The campus remains closed with all summer courses being conducted online and staff working remotely. Classes will resume on August 31, 2020 for the fall semester. For updates on campus operations, both virtual and in person, for the fall semester, please see the Fall 2020 Info Hub page.

Summer Art Intensive 2020

Due to the health considerations associated with COVID-19, particularly social distancing and surface cleanliness, our planning for the Summer Art Intensive will be conducted online. We have some exciting new classes specifically developed for online learning and we encourage you to read through our courses and to take a look at our amazing cast of instructors. 

Program Dates: July 13– Aug 6, 2020

Enrollment ends: Tuesday, June 30

Age requirements: 15–18

Materials: Students enrolling in class(es) are encouraged to review material lists after completion of enrollment. Due to uncertain shipping times, we would encourage you to order needed materials as soon as possible after enrolling. 

The Cooper Union Summer Art Intensive helps high school students prepare a portfolio for college applications, worthy of top undergraduate programs. Participants have the choice of 1 out of 4 concentrations, Animation, Digital Photography, Drawing or Graphic Design. All instructors are working professional artists and are active in the contemporary art world. A mix of local and out-of-town students will engage with the vast cultural resources of New York City through visits to major museums and gallery districts as well as guest artist talks.

During classes, students will see first hand works of historic, modern and contemporary artwork. Students have visited such institutions such as, The Metropolitan Museum, MoMA, Noguchi Museum, The Met Breuer, The New Museum, Socrates Sculpture Park, The Whitney Museum of American Art, Pace Paper and Jungle Press.

The Summer Art Intensive will end with a celebratory reception showcasing student works in drawing, graphic design, and digital photography on three floors in the historic Foundation Building.

The Summer Art Intensive does not provide any college credits, official transcripts, housing or meal plans. We do provide a letter of completion upon request.

The Jeff and Paula Gural Merit Scholarships for NYC Public High School Students

Scholarship Applications are now closed

In an effort to continue Cooper Union’s tradition of meritocracy and opportunity, we welcome our partners, The Jeff and Paula Gural Merit Scholarships for NYC Public High School Students. Scholarships will be awarded based on merit and are available for NYC public high school students who wish to pursue portfolio preparation and intensive study this summer. To be eligible to apply, students must be currently enrolled in a NYC public high school in one of the 5 boroughs of NYC (The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens or Staten Island).

A very generous donation of $35,000 from Jeff Gural, Chairman of Newmark Grubb Knight Frank and former member of The Cooper Union’s board of trustees, makes these scholarships possible. These scholarships are destined for dedicated students who currently attend a New York City public high school. The Summer Art Intensive will award these scholarships based on merit.

We will begin accepting applications for the The Jeff and Paula Gural Merit Scholarships for NYC Public High School Students on February 24, 2020 through March 31, 2020. The application will become live on February 24, 2020.

Qualifications & Instructions

Contact us at Summerartintensive@cooper.edu

212.353.4202

Office Hours

9:00AM–5:00PM

Monday–Thursday

Join our mailing list here for updates and more information.

  • 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.