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 Courses

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. 

All of our TA's are current Cooper Union School of Art Undergraduates. 

Enrollment Ends: Tuesday, June 30

Age Requirement: 15–18

Drawing at Home: Material Exploration, Observation and Contemporary Practice

Instructor: Anne-Marie McIntyre

Teaching Assistant: Nicholas D'Ornellas

Tuition: $1,536.00

Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays 

July 14–August 6, 2:00 PM–6:00 PM

This class is for students who are ready and able to spend our time together engaged in drawing. We will try and bridge the digital divide by working with tactile materials at home and sharing our work in group meetings as well as small break out groups. Grounded in observational drawing and traditional still life we will share a wide variety of strategies for depicting objects in space. This class is taught at a college level and we will not expect students to follow step by step instructions but rather engage with materials and learn through teacher prompts and critiques. For advanced students this class will challenge you to break habits and expand your ideas about what drawing can be. For younger students this class will give you a broad introduction to different ways that artists use mark-making to create work. Every student will become more aware of the characteristics of their personal voice. Students should be ready to bring their full skill set to class, but also be ready to explore and move out of their comfort zone. 

We will take full advantage of being digitally connected to share a lot of art images. Be prepared to explore the work of contemporary artists and connect with the work of master draftspeople. Students should expect to spend two hours a day on after class homework. 

Materials include: Charcoal, graphite, ink, invented tools and tabletop printing techniques such as transfer drawing and collagraphs. 

Students must have a tabletop larger than 18X 24 that can remain a personal workspace for the course of the class, if the student has an easel, we can use that as an additional work surface. They should also have a wall space where they can keep their work up for the duration of the class. Students will be expected to move around their house drawing and access objects from their home for still life. If there is an outdoor space available, we will use it, but participating in class will not be contingent on that.  

Students should have a dedicated computer that they can use for the hours that our class is in session as well as a way to photograph and post images to share.

Click to see Required Materials

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Class size is limited to 16 students

5 Projects 

Instructor: Pablo Diaz

Teaching Assistant: Ciana Malchione

Tuition: $1,536.00

Meets: Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays

July 14–August 3, 2:00PM–6:00PM

This is a class designed for students of all levels to approach controlled mark making through the use of printing techniques and homemade drawing tools. Working primarily with pencil, ink and paper, students will engage in an extensive drawing practice to generate visual content inspired by familiar objects in an intimate setting. We will use the home space as a catalyst for creativity. Working through prompts, students will be challenged to find creative approaches to visual problems. These will involve techniques like stamp block printing, frottage (aka rubbings), stenciling and collage. Working in various book formats, students will have the opportunity to work sequentially and learn about how changing the format, presentation and delivery of their work can affect the viewer’s engagement and perception. 

The five projects will be a zine, the kinetic human figure, home inventory, remaking the sketchbook, “superstructures”. 

Being an online course, there is the great opportunity to provide extensive advice on how to set up a workspace at home. This will require a table surface and wall space that can be maintained throughout the duration of the program. Additionally, students will be required to learn how to properly document their artwork. This will facilitate class presentations and provide excellent preparation for documenting work for college applications portfolio.

The structure of this course will be a combination of hands-on demonstrations of techniques using Zoom video chat, as well as written prompts, followed by students working independently. The instructor and teaching assistant will be available throughout class hours for questions and feedback. Each class will end with a group meeting and homework assignment. Class discussions will include student work critiques, assigned readings and exposure to contemporary art issues.

Click to see Required Materials

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Class size is limited to 16 students

Drawing (Section A)

Instructor: Andrew Ross

Teaching Assistant: Audrey Landgren

Tuition: $1,536

Meets: Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays 

July 13–August 6, 10:00 AM–1:00 PM

In this online drawing course instructor, Andrew Ross, will present drawing as a form of exploration and planning. The focus of the course will be accumulating and transposing marks learned through practice into dynamic elements of completed studio works. 

Through a series of exercises and guided independent study, students will be encouraged to take note of the qualities of various drawing mediums to create a lexicon of marks and techniques that they will choose from to employ in self-directed projects in the latter half of the course. 

Class will consist of video demonstrations, group exercises facilitated by shared and editable templates, virtual studio visits with artists selected by the instructor, group critiques, and individualized virtual independent study meetings with the instructor. 

Work from the class will be shared throughout on a private student-run platform, and selected works will be shared in a cumulative zine project that will be downloadable and shareable. Students will gain experience in studio practice and drawing as well as professional artists’ administrative practices such as documentation for the works they produce during the course.

Click to see Required Materials

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Class size is limited to 16 students.

