The Visual Arts program at the Interlochen Arts Academy boarding high school develops a young artist’s technical abilities and personal vision through the study of a variety of traditional media. Creative problem solving, critical thinking and a broad range of experiences build the foundation for deeper understanding, advanced learning, and innovation within the various media.
Visual Arts Gallery
Visual arts students have many opportunities to show their work throughout the year. Student work is displayed in prominent locations throughout the visual arts building and around the campus. The new visual arts building includes a 1,600 square-foot gallery that houses regular exhibitions including:
- Annual Juried Student Exhibition – Each year, a noted artist or curator selects the exhibition from student submissions.
- Senior Thesis Exhibitions – Graduating seniors work throughout the year to develop an idea into a formal visual presentation.
- Festival Exhibition – Open to all visual arts majors, the Festival Exhibition showcases a variety of student work during the final week of the school year.
- Visual Arts Student Showcases – Student work is presented in the visual arts building and studios several times throughout the year.
Resources
The new Herbert H. and Barbara C Dow Center for Visual Arts contains eight separate studios that provide all the tools needed for students to fully explore their own creative potential.
Digital Arts Studio: features new Mac computers, scanners and printers including a large-format 40-inch printer.
Photography Studio: includes a fully-equipped darkroom with enlargers that can handle standard 35mm film up to 4x5 film. Also includes a lighting studio and a variety of cameras from pinhole to medium and large format.
Printmaking Studio: equipped for etching, lithography, screenprinting and relief printing.
Fiber arts Studio: set up for a variety of soft construction techniques such as weaving, felting, crocheting, piecing and stitching. The facilities also accommodate a variety of surface design techniques such as dying, batik and embroidery.
Metals Studio: a well-equipped studio provides for a variety of different approaches to metalsmithing including raising, soldering, casting and enameling.
Sculpture Studio: accommodates work in a variety of three-dimensional methods including casting, welding, plaster and wood.
Ceramics Studio: a diverse studio where students learn to mix their own clay, work with glaze chemistry and assist with firings. The studio features throwing wheels, a large spray booth, two electric kilns and two large gas kilns.
Painting and Drawing Studio: are spacious studios with large windows, offering ample natural light and great views.
Awards and Honors
The visual arts faculty help students indentify contests and prepare entries. Through the process, students build strong portfolios and records of accomplishment, which can provide an important advantage during the college application process. In the past two years, visual arts students have received numerous awards including:
The youngArts Awards are the core program of the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. It is the exclusive nominating agency for the Presidential Scholar in the Arts program. In 2009, three students received recognition.
- Jordan Pemberton, Finalist and Presidential Scholar candidate
- Thomas Sho Rust, Merit Award, Finalist and Presidential Scholar candidate
- Lindsey Fox, Honorable Mention
The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards program is one of the largest, longest-running and most prestigious competitions young artists in the United States. In 2009, visual arts students received 27 Regional Gold Key Awards. In 2008, students received 16 Regional Gold Key Awards and one National Gold Key portfolio award.
Other notable awards:
- Bryn Wootton, 1st Place - 9th-11th Grade, Utrecht 5th Annual Self-Portrait Contest
Visiting Schools
Leading arts programs frequently send representatives to Interlochen to meet with visual arts students. This interaction helps students make connections – and informed decisions. Representatives from the following schools have recently visited Interlochen:
- Ringling School of Art & Design
- The University of Michigan
- Maryland Institute College of Art
- School of the Museum of Fine Arts–Boston
- Kendall College of Art & Design
- Moore College of Art & Design
- Art Center College of Design
- California College of the Arts
- Parsons School of Design
- School of the Art Institute of Chicago
- College of Creative Studies
- Cleveland Institute of Art
- Corcoran College of Art & Design
After graduation, Academy visual arts students attend leading programs.
- Maryland Institute College of Art
- School of the Art Institute of Chicago
- School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston
- Parsons School of Design
- Rhode Island School of Design
- Otis School of Art & Design
- School of Visual Arts
- Fashion Institute of Technology
- Kendall College of Art & Design
- The University of Michigan
- Pratt institute
Alumni
Steven Goodman – conservation biologist and MacArthur Genius Grant recipient
Fay Wrubel - chief conservator at the Art Institute of Chicago
Bill Zheng – car designer for Chrysler
Recent Guest Artists
Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison make works that mix photography, painting and sculptural props with darkroom techniques. Their work can be found in more than 20 collections, including the National Museum of American Art at the Smithsonian Institution and the George Eastman House. The ParkeHarrison's work will be on display in the Visual Arts Gallery October through November of 2009.
Endi Poskovic is a distinguished print artist from Sarajevo and current professor of art at the University of Michigan. Poskovic’s woodblocks prints were featured in a solo exhibition in the Visual Arts Gallery in Fall 2008.
Mike McFalls is currently a professor of art and head of the sculpture area at Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia and is noted for his mixed media sculptures. His work was featured artist in the Visual Arts Gallery in December of 2008 and January of 2009.
Noah Jemisin was the juror for the 2009 Juried Student Exhibition. Jemisin is from Brooklyn, New York and is known for his large-scale encaustic paintings which draw their inspiration from classical mythology and the African-American experience.
