Visual Arts Summer Programs for High School Students
EC Finder currently lists 38 visual arts summer programs for high school students. Of these, 13 are free to participate in and 3 offer virtual participation. Examples include Academy of Art University Pre-College Art & Design Experience (PCADE), Art for All Teen Program – UC Santa Cruz Institute of the Arts and Sciences, and ArtCenter Extension Teen Summer Courses (ACX Teens).
- 38
- listed
- 13
- free
- 3
- virtual
- 31
- with a listed deadline
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are visual arts summer programs for high school students?
- Visual Arts Summer Programs for High School Students are curated extracurricular listings for high school students interested in visual arts. Each listing includes eligibility, cost, and deadline details where known, so you can compare options and find the right fit for your college application profile.
- When are the application deadlines?
- 31 of the 38 summer programs listed here have a specific deadline month noted. Deadlines vary by program, so check each listing for exact dates.
- Are any of these summer programs free?
- Yes — 13 of the 38 summer programs listed here are free to participate in.
- Can I participate virtually?
- Yes — 3 of the 38 summer programs listed here offer virtual or online participation.
- Are visual arts summer programs good for a college application?
- Yes — visual arts summer programs are a common way for high schoolers to show sustained interest and initiative in visual arts on college applications.
Related Categories
38 activities found·Browse by category
Academy of Art University Pre-College Art & Design Experience (PCADE)
Free, college-level pre-college program in San Francisco where high schoolers study animation, game design, fashion, fine art, photography, and filmmaking.
Art for All Teen Program – UC Santa Cruz Institute of the Arts and Sciences
Art for All is a five-week summer program in Santa Cruz where rising juniors and seniors explore socially engaged art, visit museums and murals from Santa Cruz to San Francisco, and learn about arts careers through hands-on projects and mentorship; participants receive community-service hours or a small stipend.
ArtCenter Extension Teen Summer Courses (ACX Teens)
Hands-on art and design intensives for high schoolers at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, covering character design, illustration, and design/technology.
BAVC Media Youth & Emerging Media Makers (Climate Warriors)
San Francisco Bay Area filmmaking/media-arts intensive where high schoolers create social-impact media projects, including a climate-justice documentary program.
CalArts Community Arts Partnership Summer Arts (CAPSA)
A free four-week summer arts program in Los Angeles County run by CalArts faculty, alumni, and students, offering high schoolers tuition-free instruction across the disciplines taught at CalArts.
Getty Museum Teen Gallery Guides
Paid interns learn to research and lead gallery talks/tours at the Getty Center/Villa, building public speaking and art-history skills with museum professionals.
Gnomon Digital Arts Summer Camp – Animation
A five-day high school summer camp at Gnomon School of VFX, Games & Animation in North Hollywood where students (grades 10-12) learn 3D character animation and visual effects in Autodesk Maya from working industry artists.
Idyllwild Arts Summer Program
A summer arts program on a mountain campus in Southern California offering 120+ workshops and intensives for teens ages 13-18 in visual arts, music, theatre, dance, film, and creative writing.
Interlochen Arts Camp - High School Programs
A renowned residential summer arts camp in Michigan where high schoolers train intensively in music, theatre, dance, visual arts, film, or creative writing alongside a community of thousands of young artists.
Interlochen Arts Camp – Animation
A three-week residential program at Interlochen Center for the Arts (Michigan) where high schoolers (grades 9-12) create digital animated shorts using industry-standard software in the 26,000-square-foot DeRoy Center for Film Studies, ending in a public screening.
K12 Photography Competition
A free national photography competition open to all U.S. students in grades PreK-12 (no enrollment at a K12-powered school required), judged on creativity, technique, composition, and storytelling, with cash prizes awarded in four grade bands including 9-12.
LCAD Pre-College Summer Program
Four-week summer program at Laguna College of Art and Design where high schoolers build foundational art and design skills and can earn transferable college credit.
MACLA Teen Tech Center
Free San Jose program blending media arts (stop-motion animation, filmmaking, photography, illustration) with teamwork-based creative projects for teens.
META Summer Academy
META Summer Academy is a selective virtual program focused on design, media, and tech where high-school students complete projects under professional mentorship, emphasizing creative/visual storytelling and possibly UI/UX.
MICA Pre-College Summer Intensive
A residential or commuter summer program at the Maryland Institute College of Art where students ages 15-17 take studio classes, build a portfolio, and earn college credit in Baltimore.
North Carolina Governor's School
The nation's oldest statewide residential summer program for gifted and talented students, offering rising juniors and seniors intensive study across the arts alongside academic disciplines at no cost to families.
