the path of the late Texas DJ as he grew up as a fan of hip-hop and then moved the genre forward both during his lifetime and long after, as chronicled by his biographer, whose …
DJ Screw: A Life in Slow Revolution
In-Person Talk February 22
Tracing the path of the late Texas DJ as he grew up as a fan of hip-hop and then moved the genre forward both during his lifetime and long after, as chronicled by his biographer, whose …
DJ Screw: A Life in Slow Revolution
In-Person Talk February 22
Tracing the path of the late Texas DJ as he grew up as a fan of hip-hop and then moved the genre forward both during his lifetime and long after, as chronicled by his biographer, whose …
/ Venice Architecture Biennale
Arts Letters & Numbers was honored to participate in the 2021 and 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale, presenting SunShip: The Arc That Makes The Flood Possible. Through exhibitions, lectures, performances, workshops, and discussions, we engaged global audiences in exploring architecture as a life-sustaining, transformative force shaping time, space, and shared human experience.
/ ALN News
A collection of the latest from ALN and its affiliates, including upcoming events, programs, speaking engagements, and other projects. This space also celebrates the milestones, achievements, and ongoing work of ALN alumni, collaborators, and community members.
/ ALN X Youth Programs
Over the years our collaboration with youth and supportive organizations have taken on many forms. From one-off afternoon experiences to multi-month programs, with each engagement young people have the chance to construct remarkable opportunities to explore their creative nature along with the creative expressions of those around them.
“Which Way is Home”, Albany High School & Arts Letters & Numbers collaboration, 2016.
ALN x B-Unbound Schenectady: 6-Week Musical Improvisation Course
Doors of Hope Community Mural, Arts Letters & Numbers collaboration, 2023
Averill Park High School at Transformation Project: Art for SUD awareness and healing.
ONGOING: Life Drawing — Free Weekly Sessions with Paria Shahverdi / ONGOING: Élan Vital: Living in the Still Life — A Weekly Seminar with David Gersten / UPCOMING: From Foundational Skills to Advanced Drawing Practices — A Four-Semester Drawing Course with Paria Shahverdi
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ONGOING: Life Drawing — Free Weekly Sessions with Paria Shahverdi / ONGOING: Élan Vital: Living in the Still Life — A Weekly Seminar with David Gersten / UPCOMING: From Foundational Skills to Advanced Drawing Practices — A Four-Semester Drawing Course with Paria Shahverdi ///

