Art: Summer at Penn2019-08-14T13:12:18+00:00

Project Description

Art: Summer at Penn

Ages: 14 - 18

ART: SUMMER AT PENN

Explore Fine Arts at Penn

The University of Pennsylvania’s School of Design presents an unparalleled four-week intensive studio art program. Unleash your creative genius and add new pieces to your portfolio!

Here, diverse teaching styles are combined with open studio hours and field trips to various art institutions. Choose your own schedule by pairing a major studio with one supplemental elective course, allowing you to experience different genres and styles. Classes are small to encourage ample interaction between you and Penn Design instructors.

Faculty-led portfolio workshops help you strengthen your art portfolio for college admissions. Plus, your pieces will be professionally photographed in the studio and on display in the gallery at the final exhibition.

GET MORE INFO
Location: University of Pennsylvania
Grades: Rising 9th - 12th
Program Dates: June 30 - July 27
Session Length: 4 Weeks

This program has a rolling admissions timeline. We recommend applying as soon as possible.

Day Tuition: $3,900

Residential Tuition: $6,550

APPLY NOW

FAST FACTS

0
Portfolio Pieces Photographed
0
Academic Field Trips
0
Average Studio Class Size
0
Final Exhibition in Charles Addams Fine Arts Hall Gallery

“Not only are congratulations in order for Taylor and her team [for their animation video final project] but also to the Krinsky program for offering an impressive program at Penn.”

Leonor L., Parent

“The Art Program at Penn helped me realize that fine art is what I truly want to pursue. I developed my technical skills. The class helped prepare me for the college application process.”

Clara H., Student

SCHEDULE OF A DAY

  • 8:15am Breakfast

  • 8:45am Day Students Arrive

  • 9:00am Morning Class

  • 12:00pm Lunch

  • 1:00pm Afternoon Class

  • 4:00pm Studio Time or Afternoon Activity

  • 4:15pm Day Students Depart

  • 6:00pm Dinner

  • 7:00pm Evening Activities

Improve Your Artistic Skills and Strengthen Your Portfolio

Working with Penn faculty and other young artists from around the world, you will experiment with different disciplines and learn new skills. Choose a Major Studio and an Elective Studio. Also, faculty-led portfolio workshops will assist you in strengthening your art portfolio for college. At the end of the program, your work will be professionally photographed in our studio for your future use.

The Art Department is housed at Charles Addams Hall, located in the heart of the University of Pennsylvania campus and at the corner of Walnut Street and 36th Street. In addition to design studios, exhibition spaces, classrooms and offices, this facility includes state of the art laboratories for computing and fabrication and two advanced research labs.

Major Studios

The Animation Production Major focuses on the fundamentals of traditional and digital animation.

Explore the core principles of animation while you experiment with a variety of mediums including hand-drawn, stop-motion, 2D and 3D animation. Projects are designed to enrich individual techniques while discovering the intricacies of collaboration. Working on individual computer stations, you will have access to industry-standard software including Adobe AfterEffects, Photoshop, Flash and Autodesk’s Maya.

In addition, you will have the opportunity to work in a dedicated animation studio on campus equipped with a multi-plane, motorized down-shooter camera mount and adjustable lighting displays that are connected to a digital capturing station. Upon completion of the course, you will take home a DVD of your completed animated work. The University of Pennsylvania animation graduates have worked on numerous Oscar-nominated animated films including A Bug’s Life, Toy Story I and II and Monster House.

The Drawing & Painting Major focuses on an exploration of the techniques, materials and processes used in creating two-dimensional art.

Working primarily from observation, you will study a wide range of concepts in order to reinforce your perceptive and descriptive drawing and painting skills. This studio class will include materials such as charcoal, graphite, pastels, ink and oil paint. Attention is paid to the development of the eye and the mind, as well as the hand. In addition to drawing landscapes and still-lifes, you may study the analytical and emotive approaches to depicting shape and form.

Have you ever wanted to make and edit your own short films, add sound, and project them into environments you create?

Explore the expressive possibilities of new media while you experiment with a variety of time-based and interactive art technologies including digital photography, digital video, sound, light, projection and installation. Projects are designed to encourage experimentation while refining technical skills. Students will learn digital photography and video camera operation; sound recording; lighting; editing and exporting using various screening formats; as well as a variety of installation and projection techniques. Students will work on both individual and collaborative projects and have access to state-of-the-art multimedia equipment, studios and technical support.

As part of the New Media Art Major, students will visit a number of the University of Pennsylvania’s most innovative facilities to include: PennImmersive, a library that explores the potential of virtual and augmented reality; the SIG Center for Computer Graphics, a state-of-the-art facility housing an academic motion capture studio and a laboratory for special effects, computer graphics and animation; the Advanced Research & Innovation Lab, Penn Design’s robotics, fabrication and speculative research space; and Biorealize, a microbial design studio.

