Saturday Program Courses

Saturday Program instructors create their own curricula, so the particular projects and techniques explored vary depending on the interests and expertise of each year’s teaching team. See below for a preview of each course! 

The Saturday Program offers six courses to 9-12th grade students: Architecture, Digital Media/Photography, Drawing, Graphic Design, Painting, and Sculpture. These courses are led by current Cooper Union undergraduates studying Art and Architecture, who share their skills and insight with their students.

  • ARCHITECTURE | COURSE DESCRIPTION

    Students of the Architecture class explore the basics of space and structure, creating drawings and architectural models.

  • DIGITAL MEDIA/PHOTOGRAPHY | COURSE DESCRIPTION

    Students of the Digital Media/Photography course learn camera and photography basics before embarking on their own media assignments.

  • DRAWING | COURSE DESCRIPTION

    Students of the Drawing class explore the fundamentals of drawing in a range of media — charcoal, graphite, ink, and pastel.

  • GRAPHIC DESIGN | COURSE DESCRIPTION

    Students of the Graphic Design course explore design principles on paper and using the Adobe Suite.

  • PAINTING  | COURSE DESCRIPTION

    Students of the Painting class gain key painting skills like canvas preparation, material handling, color mixing, and working from observation.

  • SCULPTURE  | COURSE DESCRIPTION

    Students of the Sculpture class create 3-dimensional works using a variety of media — cardboard, clay, plaster, fibers, and fabric.

For high school seniors interested in applying to art or architecture schools, The Saturday Program also offers two "Senior Studio" courses in Design and Visual Art intended to help students create college-ready portfolios. These intensive studio courses include individual advisement and studio visits with professional artists. Applicants to Senior Studios must attend an informal artwork review before gaining admission.

  • SENIOR DESIGN STUDIO | COURSE DESCRIPTION

    Students of the Senior Studio - Design class work to create college-ready design portfolios.
     

  • SENIOR VISUAL ART STUDIO  | COURSE DESCRIPTION

    Students of the Senior Visual Art Studio class work to create college-ready visual arts portfolios.

Every Saturday Program course also contains a one-hour writing session with a professional poet. This allows students to express themselves in another format and explore connections between art and writing. 

  • WRITING SESSIONS  | COURSE DESCRIPTION

    For one hour every Saturday, students work with a professional poet to channel their ideas into written pieces.

 

  • 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.