In this course, students learn the craft and theory behind 2D character design for animated shows, movies, video games, anime, graphic novels, and your own intellectual property.

The art of character design will be approached through a step-by-step process, where students serve as storytellers to their own characters, designing not only their visual design, but their personalities and emotions through the art of facial expression, clothing, and posture. Using shape driven design and construction, poses and character turnarounds, students will gain anatomical drawing and technical skills required to build their own figures and work towards creating their own portfolio of work. 

Sharing their work with their peers and instructor, students will receive thoughtful, in-depth feedback, culminating in the creation of their own character model sheets. 

Towards the end of the course, students will gain insight into the animation industry, including portfolio creation, professional design roles, avenues of study for college, and insight on industry design tests for jobs in animation and gaming. 

Students with some drawing experience may be more prepared for this course, but skills are not required.

Course Materials: Students can work traditionally, or if working digitally, students should bring their iPad or laptop. All other materials will be provided. 

Designed for students with prior experience in drama who wish to explore the creation of original theatrical works, this course offers an in-depth study of the collaborative process among the actor, director, and playwright. Emphasis is placed on the artistic and interpretive relationships that develop when working with untested material and the ways in which each role contributes to shaping a new work for the stage.

During the first week, students participate in workshops and lectures introducing the principles and challenges of play development. Building on this foundation, students will experience the full cycle of theatrical collaboration twice over the course of the program—each time in a different creative role and with a different ensemble. This rotation allows students to engage with the artistic process from multiple perspectives, deepening their understanding of how actors, directors, and playwrights work together to bring new material to life.

Each collaborative cycle culminates in the creation, rehearsal, and performance of an original short play, developed under the guidance of theatre professionals. Workshop sessions are highly interactive, with works-in-progress shared periodically for feedback in a supportive and thoughtfully critical environment that mirrors professional practice.

The program concludes with a presentation of selected student works for an audience of peers, friends, and family, featuring one evening performance and one matinee on the final Thursday of the session.

This course offers a distinctive opportunity to engage in the rigorous, creative, and collaborative process of new play development—twice—while exploring the interdependence of the actor, director, and playwright. 

Prior experience in amateur community or high school theatre is recommended.

In this workshop based course, participants learn all the basics of making a strong, visually-driven short film with an emphasis on narrative storytelling. The course focuses on the fundamentals of video production: essential film grammar, story development, script, camera, sound, music and editing.

Working in small groups, students shoot three “exercises” before making their final films. The exercises start off simply, adding a new element of filmmaking with each new assignment.

Students work sequentially through the stages of production: initial concept, synopsis, treatment, script, storyboards, and final shooting and editing. During pre-production participants learn how to work in a group to plan for and realize a short film from concept to shooting script. During production they work together to coordinate and shoot their scripts. And finally in post-production they edit and polish their projects. The instructor provides guidance throughout the process, emphasizing the students’ responsibility for carrying the project from inception to completion.

The emphasis throughout the three weeks is on collaborative teamwork. Over the course of the various exercises, each student takes on a variety of different roles within the production teams, such as director, screenwriter, cinematographer, editor, sound. For the final project each student will write and direct a 1-2 minute short film collaborating with their teams  The final film will employ everything that the student has learned about storytelling and the technical aspects of filmmaking (camera work, costumes. sound, props, lighting. etc.).

On the last day of the program, students screen their completed films at a film festival attended by all sections of the digital filmmaking course. The completed films can be used for submission to short film festivals and as portfolio pieces for film or art school applications.

Laptops are recommended but not required for this class. Cameras and other film production equipment are provided.

This course introduces students to the key debates, controversies, and inequities posed by tech industries in the 21st-century. Our lessons begin by locating the forms of techno-utopianism that began the century, as the internet demonstrated the capacity to break down old media systems and empower grassroots activism. Over the course, this narrative about technology is complicated by tracking how this “digital sublime,” what Vincent Mosco termed a set of myths about computers and cyberspace, conceals the deleterious effects of tech industries on society in the ensuing decades. Where new digital platforms promised economic agency, students learn how apps like Uber and DoorDash fit into a history of flexible labor that shifts the costs of employment onto workers as one response to the Great Recession; where Airbnb promised to disrupt the hotel industry, its effects caused a new housing bubble that skyrocketed the cost of rents and amplified the conditions of homelessness in metropolitan centers and colonial territories. 

