OUTSIDE PROGRAMS FOR STUDENTS
The Summer Arts Institute (SAI) is a free, four-week intensive arts program for public school students entering grades 8–12. Students study dance, theater, vocal music, instrumental music, visual art, or film under DOE arts teachers, arts organizations, and master guest artists. Students build portfolios and develop audition skills. They also help students plan for their next level of study, be it an arts-focused high school, college, or conservatory.
Email SummerArtsInstitute@schools.nyc.gov with any questions.
Founded in 1968, Cooper Union's Saturday Program has offered free art and architecture classes to New York City public high school students for over 55 years. The Saturday Program plays a crucial role in supplementing missing or underfunded arts instruction in NYC schools and promoting the participation of historically underserved communities in the arts. The program offers free visual arts instruction typically reserved for exclusive courses, as well as additional learning opportunities for students in the form of field trips, studio visits, and presentations from working artists. Writing workshops are integrated into the curriculum to bridge visual and written thinking.
Introductory Saturday Program classes are open to 9-12th grade students and are taught by current Cooper Union undergraduate students, which allows high schoolers to learn from “near peer” mentors. 11th and 12th graders hoping to pursue art in college can apply for the Portfolio Prep classes, which are specifically designed to assist students with the creation of college-ready portfolios. Portfolio Prep classes are led by a team of professional artists and undergraduate instructors.
Eligibility
The Saturday Program prioritizes students from historically underserved communities with limited access to educational opportunities in the arts. We especially welcome applications from women and individuals who identify with groups historically excluded from visual arts careers, such as Black, Latino/a, LGBTQ+, and Neurodiverse communities.
To be eligible, students must meet one or more of the following criteria:
• Attend a New York City public or charter high school
• Attend a school without a comprehensive visual art program
• Qualify for free school breakfast and/or lunch
• Come from low- or moderate-income household
Offers a variety of art and design courses for students in grades 3–12 in subjects ranging from fine arts and illustration to design disciplines such as fashion design, interior design, animation, and more. Classes meet over 11 Saturdays in both the fall and the spring semesters.
Parsons Academy Certificate program
A five-week asynchronous online course for students in grades 9–12. The Parsons Academy Certificate Program is a noncredit program for students in grades 9 through 12 who plan to apply to colleges of art and design.
Parsons Academy Certificate Requirements
Two foundation courses: Choose from Fine Arts I: Drawing, Fine Arts II: Drawing and Painting, and Drawing and Painting (summer only)
Three elective courses (e.g., Graphic Design, Fashion Design, and Architecture)
Portfolio Development for students in grades 11 and 12
Students can fulfill the requirements by attending a combination of Parsons programs offered for pre-college students by Parsons Academy, described below.
Pratt Community Engagement K-12
The mission of Pratt’s Center for Art, Design, and Community Engagement K-12 is to increase access to instruction in art and design for children by leveraging the resources and expertise of the Institute to support school-age children, city-wide public schools, and youth-serving organizations.
Taught by our expert faculty and students our on-campus and in-school programs develop children and young peoples’ knowledge in the creative disciplines (art, design, architecture, and related fields) through hands-on studio-based learning. Our programs are carefully designed and structured to support creativity and innovation, and problem-solving and collaboration.
All programs offer undergraduate and graduate students studying art, design, architecture, and related fields opportunities in community-based education in their major while simultaneously bringing art and design classes to the K-12 community.
Saturday Art School - Since 1897, Saturday Art School has offered a broad range of classes for children and teens. Students are encouraged to explore a variety of media, techniques, and approaches. [ages 6-18]
Design Initiative For Community Empowerment (DICE) - An after-school program that introduces students to the challenges of creative thinking and problem-solving Design Initiative for Community Empowerment (DICE) offers studio classes in which students explore design disciplines such as fashion design, construction management, and architecture and urban design. [grades 9-12]
Pratt Young Scholars -Pratt Young Scholars is a need-based, three-year scholarship program that provides art and design instruction and college preparation for motivated high school students. [grades 10-12]
Summer Scholars - Summer Scholars is a two-week summer intensive program of studio classes and college preparatory classes for high school students, and high school application portfolio preparation classes for middle schoolers entering 7th or 8th grade. Classes take place online in July. [grades 7-12]
Pratt PreCollege
Pratt’s PreCollege program is taught by Pratt faculty and aligns with undergraduate majors and minors in fine art, fashion, graphic design, architecture, and writing as well as many other concentrations. With both Credit and NonCredit offerings, students immerse themselves in their art + design field and find their creative voice in a thriving network of artists and designers.
Explore your passions and be a part of the Pratt community.
Gain valuable undergraduate experience while working alongside Pratt faculty in state of the art facilities.
Earn college credit in credit bearing courses modeled after the Pratt undergraduate experience.
