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, where it will remain through 2011.
Summer Arts offers two-week long workshops in theatre, dance, music, visual arts, creative writing, new media, and arts education. All workshops carry three units of transferable undergraduate or graduate university credit.
Summer Arts workshops 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.
Because of the intensity of the workshops, participants have told us that they feel their creative process is accelerated. 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 culminating event featuring student work.
Public events will happen almost every evening at Summer Arts. Students who make the time to attend the public events consistently comment on the value of seeing events outside their own artistic genre, and the artistic growth they experience as a result.
Part of the Summer Arts experience is creating a community of artists, made up of students, teachers, and guest artists. Summer Arts also reaches out to our host community, Fresno, by offering public events and presentations, both on-campus and in the community, and often by taking the workshops themselves into the community. 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!
To view an extensive list of all past CSU Summer Arts courses click one of the following formates, [pdf] [html] .
For an alphabetical list of all CSU Summer Arts past Guest Artists, click here . (PDF)