The Saturday Program

About The Saturday Program

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.  

Classes run on Saturdays from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm throughout the school year, operating semesterly (Fall and Spring).   

Fall 2025 Dates
    •    October 4 – Week 1
    •    October 11 – Week 2
    •    October 18 – Week 3
    •    October 25 – Week 4
    •    November 1 – Week 5
    •    November 8 – Week 6
    •    November 15 – Week 7
    •    November 22 – Week 8
    •    November 29 – No Class (Thanksgiving)
    •    December 6 – Week 9
    •    December 13 – Week 10

Spring 2026 Dates
    •    January 24 – Week 1
    •    January 31 – Week 2
    •    February 7 – Week 3
    •    February 14 – No Class (President's Day)
    •    February 21 – Week 4
    •    February 28 – Week 5
    •    March 7 – Week 6
    •    March 14 – Week 7
    •    March 21 – Week 8
    •    March 28 – Week 9, Year End Show Opening
    •    April 4 – Week 10
 

Eligibility

The Saturday Program aims to serve students from underserved communities with limited access to educational opportunities in the arts. The program criteria aim to support students who may face barriers to accessing comprehensive educational opportunities, particularly in the visual arts, due to financial constraints, lack of resources, or limited familial support for higher education.

We welcome individuals who have little to no experience in the visual arts and are seeking to develop and/or expand their artistic voice.
 
To be eligible, students must meet one or more of the following criteria:

  • Come from a low- or moderate-income household
  • Attend a New York City public or charter high school
  • Attend a school without a comprehensive visual arts program
  • Qualify for free school breakfast and/or lunch

Students with an interest in the arts are strongly encouraged to apply

All students previously accepted into the program are automatically eligible to return for the current program year. Simply fill out the registration form and indicate returning 

 

Applying to The Saturday Program 

The 2024–2025 Saturday Program year has ended. Applications for Fall 2025 will be available on June 10th. 

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APPLY NOW

High school students interested in applying to the program can complete the form linked above. 

Current Cooper Union students interested in working with the Saturday Program can check for listings here.

  

 

The Saturday Program is made possible with support from: Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation | Mervyn Seldon Charitable Arts Trust | Jeffrey Gural | Anonymous | Altman Foundation | National Endowment for the Arts | The Richard & Jean Coyne Family Foundation | New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature | Whitten Family Fund | Keith Haring Foundation | Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation | SOCOTEC | Wegmans Food Markets

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  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.