Is your high school student passionate about pursuing an art degree?

At The Gesso, our team of professional artists and educators have decades of experience guiding students through the art school preparation and admissions process.

We understand this journey can be daunting for both students and parents. You want to encourage your child’s artistic talent, but may feel overwhelmed navigating portfolios, school applications, and program options. That’s where we can help.

We each bring deep knowledge of what art colleges look for in applicants. Whether your child is interested in illustration, photography, graphic design, or fine arts, we have the specialized expertise to help them develop a stand-out portfolio and find the right fit art program.

With both in-person and remote prep options, we enable students from all backgrounds to pursue their artistic dreams. Read more about our unique approach and commitment to nurturing creativity.

Let us be your guides to help your student apply to art school with skill and confidence.

Carrie Patterson

Carrie Patterson, a Professor of Art at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, is an exceptional and substantial advocate for the arts and education. With over two decades of teaching experience at the college level, she engages diverse audiences with an outpouring of insight and energy. In addition to being a professional working artist and professor, she founded The Gesso in 2020, and theyellowline.co, an art company that provides quality K-12 art education material to individuals and educators in 2018. She is author of the course How to See, produced by The Great Courses, a recipient of an Individual Artist Award from Maryland State Arts Council, and currently serves as the Steven Muller Distinguished Professor of the Arts at St. Mary’s College of Maryland where she has been a professor for many years.

In her arts training, career choices, and professional development, Carrie has developed a broad understanding of the academic art system and approaches the art world and creative fields from a comprehensive perspective. Carrie’s guidance for all of her students is rooted in inclusivity. As a mentor to high school and college students, Carrie’s approach is non-judgmental, future-focused, and prioritizes a personalized experience for each individual that helps them identify and achieve their goals. She is devoted to advancing the lives and careers of her students.

“Carrie was a godsend to us in the college process.  She's an expert in every aspect of the art community, from the school application process to resources for organizational skills. She treats her clients and students as if they were her family. 

If you have the privilege of working with her, consider yourself fortunate.”

— Patrice (parent)

  • Stuart Nabors

    Stuart Nabors

    Stuart Nabors is a veteran of 33 years of teaching in Richmond, Virginia’s Chesterfield County Public Schools. Twice National Board Certified, Stuart has taught AP English Literature and Composition for more than 20 years, and has worked with English speakers from nations representing five continents.

    A dedicated advocate of high school seniors, he has extensive experience in helping students navigate the college admissions process, especially in coaching them to compose college essays in which they can take great pride. His students have secured admission to colleges and universities considered to be among the very best: from Princeton to Columbia, Duke to UNC, Berkeley to Notre Dame, William and Mary to the University of Virginia.

    Whatever their destination, Stuart strives to help students refine their understanding of their essential qualities and to facilitate compelling illustrations of their unique perspectives.

  • Dr. Jennifer Cognard-Black

    Dr. Jennifer Cognard-Black, Professor of English at St. Mary's College of Maryland, is the author of a textbook on writing, Advancing Rhetoric, and three distinct lecture series on storytelling, essay writing, and food literature with The Great Courses and Audible.

    A college-level English teacher for twenty-five years, Cognard-Black is also the author or editor of six books, numerous short stories, scholarly articles, and public intellectual essays, and she has served as both a Table Leader and a Question Leader for Advanced Placement essay scoring.

    In 2020, Cognard-Black won the Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching, considered the "American version of the Nobel prize" for teaching. Learn more about her at www.jennifercognard-black.com.