Digital Photography

Instructor: Alex Strada

Teaching Assistant: Claire Merkle

Tuition: $1,536.00

Mondays, Tuesdays, & Wednesdays

July 13 – August 5, 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Digital Photography is an introductory course that focuses on the camera as a tool for personal vision and collective reflection. Classes will consist of lectures, technical workshops, group critiques, and collaborative experiments geared towards unpacking the possibilities of photography in this unprecedented historical moment. Each student will be encouraged to think critically about what subjects hold meaning for them, what they have access to, and what unique perspective they can offer through composition, lighting, and the language of photography. 

Class discussions will center on a diversity of artists’ practices, the histories of photography, text and image, the art of appropriation, the fluidity of still and moving image, and questions regarding the politics of representation. 

Students will gain a foundational understanding of Adobe Photoshop and a strong technical grasp of the camera they have access to. If you have a curious mind and would like to examine this changed and ever-evolving world through a new lens, this is the class for you.

Students in this class will be supplied a free temporary Adobe Creative Suite license and will need a computer with the minimum requirements for the applications used in this course.

Required Equipment:

  • DSLR Camera with manual settings, with battery, battery charger. Relatively affordable recommended Models include

    • Canon Rebel T7

    • Canon Rebel T6

    • Nikon D3500

  • SD card -Card reader (unless built into their computer)

  • External hard drive for saving images (unless their computers have excess storage space) 

Enroll Now

Class size is limited to 16 students

Animation

Instructor: NaYon Cho

Teaching Assistant: Simon Garb

Tuition: $1,536.00

Meets: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays

July 14 – August 6, 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Animation is a powerful and ubiquitous form of storytelling, and its reach continues to expand rapidly in the hands of curious and creative minds. The medium is highly sought after for its ability to captivate and inspire the viewer, not only in entertainment but also in journalism, education and advertising. You may not even realize it, but it’s found in almost every corner of our lives. 

In (this course), students will learn the basic skills of animation. The aim is to equip each student with the tools so that they can fully express their creative vision. The class will be conducted via Zoom, where students will participate in lively discussions, technical demos and individual and group workshops. They will create several short animations and one long animation using a camera and a mic, employing digital software like Photoshop and Premiere Pro. Students will leave with a rich understanding of animation’s historical background and its contemporary significance, in addition to the technical and conceptual skill sets that will lay a foundation for their artistic practice. 

Students do not need any prior animation experience or knowledge. Animation is an art that requires attention to detail and an adventurous spirit. Students are encouraged to be curious, open-minded, patient, meticulous and imaginative. Those who love motion, time and space will thoroughly enjoy this artistic exploration.

Students in this class will be supplied a free temporary Adobe Creative Suite license and will need a computer with the minimum requirements for the applications used in this course.

Click to see Required Materials

Enroll Now

Class size is limited to 16 students

Drawing (Section B)

Instructor: Tuni Adeniyi-Jones

Teaching Assistant: Maya Dixon

Tuition: $1,536.00

Dates: Mondays, Tuesdays, & Wednesdays

July 13–August 3, 2:00 PM–6:00 PM

This course will focus on the development of fundamental drawing skills. Drawing is the foundation of all visual art be it painting, sculpture or design. Therefore, the aim is to provide students with the proper tools, rhythms and routines to develop their own unique drawing style and language, that can then be taken on and applied to future creative pursuits. This will include observational drawing, anatomical drawing and perspectival drawing, all from still life and additional visual references. Students will also be introduced to individual and group critiques. 

Students should expect to finish this course with an understanding of how to convincingly draw an object in space with or without a visual prompt. No prior experience with drawing is required, students from all drawing backgrounds are encouraged to enroll.

Click to see Required Materials

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Class size is limited to 16 students.

Graphic Design

Instructor: Tida Tep

Teaching Assistant: Julian Chen

Tuition: $1,536.00

Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays

July 14–August 6, 9:00AM–1:00PM

Graphic Design is taught as an art medium and form of communication. 

Students are introduced to graphic design history, conceptualization, graphic imagery, typography, and symbolism for visual communication. Drawing, collage, digital photography and Adobe software (Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign) are used to execute class assignments. For all assignments, visual problem solving will be emphasized. Demos, group discussions, guest lectures, and class critiques will be held online via video calls. 

Through a series of design projects, such as zine collages, animated GIFs, album covers, and posters among students learn the fundamentals of working with image and text to communicate visually. 

This class is for young artists/designers who are excited to learn how letterforms, photography, iconography, and illustration can work together to communicate ideas and messages.

Students in this class will be supplied a free temporary Adobe Creative Suite license will need a computer with the minimum requirements for the applications used in this course.

Click to see Required Materials

Enroll Now

Class size is limited to 16 students

  • 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.