An innovative school of art sponsored by the Art Students League of New York opened in Woodstock in 1906, and from its very beginning became a magnet for working and beginning artists lured to the idyllic mountains, meadows, woods, and streams of the Woodstock region. In 1979 the League discontinued its summer classes, and two years later The Woodstock School of Art, a non-profit organization of local artists started in 1968, took over the complex of massive bluestone and timber studios that had been built by the Federal Government as a crafts training center before World War II.

Today the studios and buildings of The Woodstock School of Art, on thirty-eight pristine woodland acres, are listed in the National and New York State Registers of Historic Places. Broader in scope than most art education centers and unique in its mission as an independent school dedicated to freedom of expression for both instructors and students, but with a clear emphasis on principles and technique, the WSA encourages the student to find his or her own way. A spirit of cooperative engagement and helpful assistance expresses the school's attitude toward its instructors and their students.

   
    The founders of the WSA were artists, and to this day both staff and officers are artists as well. Each class is an artist's atelier combining the instructor's viewpoint with the free and open dialougue necessary for artistic creativity. The school does not interfere in this vital exchange because of its respect for the artists, for the artist's way of life, and for the creative force that motivates artists. There are no entrance requirements, no set curricula. Students select classes from more than twenty professional instructors and participate in special lecture and workshop programs of their choosing.