Course material takes a primarily global perspective to challenge students to recognize the everyday effects of digital technology and inequities on their lives in what some have termed a new Gilded Age. Lessons also include a focus on global dimensions of tech from the rise of crypto-blockchains increasing environmental waste or the transnational arrangements of labor from gold farming in China for roleplaying video games to content moderation centers in the Philippines. 

In the final week of the course, students consider how new media has shaped the conditions of information spread online and its potential effects on democratic systems, as the algorithmic transformations of culture produce new scientific regimes of racism, radicalized misogynistic digital communities, and lethal forms of disinformation. To end, students consider how we might regulate or solve for the harmful effects of new media technologies in ways that advance a new digital understanding of the public interest.

Studio arts courses are offered in conjunction with Columbia University's School of the Arts.

This course is aimed at developing a series of foundational drawings for a fine arts college-application portfolio.

Students explore various approaches to drawing from both observation and imagination while focusing on conceptually creative assignments. Each session develops the students’ approach to various materials, composition, and personal narratives into completed works that can be used for a final portfolio. Students have prolonged time to study and sketch the human figure from live nude models in class. Ideas are explored through assigned writings and developed in a sketchbook throughout the course.

A visit to a museum or gallery is scheduled as part of the course so as to facilitate discussion of relevant art historical concepts as well as contemporary approaches to drawing.

Lastly, participants learn how to prepare and digitally document works into a final portfolio for college applications.

Some previous experience with drawing is recommended, and the course is designed for students interested in applying to a visual arts undergraduate program in the future. All materials are provided.

Studio arts courses are offered in conjunction with Columbia University's School of the Arts.

In this beginner-level class, students explore various modes of looking at and interpreting the world through drawing. The course emphasizes drawing from both observation and imagination as ways to learn traditional drawing techniques and foster creativity and personal interpretation. Course assignments stress observation while focusing on experiments with materials so as to find creative approaches to visual problem-solving. Assignments include exercises in composition, use of charcoal and pencil, graphic drawing techniques, wet media, color theory, and optical illusions.

The course combines studio work, including the study of the human figure using live nude models, with outdoor drawing, individual and group critiques, and visits to major museums and art galleries. Critical issues in art are addressed once a week in the form of a short seminar, so as to generate meaningful debates as a context for studio work.

Participants also learn how to prepare a final portfolio for college applications, and the session concludes with a group show. 

This intensive, one-week course introduces students to concepts and methods for executing a spatial design project. Students will, through instructor and peer critique, be guided through intensive studio design exercises, following a project through multiple iterations, starting from abstract form-making and developing the project into a finished architectural or spatial design proposal. Students will be introduced to the drawing and representational tools used by architects and designers and use those to cultivate students’ own ideas about space and design through making. By the end of the course, students will have gained experience hand-drafting and model-making, understand the processes by which architects and designers address spatial problems, and leave with a design project that can form the basis of a portfolio.

This intensive course introduces architectural design processes and key concepts in architectural history and theory. Through making and critiques, participants will learn to use architectural drawing techniques and modeling, to develop and communicate design ideas by completing studio-based exercises. Students will also be introduced to significant design work, interrogate important readings, and grapple with relevant discussions in architecture, all with a New York City lens. Students may participate in architectural tours, site visits, and experiences with practitioners, providing real-world exposure to the field; these experiences may vary by section. By the end of the course, students will look at buildings with a new perspective, have a better understanding of architectural pathways and futures within the discipline, and leave with a design project that can form the basis of a portfolio.

