Summer Arts offers two-week long workshops/courses in theatre, dance, music, visual arts, writing, media, and arts education. All workshops carry three units of transferable undergraduate or graduate university credit.

Summer Arts courses are very intense, usually running 12-14 hours each day, including weekends. This structure provides a unique environment for working intimately with some of the best artists and master teachers in the world today.

Participants have told us they feel their creative process is accelerated due to the condensed length and intensity of the courses. Not only have we found this to be true, but we also find that the intimate working environment fosters lifelong friendships and professional relationships.

As part of their residencies with Summer Arts, most guest artists will present a public event, which can be a lecture or performance. In addition to the guest artist presentations, each workshop will stage a public culmination event featuring student work.

Public events will happen almost every evening at Summer Arts. Students attend the public events to broaden their knowledge of their genres and develop interdisciplinary aesthetic sensibilities.

Summer Arts creates a community of artists comprised of students, teachers, and guest artists who remain bonded long after the intial Summer Arts experience. Our community of artists also reaches out to our host community, the Monterey Bay area, by offering public events and presentations, both on-campus and in local museums and performance venues. Additionally, we've collaborated with local youth groups, senior centers, and other organizations to take the workshops themselves into the community and give everyone exposure to the arts. There is no other program in the world that combines this mix of artistic genres in a setting that includes master classes and public performances.

• immerse yourself in creative work with some of the best artists in the world
• find focus in your art and career goals
• meet people who can help you achieve your goals
• gain a great experience to add to your resume
• enjoy a sense of personal satisfaction

This will be the most well-spent two-, three-, or four-weeks of your life. Take advantage of the opportunity to make the most of your Summer Arts experience!

CSU Summer Arts was created in 1985 during an arts faculty institute in the woods of Kirkwood, California. The CSU faculty and administrators were seeking a way to meet the needs of the arts students of the CSU and supplement the programs of the CSU's large and diverse Arts Colleges. In its first incarnation, Summer Arts was a summer dance program housed on the campus of CSU Long Beach in 1985. Because of overwhelming student needs, Summer Arts expanded its curriculum to include various arts genres, and in 1990, the Media Arts Festival. The program was housed on the campus of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 1986 and 1987. The program then moved to the campus of Humboldt State University, where it remained from 1988 through 1995 before moving to CSU Long Beach for the 1996 through 1998 seasons. In 1999, Summer Arts relocated to the campus of CSU Fresno through the 2011 season. The program is currently hosted by CSU Monterey Bay.

To view an extensive list of all past CSU Summer Arts courses, click here. (PDF)

For an alphabetical list of all CSU Summer Arts past Guest Artists, click here . (PDF)