Elective Studios

This elective course is designed to teach you the fundamental tools and techniques of digital photography. Throughout the course you will be exposed to a thorough introduction and understanding of DSLR cameras, Photoshop SC6, Adobe Bridge, Camera Raw, flatbed scanning, image processing, color management, studio lighting and numerous output options. The new technologies we are engaged with are critical for all photographers, and we aim to stimulate your ability to apply these skills by making content-driven work. Shooting field trips combined with the critical examinations of historic and contemporary photography will supplement our visual explorations.

Students enrolled in the figure drawing elective course will learn to understand the human form, the most quintessential of forms in art history, by studying and working directly from the nude model. The focus is on articulation through an understanding of anatomical structure and function. You will investigate a broad variety of drawing techniques and materials. The model will be used as the sole element in composition and as a contextualized element. Note: a nude model is occasionally used in this class as is appropriate to the study of anatomy, structure and function. Parental permission is needed to enroll in this class.

The graphic design elective course introduces you to print media and visual communication. Discover the foundational concepts of composition, typography and image manipulation. Working on individual computer stations, you will have access to industry-standard software, including Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign. Past Graphic Design projects have included personal identity packages, CD covers/inserts, poster design, packaging design, T-shirt design, Zines and book covers. You will also have the opportunity to create the advertising design for the Art: Summer at Penn final gallery exhibition.

This elective is an introduction to the practice of figure sculpture and the various creative and conceptual components of three-dimensional production via modeling the human figure using clay. Projects are designed within a traditional and contemporary context and allow you to learn to manipulate form and space by exploring basic media and techniques. Participate in vibrant dialogues and critiques and partake in field trips in order to learn and explore the various aspects of sculpture as a medium.

AT ART: SUMMER AT PENN YOU WILL:

FACULTY

Art at UPenn – The University of Pennsylvania School of Design is dedicated to promoting excellence in design across a rich diversity of programs including Architecture, City Planning, Landscape Architecture and Fine Arts. They believe in the centrality of design to all aspects of creativity. A dual challenge is offered to you, our students: explore a broad range of possibilities through both practice and theory.

UPenn’s Summer Art Program Faculty – Students enrolled in the Art: Summer at Penn program learn from world-renowned faculty from UPenn’s School of Design. Classes are kept small to ensure you will receive personal attention from each faculty member.

An artist, printer, and educator living in Philadelphia, Matt Neff is the Director of Undergraduate Program in Fine Arts and the Common Press at the University of Pennsylvania. He holds an MFA from the University of Pennsylvania, a BFA in Studio Art and a BA in Art History from Indiana University. His work is concerned with historical and current negotiations of power and privilege. Neff has worked on a number of projects with institutions including Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia, The Drawing Center, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Wharton Esherick Museum. His work is included in public and private collections including the Rare Book and Manuscript Library at the University of Pennsylvania.

Karen is a photographer and teaches Photography in the Penn: Summer at Penn program every summer. She has also been on faculty at the University of the Arts and the University of South Florida. Karen is an active member of Vox Populi Gallery. Solo exhibitions include Vox Populi Gallery, Philadelphia (2000, 1999, 1996, 1995); Moore College of Art & Design, photo gallery (1998); Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia (1995). Group exhibitions include The Print Center, Philadelphia (1999); Dean Daderko’s Studio Apartment, Philadelphia (1998).

Jacob Rivkin received his Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts from Vassar College. His animation and sculptures focus on how we experience of landscape through memory, desire, and autobiography. His awards include the Juror’s Prize at the 25th Annual McNeese Works on Paper Juried Exhibition in 2012, a Fulbright Student Grant in 2008 to study Chinese Traditional Landscape Painting in Hangzhou, China, and the Weitzel Barber Art Travel Prize in 2006 to study Buddhist Sculpture Practices in Western China. In 2014 he was an Artist-in-Residence at the Hacktory in Philadelphia, PA. His animation work has screened at the Animation Block Party in Brooklyn, NY, Vox Populi in Philadelphia, PA, and the Peephole Cinema in San Franscisco. He currently teaches Hand-Drawn Digital Animation and Foundations of Art, Design, and Digital Culture.

LIFE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

A historic Ivy League university. Located in the heart of Philadelphia. During the summer program, the UPenn campus is filled with high school students, undergraduates, graduate students and professors; giving you the real collegiate experience.

International Experience. About 40% of students come from around the world to join us each summer. Every year we hear how much students enjoy meeting people from all over the country and the world and how it opened their eyes to different parts of the globe.

Trips & Activities. There is always something to do when class is over: movies, tours, events, going to the gym and more. Campus is surrounded by dozens of shops and restaurants that are fun to explore with friends. Trips are offered every Saturday to regional destinations of your choice. And Sundays are for exploring the Philadelphia region.