NYFA 3-Week 3D Animation Summer Camp for Teens
A three-week intensive at the New York Film Academy's Los Angeles campus where teens (ages 14-17) learn 3D animation fundamentals — drawing, storyboarding, sculpting, and character animation — from professional animators and VFX artists, with optional residential housing.
Otis College Summer of Art
Four-week immersive pre-college program in Los Angeles where high schoolers take college-level art and design courses and can earn three transferable college credits.
Parsons Summer Intensive Studies (Pre-College)
A three-week, credit-bearing pre-college program at Parsons School of Design in New York City where students ages 16-18 take immersive studio courses in fashion, painting, graphic design, and more.
Perspectives Photo School – Youth Photography Program
A Bay Area photography school in Emeryville offering teens (ages 12-18) studio-based technical training plus field shoots across Bay Area locations like Golden Gate Park and Tilden Regional Park, with an advanced Photography Intensive + Exhibition track for building a portfolio.
Photosprouts Teen Photography Camp
Small-group teen photography camps (ages 12-19) in San Francisco and Palo Alto where all camera equipment (Canon R50 mirrorless, lenses) is provided; students shoot on location around the Bay Area and learn editing in Adobe Lightroom.
Pratt Institute Summer PreCollege
A four-week, credit-bearing summer program at Pratt Institute's Brooklyn campus where high schoolers choose two studio courses across subjects like architecture, illustration, fashion, and graphic design while living in college dorms.
Richmond Art Center Summer Youth Art Cohorts
Free studio-based summer arts program in Richmond, CA pairing teen artists with professional teaching-artist mentors across media like zines, printmaking, and wearable art.
Ringling College PreCollege
A four-week residential summer art and design program at Ringling College of Art and Design where sophomores through seniors take core studio classes plus two specialized immersion courses.
RISD Pre-College Program
A rigorous residential or online summer studio program at Rhode Island School of Design where high schoolers take college-level art and design courses modeled on RISD's first-year curriculum, with no portfolio required to apply.
SAIC Early College Program Summer Institute (ECPSI)
A 1-, 2-, or 4-week studio-intensive program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where students ages 15-18 create portfolio-quality work across disciplines like animation, fashion, and architecture while earning college credit.
San José Museum of Art Teen Art Camp
Weeklong summer art camps at SJMA giving teens behind-the-scenes exhibition access and guiding them to create work inspired by current museum exhibitions.
SCAD Rising Star / Summer Seminars
Savannah College of Art and Design's pre-college programs — a four-week credit-bearing track for rising seniors and shorter Summer Seminars workshops.
SFMOMA Paid Summer Internships
Paid summer internships at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art across departments like education, curatorial, and design; some roles suitable for older teens close to graduation.
South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities Summer Programs
One- to five-week residential summer arts programs in South Carolina for students in grades 6-11, offering focused training tracks in music, visual arts, dance, theatre, and creative writing.
Tennessee Governor's School for the Arts
A three-week tuition-free summer intensive for rising Tennessee juniors and seniors to develop pre-professional skills in music, ballet, theatre, filmmaking, or visual art.
UCLA Arts Summer Art Institute
Selective three-week studio-intensive pre-college program at UCLA where high schoolers focus on drawing, painting, photography, or sculpture and earn UCLA college credit.
UNCSA Animation Summer Intensive
A rigorous introductory-to-advanced animation intensive at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, open to rising high school freshmen through incoming college freshmen, covering animation fundamentals and advanced technique.
UNCSA Summer Session
Summer intensives, camps, and workshops for high schoolers at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, spanning dance, drama, visual art, filmmaking/animation, and music with conservatory-level faculty.
USC School of Cinematic Arts Summer Program (Animation & Screenwriting Tracks)
A six-week pre-college summer program on USC's campus where students age 16+ choose hands-on cinematic storytelling courses in either animation/storyboarding or screenwriting, taught by industry professionals.
Virginia Summer Residential Governor's Schools - Visual & Performing Arts
A tuition-free, weeks-long residential summer program on a Virginia college campus where junior and senior high schoolers pursue intensive study in visual and performing arts alongside seminars and performances.
Walnut Hill School for the Arts Summer Programs
One- to three-week residential summer intensives at Walnut Hill's arts boarding school near Boston, covering theater, music, dance, filmmaking/writing, fashion, and visual arts for students ages 11-19.
Youth Art Exchange (YAX) Summer Internship
Summer internship assisting teaching artists, supporting classes, and working with media like painting, collage, sculpture; strong focus on arts education and community engagement.
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