Course participants will be required to purchase approximately $150 of basic studio supplies prior to the start of class

Art appreciation can take many forms. From visiting museums to reading literature to listening to oral histories, absorbing the stories behind pieces provides perspective and insight into creative expression from all over the world. Through this course, students will explore a variety of works and learn how to analyze and discuss their complexities and meanings. Further, students will become acquainted with period pieces in multiple modalities (sculptures, videos, etc.) and discuss thought-providing interpretations from academics, philosophers, and theorists. Additionally, the course will have an experiential component, providing students with the opportunity to physically and virtually view major collections at NYC landmarks like the Frick, MoMA, the Whitney, the Guggenheim, and the Metropolitan. At course completion, students will be able to intelligently converse about art, as well as acquire a sophisticated foundation for further study.

Studio arts courses are offered in conjunction with Columbia University's School of the Arts.

In this course students explore various approaches to painting from observation. They learn oil painting techniques, the basic principles of color theory, and, by working with live nude models, diverse approaches to the study of the human figure. Assignments focus on composition, color theory, the use of materials, and creativity and visual communication in painting.

Studio work is complemented by individual and group critiques as well as lectures and field trips to major New York City museums and galleries. Critical issues in art are addressed once a week in the form of a short seminar, so as to generate meaningful debates as a context for studio work.

Participants also learn how to prepare a final portfolio for college applications, and the session concludes with a group show to which parents, friends, and other program participants are invited.

Some experience with drawing is recommended but not required. All materials are provided.

This course introduces students to the art and analysis of cinema through examination of works by filmmakers ranging from Orson Welles to Martin Scorsese. Readings, screenings, the analysis of clips and full-length movies, as well as hands-on exercises such as storyboarding, blocking, shooting, and editing a scene all combine to convey the excitement and artistry of film.  

In week one, students explore how Hollywood developed its own cinematic language by analyzing key scenes from early and modern filmmakers. Week two shifts focus to international cinema, introducing alternative storytelling approaches from around the world that both challenged and influenced American film. In week three, students bring together what they’ve learned through group analysis of influential films, examining how cinematic techniques work together to create powerful emotional experiences.

Assigned readings include film reviews and essays on film analysis, technique, and history. Students are also responsible for an oral presentation on a specific scene, film, or director of their choice. 

Please be aware that some of the films viewed contain violence and mature subject matter. Students should have a willingness to engage thoughtfully with challenging films

Making urban areas livable, sustainable, and desirable is a top priority for governmental bodies, economists, business leaders, realtors, and many other key stakeholders. Shaping the way our society operates is a big job, and it’s why urban planning is such a sought-after career. Becoming an urban planner requires a combination of sophisticated skills that includes architecture, engineering, and design. Through this course, students will explore the fundamentals of urban planning, learn how to build effective communities, and discuss the best practices of working with land (including infrastructure, water, and air) to design healthy, happy, and in-demand habitats. Additionally, students will explore how transportation, business districts, and environmental concerns impact development through hands-on experiences, like field trips. By the end of the course, students will have an acumen for discussing history, theory, and pressing social issues that impact both real estate and residents’ quality of life. 

Note: This class will focus on this topic from a United States perspective. 

This course offers an immersive introduction to contemporary architecture through the lens of New York City’s built environment. Designed for students curious about architecture (whether or not they intend to study it formally) the course focuses on how architecture shapes human experience, community life, and urban environments. Using New York City as an open-air classroom, students will explore key architectural sites and neighborhoods to better understand how buildings reflect and influence social, cultural, and environmental dynamics.

Through field trips to iconic and lesser-known architectural works, such as Lincoln Center, the High Line, and Grand Central Terminal, students will learn to critically observe and analyze buildings in complex urban settings. Studio and/or office visits will provide an inside look at how contemporary architects approach design today, including their responses to sustainability, inequality, and community engagement.

While the course includes some hands-on elements like sketching and observational exercises, the primary emphasis is on expanding students’ awareness of architecture through direct engagement with the city, supplemented by short readings and discussions that provide historical and conceptual context. The course concludes with conversations about current debates in architectural practice, helping students connect what they’ve seen to the larger questions shaping the field today.