LEARN MORE ABOUT UPENN AND LIFE ON CAMPUS

2019 DATES & PRICES

June 30 - July 27

  • Rooming
  • On-campus meals
  • Afternoon and evening activities
  • Academic instruction
  • Academic field trips
  • Guest appearances
  • Course materials

  • Non-refundable application fee: $75
  • Early arrival student package: $250
  • Required weekend stay: $600
  • Optional services such as laundry, linen and airport transportation
  • Meals during weekend trips and off-campus weekday dinners

Students arrive on Sunday, June 30th and depart on Saturday, July 27th.

In order to complete an application for admission, students are required to submit the following:

  • Basic application information using our registration form
  • Application fee ($75, paid via credit card)
  • Essay (required, Topic “What inspires your interest or passion for art? What are you hoping to gain from attending the Art: Summer at Penn Program? Do not exceed 300 words.”)
  • School information (required, including name, address, phone, type, graduation year and guidance counselor information)
  • Letter of recommendation (we require one letter which may be written by a current or recent teacher, school administrator, employer or mentor, or director of extracurricular activities)

Rolling Admissions Timeline:

  • Round 1
    • Completion Date: November 23, 2018 – December 31, 2018
    • Decision Date: January 11, 2019
  • Round 2
    • Completion Date: January 1, 2019 – January 31, 2019
    • Decision Date: February 15, 2019
  • Round 3
    • Completion Date: February 1, 2019 – February 28, 2019
    • Decision Date: March 15, 2019
  • Round 4
    • Completion Date: March 1, 2019 – March 31, 2019
    • Decision Date: April 12, 2019

*After March 31st, the applications will be reviewed on a bi-weekly basis until we have reached full capacity. If you have any questions, please email [email protected].

$3,900

  • On-campus lunch
  • Academic instruction
  • Academic field trips
  • Guest appearances
  • Course materials

  • Non-refundable application fee: $75

Day students will begin their program on Monday, July 1st. The program will meet Monday - Friday until the end of the session on Friday, July 26th.

Students arrive at 8:45am each morning and depart at 4:15pm each afternoon. Students may elect to stay late participate in open studio hours.

In order to complete an application for admission, students are required to submit the following:

  • Basic application information using our registration form
  • Application fee ($75, paid via credit card)
  • Essay (required, Topic “What inspires your interest or passion for art? What are you hoping to gain from attending the Art: Summer at Penn Program? Do not exceed 300 words.”)
  • School information (required, including name, address, phone, type, graduation year and guidance counselor information)
  • Letter of recommendation (we require one letter which may be written by a current or recent teacher, school administrator, employer or mentor, or director of extracurricular activities)

Rolling Admissions Timeline:

  • Round 1
    • Completion Date: November 23, 2018 – December 31, 2018
    • Decision Date: January 11, 2019
  • Round 2
    • Completion Date: January 1, 2019 – January 31, 2019
    • Decision Date: February 15, 2019
  • Round 3
    • Completion Date: February 1, 2019 – February 28, 2019
    • Decision Date: March 15, 2019
  • Round 4
    • Completion Date: March 1, 2019 – March 31, 2019
    • Decision Date: April 12, 2019

*After March 31st, the applications will be reviewed on a bi-weekly basis until we have reached full capacity. If you have any questions, please email [email protected].

HOW TO APPLY

BEHIND THE SCENES

VISIT PHILLY.

Learn More About Philadelphia >

ALUMNI STORIES

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Insider Resource

Generation Z Characteristics & Traits That Explain the Way They Learn

PENN DESIGN

VISIT THE PENN DESIGN WEBSITE TO LEARN MORE

CONNECT
GET MORE INFO
SCHEDULE A CONSULT

WE ALSO RECOMMEND

ENRICHMENT

We like to think of Enrichment as the “jack of all trades” program — perfect for the athlete who loves to paint, the gamer who shoots short films and the writer who sketches red carpet fashion designs.

Location: Villanova University
Ages: 14 - 18
Grades: 9 - 12
Residential Session Length: 7 Days
LEARN MORE

INTERNSHIPS

Invaluable experience in your chosen field before heading to college! You could observe surgery, get in the courtroom, work with a startup and more!

Location: University of Pennsylvania
Ages: 16 - 18
Grades: 11 - 12
Session Length: 3 Weeks
LEARN MORE

ARCHITECTURE: SUMMER AT PENN

Offered by the University of Pennsylvania School of Design, the summer architecture program for high school students prepares you for college admissions as you experience college life and create your portfolio.

Location: University of Pennsylvania
Ages: 14-18
Grades: 9-12
Session Length: 4 Weeks
LEARN MORE