DARA Moving Spring 2024

​In April 2024, DARA will be moving to a new building in Haarlem at Zuider Emmakade 45, which is more than twice the size of our current space. The building is equipped with skylights in what will be our new model studios, to offer possibilities to work under both natural as well as artificial light.

This beautiful and characteristic building is a national monument, and the former atelier of stained glass artist and designer Willem Bogtman. Conveniently, DARA's new space is located just 5 minutes walking distance from our current studio, and we therefore remain easily accessible by both car and public transport.
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DARA from 2018 to Today

DARA began as a small initiative of Dutch painter Thomas Langeveld, and American painter Mischa Tranquilli. After four years of studying classical drawing and painting methods in Florence, Italy, they moved to Langeveld's native city of Haarlem and taught lessons to artists privately.

Upon recognising a growing interest from local artists in attending structured classes rooted in the classical tradition, DARA officially opened its doors in 2018. Initially, we had just 5 students, and not even a studio to call our own: classes were conducted out of the spare room of a student's office!

In 2023, DARA has since grown to offer a Trimester Programme of academic study that attracts an average of 65 students per term, with two additional core instructors: artists Edoardo Durdin and Rutger van Bruggen. The studio also hosts between 12 to 14 workshops per year with renowned visiting artists from around the world, and our talented student community includes a very diverse range of artists, many of whom work full time as creative professionals.

DARA is still in the infancy of what we ultimately envision for the future, but we feel quite proud of how far we have come. And as we plan our move to a new location, we are very excited to embark on the next chapter in our journey.

​We hope to see you there in 2024!

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