A dynamic program for young artists, writers, and thinkers.

The School of Other Fields is designed for anyone aged 14—19 who is curious, ambitious, and ready to stretch beyond their comfort zone.

With three seasons throughout the year, the program supports young creatives seeking the community, physical space, and guidance needed to reach toward their full potential.

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About

OTHER FIELDS is a home for young artists, bookworms, makers, and thinkers to explore the intersections of culture, human nature, and creative disciplines. Designed for those ready to sharpen their skills and broaden their perspective, it is an open space for curious minds to push the boundaries of their creative abilities alongside wholehearted mentors and peers.

Through hands-on work, close observation, and thoughtful engagement with art, literature, philosophy, and history, you’ll explore the tools and ideas that shape our lives. We value process over product, emphasizing dialogue, experimentation, and sitting with failure as a means for lasting growth. Each season is a vibrant and demanding environment that will challenge you to engage your curiosity and critical thinking—essential skills for anyone striving toward a more mature, honest, and expansive understanding our time and what it means to live “the good life.”

Put simply: OTHER FIELDS is a program built on respect for young creative minds. We believe that you have something unique to contribute to our world, not just in the future, but now.

Details

OTHER FIELDS hosts three seasons throughout the year: Spring, Summer, Fall. Each season is guided by a unique theme and area of focus with curriculum specially designed to facilitate meaningful exploration and learning.

In 2025 our focuses will be:

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Each season is designed to introduce you to new ways of seeing, being, and engaging with the world that will have reverberations into all parts of your life. In most cases joining us for the season that sounds the *least* interesting to you, leads to the *most* interesting outcome.

Logistically each season has been crafted as a standalone experience, but the three are also profoundly intertwined. So while we encourage you to join us for all three seasons, that is not a requirement for you to apply to OTHER FIELDS. Similarly, no season is a prerequisite for any other season, meaning you can apply to Summer without having joined us for Spring.

Applications

We accept up to 7 students per season on a rolling basis.

OTHER FIELDS is open to young creatives exploring Architecture, Collage, Creative coding, Film, Graphic design, Illustration, Music, Painting, Philosophy, Photography, Poetry, Woodworking, Web design, and/or Writing. This list is not exhaustive. We encourage you to apply even if your chosen medium is not listed here.

We respond to all applications as quickly as possible. If we believe you are a fit for OTHER FIELDS, we will set up an in-person (or video) interview.

Meetings

Group meetings are on Sunday from 1—4pm (with a few exceptions for holidays).

In-person attendance is required for each group meeting for the duration of the season at our studio, Problem Library, in the Inner Sunset of San Francisco (1288 15th Ave)

We allow up to 2 absences, and are flexible with travel plans or emergency situations.

Tuition

Tuition is 1,800 USD (per season) and covers all program-related expenses, including: free access to the studio during open hours, transportation & tickets for field trips, and a Season reader.

We highly encourage all interested students to apply even if the cost of tuition seems prohibitive. It is our policy that no student be denied entry to the program due to their inability to pay.

If the cost of tuition is a barrier, we can discuss scholarships, payment plans, and reduced tuition opportunities with you and your family – if you qualify. Requests for financial aid of any kind do not affect an applicant’s chances of being accepted to the program.

Upcoming Season

OTHER FIELDS hosts three seasons throughout the year, each with a specific focus.

Read on to learn more about each season. More information about future seasons will be released as we get closer to them.

Spring Exploration & Observation

Sunday March 2, 2025

Apply →

This season invites you to deepen your understanding of the visual (and human-made) world through focused observation and intimate explorations of three creative mediums: graphic design, photography, and carpentry. By learning the language and history of these mediums, you’ll develop your creative vocabulary and become a more sophisticated, discerning, and exacting cultural observer and creator.

Throughout the season we will use these mediums as lenses to observe and engage with the physical world. We will discuss influential writings on the impact of photography, the semantics of design, and the ways our modern world was built. Field trips will invite us to admire, document, and examine objects both natural and human made. And hands-on experiments will introduce you to the tools, perspectives, and curiosities inherent in these mediums.

You will also work with a rotating cast of creative mentors to produce experiments in one of the three mediums. Using a research-based approach, you’ll dig into seminal works, uncovering the tactics, methods, and expressions of pioneering creators. These experiments will challenge you to draw from your life and experiences, developing fluency in your chosen medium.

The season culminates in a showcase where you’ll share your findings and creative experiments with your mentors, peers, and family & friends.

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  • Applications close: February 26, 2025
  • Season starts on: March 2, 2025
  • Season ends on: May 10, 2025

Summer Creating & Gifts

Sunday June 8, 2025

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This season invites you to discover what matters most—and why—through group discussions and the creation of a personal project. By developing a project uniquely your own, you’ll broaden your skill set, enhance your talents, and gain deeper self-awareness.

The program culminates in a private closing celebration and a group exhibition open to family, friends, and the public.

More details coming soon…

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  • Applications close: June 4, 2025
  • Season starts on: June 8, 2025
  • Season ends on: August 16, 2025

Fall Reflection & Roots

Sunday September 14, 2025

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This season invites you to uncover your personal influences through reflective exercises, field trips, and a detailed map-making project. By mapping the ideas, people, and places that have molded you, you’ll gain the insight needed to drive your growth, make a meaningful impact on your community, and ultimately, determine your own future.

The program culminates with a launch party for a collectively created zine/book/encyclopedia.

More details coming soon…

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  • Applications close: September 10, 2025
  • Season starts on: September 14, 2025
  • Season ends on: November 15, 2025

Apply

We’re excited OTHER FIELDS sounds right for you. We salute your initiative and are eager to meet you.

The application below is designed to help us better understand your creative interests, history, and what you hope to gain in your creative journey this summer. To provide the best platform for you to excel, we ask that you answer each question as honestly as possible and with as much detail as you see fit. The more specific you can be, the better.

Applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis. We review each application and will reach out to schedule an interview if you are a fit for the program.

We look forward to reading your application!

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If you have more questions or any issues with your application, please email us at otherfields@problemlibrary.org