Summer Art Intensive

The Cooper Union Summer Art Intensive helps high school students prepare a portfolio for college applications, worthy of top undergraduate programs. Participants choose a three day studio concentration, devoting the rest of the week to intensive drawing instruction and the study of contemporary art issues. A faculty of professional working artists teach all portfolio preparation classes. A mix of local, out-of-town and international students will engage with the vast cultural resources of New York City through visits to major museums and gallery districts. Guest Artists in Residence offer a close-up view of professional practice in action. The program culminates with a student exhibition, a publication of art and writings, and a public animation screening with a reception in Cooper’s Great Hall.

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Learn how to apply here

For more information about The Jeff and Paula Gural Merit Scholarships for NYC Public High School Students click here. Scholarship applications are now closed.

The Summer Art Intensive does not provide any college credits and/or official transcripts. 

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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.