The comparative arts major is designed for high school students who want to pursue in-depth, self-directed study across arts and academics. This program is a college preparatory experience built into an arts-oriented curriculum that allows students to explore their own cross-disciplinary interests and choose from a menu of courses offered in all arts areas. The comparative arts major is ideal for students who have a proven interest in the arts, a strong academic record and a desire to investigate and synthesize a wide range of arts and academic subjects.
Curriculum
Aesthetics
This course investigates the ways in which arts and academics intersect while examining aesthetic issues across multiple arts disciplines. Students will read and discuss aesthetic philosophy and selected works describing the process of artistic creation. The content of this course will change yearly over a multi-year cycle, and it is required for all Comparative Arts majors at the sophomore level or higher.
For the academic year 2012 – 2013, the specific topics are:
Aesthetics: Modernism (First Semester)
Aesthetics: Art for Social Change (Second Semester)
Text/Materials Needed:
To be determined by instructor. Texts will change yearly to accommodate the curriculum.
The Creative Process
This course serves as the arts block component for the Comparative Arts majors and examines the creative process across multiple arts disciplines. Students will be actively engaged in creating individual and group projects while drawing on their artistic and academic instruction in other disciplines. Specific projects undertaken in this class include the creation of two salon night presentations and the audio projects in collaboration with Interlochen Public Radio. Over the course of the year Comparative Arts students will also identify and develop a specific topic that will comprise their annual project. This class is required for all Comparative Arts majors.
Text/Materials Needed:
The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp
The Collaborative Habit by Twyla Tharp
The annual project gives students an outlet to channel their own creative energies while receiving support and guidance from the Interlochen faculty. The self-directed projects allow students to cultivate their own skills and interests while synthesizing multiple arts and academic disciplines. All annual projects contain a written component along with a presentation, which could include a performance or demonstration given to students and faculty. Because comparative arts is a new major in 2010, there are no established examples of annual projects; students are limited only by their own imagination.
Arts courses: comparative arts students will take multiple arts courses each semester. Freshmen and sophomores will typically take two or three hours of arts classes each day while juniors and seniors will typically take three or four hours of arts classes each day. Students will be encouraged to participate in a wide variety of classes. There is also a possibility that students will be able to take an independent study with a specific focus of their own choosing.
Academics
Like students in all majors at Interlochen Arts Academy, students in the comparative arts program take a challenging and comprehensive college-preparatory curriculum that includes courses in math, science, English, history and foreign language.
Faculty
The comparative arts program is directed by William Church, a member of the theatre faculty who has also taught classes in the motion picture arts program. Church leads all comparative arts classes while drawing on the expertise and experience of the entire Interlochen arts and academic faculty. Comparative arts majors also have opportunities to interact with some of the dozens of guest artists that visit the campus each year.
Performance and Presentation Opportunities
Comparative arts students have opportunities to participate in performing groups, readings, presentations, gallery exhibitions, motion picture productions and publications. Some activities have audition requirements or prerequisites which must be met before a student can become involved. For more detailed information on performance opportunities for comparative arts majors, please contact an enrollment counselor in the Office of Admission and Financial Aid.
Program Goals
Through their coursework, annual projects and experience in a variety of arts disciplines, comparative arts students will cultivate research and communication skills, critical thinking and aesthetic awareness. They will develop as self-directed learners and problem-solvers who can confidently navigate the creative process from an original idea to implementation, evaluation and refinement. Throughout their studies, comparative arts majors will assemble a cumulative portfolio that represents the breadth and depth of their work at Interlochen.
Student Requirements
There are two requirements for all applicants to this program:
- An essay explaining why he/she is interested in investigating multiple arts areas
- An interview with the program director on campus or by phone
- Previous arts experience (performance, classes, etc.)
- Strong writing skills
- 3.0 minimum GPA (3.5 preferred)
- A project proposal for the annual project
How to Apply
Students applying to the comparative arts program should complete and submit an application for admission to Interlochen Arts Academy. The application process for comparative arts majors includes an essay and an interview with the director of the comparative arts program. Complete details are available in the Academy application.
Comparative Arts FAQs
Find an updated list of answers to frequently asked questions here.
Alumni
For nearly five decades, Interlochen Arts Academy has integrated artistic study with college-preparatory academics. Although the comparative arts program is a new major, there are many Academy alumni who exemplify the goals and philosophy of the comparative arts program; individuals who used their deep experiences in their arts to develop highly successful careers in a variety of fields.
Aaron Dworkin (class of '88, music major) is an arts administrator, founder of the Sphinx Competition and a MacArthur Genius Grant recipient.
Steven Goodman (class of '75 visual arts major) is a leading wildlife biologist and conservationist and a MacArthur Genius Grant recipient.
Fredrik Hiebert (class of '78, visual arts major) is an archaeologist and explorer with National Geographic.
Chris Klimecky (class of '91, music major) is a video game developer, a career that requires him to leads a large team of artists, programmers, composers, writers and actors.
Claudia Polley (class of '67, music major) is a museum consultant and founder of the National Association for African-American Heritage Preservation.
Kenneth N. Jones, Jr. (class of '98) is the founder and president of Ken Jones Jr. Fine Art and at one time was Ralph Lauren's personal art dealer. Jones changed his major twice at Interlochen, studying music, theatre and visual arts.
