“A SUBLIME MERGE OF VACATION AND CREATIVITY”
“A SUBLIME MERGE OF VACATION AND CREATIVITY”
“A SUBLIME MERGE OF VACATION AND CREATIVITY”
“A SUBLIME MERGE OF VACATION AND CREATIVITY”
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“A SUBLIME MERGE OF VACATION AND CREATIVITY”
“A SUBLIME MERGE OF VACATION AND CREATIVITY”
“A SUBLIME MERGE OF VACATION AND CREATIVITY”
“A SUBLIME MERGE OF VACATION AND CREATIVITY”
“A SUBLIME“A SUBLIME MERGE OF VACATION AND CREATIVITY”
“A SUBLIME MERGE OF VACATION AND CREATIVITY”
“A SUBLIME MERGE OF VACATION AND CREATIVITY”
“A SUBLIME MERGE OF VACATION AND CREATIVITY”
“A SUBLIME MERGE OF VACATION AND CREATIVITY”
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“A SUBLIME MERGE OF VACATION AND CREATIVITY”
“A SUBLIME MERGE OF VACATION AND CREATIVITY”
“A SUBLIME MERGE OF VACATION AND CREATIVITY”
“A SUBLIME MERGE OF VACATION AND CREATIVITY”
“A SUBLIME MERGE OF VACATION AND CREATIVITY”
“A SUBLIME MERGE OF VACATION AND CREATIVITY”
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“A SUBLIME MERGE OF VACATION AND CREATIVITY”
“A SUBLIME MERGE OF VACATION AND CREATIVITY”

“A sublime merge of vacation and creativity”

— FRANK MCCOURT,
Pulitzer Prize Recipient Angela’s Ashes

Two 14-day sessions:

JUNE 24 – JULY 7, 2026
JULY 8 – 21, 2026

For over four decades, Art Workshop International has offered immersive summer workshops in creative writing, visual arts, and Italian language—set in Assisi, Italy, an Umbrian hill town whose medieval streets and sweeping views continue to charm and nurture artists, writers, and curious travelers.

Participants spend mornings in workshops with acclaimed instructors, afternoons exploring the town or continuing their work, and evenings gathering for food, conversation, and ideas. It’s a rare rhythm—one that allows space to focus, experiment, and create.

Each session runs 14 days, giving you time to dive deeply into your practice while experiencing the culture, history, and beauty of Italy. Spaces are limited to keep workshops intimate and focused. Stay for one session—or both.

Focus. Let go. Create.

EXPLORE OUR WORKSHOPS
EXPLORE OUR WORKSHOPS

  • “A world of fertile creativity, creature comforts, freedom from competitiveness, and nurturing instruction.”

    — EDMUND WHITE, novelist, memoirist, playwright, biographer and essayist

  • “The place is beautiful, the students ambitious, the directors incredibly considerate of the staff.”

    — VIVIAN GORNICK, feminist critic, journalist, essayist, and memoirist

  • "Here I’ve experienced the power of the shared commitment to shape story and risk the seemingly impossible, to speak soul to soul.”

    — DOROTHY ALLISON, author of Bastard Out of Carolina

  • "The best thing I have done for myself as a writer."

    — LINDA STASI, Columnist and Critic for the New York Daily News

  • “Studying Italian at Art Workshop in the country of its source was an unmitigated joy. "

    — MAXINE GOLD, instructor of French language and literature

  • “I started my novel The Insufficiency of Maps at Art Workshop with Dorothy Allison where she scribbled on my two little pages “Write the novel!”— and I did. I want to thank you for an experience that really did something amazing for me.” 

    — NORA PIERCE, novelist

  • "Art Workshop International was an incredible experience which I will never forget.” 

    — DEBORAH SLATER, Artistic Director, Deborah Slater Dance Theater

  • “What was most extraordinary was the opportunity to work intensively over a two week period that allowed my work to grow. This, the Italian sky, and Assisi at your feet!” 

    — DR. SUSAN SHERMAN, psychoanalyst and psychotherapist

  • “The best writing workshop imaginable.”

    — ELLEN GREENBLATT, educator

  • “I came to Art Workshop to take a drawing workshop and left impressed with what an amazing opportunity and window into the art world this provided me.” 

    — VERNA AMAKAWA,  artist and cartoonist 

Over the years, Art Workshop International has welcomed an extraordinary group of instructors—Pulitzer Prize winners, celebrated novelists, visionary artists, and beloved teachers.

What makes the program special isn’t just the names—it’s the generosity of the teaching and the spirit of exploration shared between students and faculty.

MEET OUR INSTRUCTORS
MEET OUR INSTRUCTORS

Past instructors have included:

DOROTHY ALLISON
CHARLES BUSCH
MICHAEL CUNNINGHAM
MARILYN FRENCH

VIVIAN GORNICK
ALEX HILLKURTZ

MAXINE HONG KINGSTON

TONY KUSHNER

PHILLIP LOPATE
FRANK MCCOURT
GRACE PALEY
EDMUND WHITE

A Community of Creators

Participants come from across the world, bridging diverse perspectives and shared curiosity. Some arrive as working artists and writers. Others come simply with a desire to reconnect with their creativity. What they discover is a rare environment—one that is supportive, collaborative, and deeply inspiring.


As one instructor described it:

“Assisi is a place in which one can easily feel the impact of centuries… the power of the shared commitment to shape story and speak soul to soul.”

— Dorothy Allison, author of Bastard Out of Carolina

AWi founders Bea Kreloff and Edith Isaac-Rose

A Legacy of Creative Living

Art Workshop International began more than four decades ago with a simple idea:

BRING TOGETHER ARTISTS TOGETHER IN A PLACE THAT INSPIRES THEM.

Founded by artists who believed deeply in the transformative power of creativity, the workshop has grown into a beloved international gathering. Now celebrating its 45th year, the program continues to bring together writers, artists, and travelers who share a love of learning, beauty, and cultural discovery.

READ OUR STORY
READ OUR STORY

Spend two weeks immersed in art, language, and storytelling in one of Italy’s most inspiring towns. Whether you’re beginning a new project or rediscovering your creative voice, Assisi offers the space to explore.

Your Creative Summer Awaits

EXPLORE OUR WORKSHOPS
EXPLORE OUR WORKSHOPS