Develop advanced creative skills and techniques using new tools, software, and materials.
Create portfolio-ready artwork for college applications and your future career in art and design.
From paid internships to exciting free events, our teen programs support youth leadership, critical thinking, and creative expression. We’re committed to representing marginalized voices within the arts, putting young people of color and LGBTQ+, working-class, and immigrant youth at the center of everything we do. Through teen-led programming, we activate art to promote social justice and imagine new futures.
Casita Maria's educational programs offer after-school and summer day camp programming for up to 400 young people from kindergarten through middle school. Programs are built on a Creative Youth Development framework that combines arts education with academic assistance and positive youth development principles to empower young people to reach their potential as artists, scholars, and leaders.
All programs are free, and operate after-school from 2:30 to 6 PM. We accept participants on a first come-first served basis, regardless of need, but you do need to complete an application which you can fill out in person at Casita Maria or online and available here. You'll also have to submit medical and immunization forms signed and stamped by a doctor, and a passport photo. Finally, a parent or caregiver will be required to attend a parent/caregiver orientation.
Design Hive is a paid, youth-led initiative at Cooper Hewitt. High school juniors and seniors dive deep into design objects and processes to develop their own collaborative projects. Along the way, they learn how designers move from an initial idea to final design.
Design Hive takes place at Cooper Hewitt and offsite locations on Tuesdays from November to May between 4:30–6:30 p.m. Students must be based in the New York City area to apply. Participants must attend all weekly program dates and be available to meet at Cooper Hewitt (2 East 91st Street, New York, NY 10128).
Annually, Groundswell engages over 800 young people, primarily aged 14 to 21, in the creation of upwards of 50 public art projects across New York City in partnership with community-based organizations, public schools, local businesses, and government agencies.
Each mural residency is designed and overseen by an experienced Groundswell Lead Artist, supported by an emerging Assistant Artist. Through hands-on artmaking opportunities, the mural team creates its own visual language and vocabulary of images, colors, and gestures. Groundswell’s professional artists are then responsible for integrating these visual ideas into a single mural composition, with its own artistic integrity.
Art Explore (Ages 12–14) - Discover works of art from around the world and make art inspired by your ideas and The Met collection. Attend one or all of the monthly sessions.
Teen Studio (Ages 15–18) -Unleash your creativity and experiment with materials in unexpected ways during these art-making workshops in the galleries and studios. Materials are provided.
Teen Fridays (Ages 15–18) -Come on over to The Met for Teen Fridays—the place to be creative, have snacks, and meet other teens with similar and different interests. Explore passions, ideas, and new activities. Drop in to:
join in teen-centered activities planned by teens
hang out and listen to music in a stress-free space
meet and collaborate with teens and creative professionals
get creative in an open studio: hone your skills and experiment with fashion, design, writing, performance, music, art, and more. For teens at all levels of expertise and interest.
Saturday Sketching (Ages 12–18) - Sketch in the galleries from works of art with the guidance of an artist-instructor. Thinking of applying to an art high school or college? These classes are a great way to experiment with different drawing approaches and build a portfolio. Attend one or all of the monthly classes. Materials are provided.
Career Labs (Ages 15–18) - Thinking about life beyond high school? Explore careers in the arts, hang with other teens, learn from creative professionals, and build your skills in special workshops. Attend six or more sessions and receive a certificate of participation.
Summer Programs (Ages 11–18)- Join us for in-depth special summer programs that tap into your talents and invite you to explore The Met collection.
Empire State Arts Scholarship Program - The intent of the scholarship program is to fill any remaining funding gaps after receiving tuition aid from the program itself. Individual grants will be issued as a percentage of the remaining tuition balance and will be dependent on family income level and financial need. Financial need is assessed using your current NYS Tax Return. If more applications are received than available funding, scholarships will be awarded based on the most financial need.
Arts programs can specialize in music, theatre, dance, creative writing, ballet, fine arts, design, and more.
It is recommended that students submit an application after they’ve selected and been accepted to an arts program. If a student applies and is accepted to more than one program, the scholarship will only be able to be used at one program. Scholarship funding is not available at the time of applying or registering to a program, funding is provided to programs directly after a student is enrolled and has its own timed process.
Upon completion of the application form, the student and their parent/guardian will receive an email communication from our office. This email communication will contain instructions on how to submit financial information, tax forms, and detailed information regarding the arts program you are applying to/attending.
NYSSSA In-Residency Program- Established in 1970, the New York State Summer School of the Arts Program has trained over 20,000 students since its inception. The In-Residency NYSSSA Program offers an immersive summer experience for high school artists. The 4-week summer program will take place at SUNY Fredonia and delivers robust pre-professional training, personalized coaching, and leadership development to qualified students across the state.