Georgetown Atelier at Gage Academy is a full-time classical drawing and painting program, which recognizes the critical role imaginative realism plays within the classics. Georgetown Atelier was founded in 2008 by Tenaya Sims (Best of Show in the 2016 International ARC Salon Competition). The Atelier is located within the Equinox Studios campus in the Georgetown district of Seattle, WA. Home to over 100 artists, Equinox Studios is a thriving arts and artisan community. Students enjoy the benefits of being part of this artist community, as well as the ‘family’ of ateliers at Gage Academy of Art.

The program is taught by Tenaya Sims (ARC Salon Best in Show 2016 award), along with program graduates Happy D Artist and Scott Allen.

At the Georgetown Atelier, students first learn core subjects, such as constructive anatomy, value studies, perspective, cast drawing, etc., working from observation. Then students learn how to extend beyond observation into the inventive. The 'Rock Project' is one such example of a bridge between the observational and the imaginative. Here, students first draw a rock from observation, and study its visual properties (planar vs. round, quality of texture, lighting, etc). Then students draw a rock from 'imagination', informed by their observational studies of the real rock.

The curriculum is divided into: Drawing, Painting I, Painting II, and Professional Development. This last pillar (Professional Development) is the culminating stage of the program, where students build a cohesive body of work under the mentorship of the instructors and cultivate their 'inner vision'.