Summer Arts Institute 2012

APPLY NOW!

Click here to download the 2012 Summer Arts Institute student application.

Application Deadline: Applications must be received by Friday, February 17 at 6:00 p.m.

In order to apply for Summer Arts Institute, students must meet the following criteria:
1. Entering grades 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 in the Fall of 2012
2. Currently enrolled in a New York City Department of Education public school or planning to enroll in a New York City Department of Education public school for the 2012-13 school year. Public school enrollment will be verified to determine eligibility.
 
The 2012 Summer Arts Institute will be held at Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Astoria, Queens, from July 9 through August 3, with the film studio extending through August 17.

Auditions will be held Saturday, March 24 and Sunday, March 25 at Frank Sinatra School of the Arts.

Calling all SAI Alumni! We want to hear from you! Please click here to let us know where you are now and share some memories.

Contact us at summerarts@schools.nyc.gov or 212-374-6845 for further information.
 

Program OVERVIEW

The Summer Arts Institute is a tuition-free, intensive, four-week arts program for New York City public school students entering grades 8-12, held at Frank Sinatra School of the Arts High School in Astoria, Queens.

Students can major in dance, theater, instrumental music (band), vocal music, film, photography or visual arts. The program is designed for students at an intermediate or advanced level of study in their chosen discipline.

Summer Arts Institute offers a unique opportunity for students to work with Department of Education arts specialists, partnering cultural organizations, and guest artists. This experienced team of arts professionals guides students in building a portfolio or audition skills for their next level of study: an arts-focused high school, college, university or conservatory.

Summer Arts Institute focuses on three areas:
- developing students' artistic skills and creativity;
- broadening students' awareness of the arts and;
- helping students recognize and explore career options in the art and arts-related industries.

This intensive summer arts experience connects students to community and cultural resources along with access to careers and lifelong learning in the arts.

The daily schedule includes studio work and experiences with professional artists, both on and off-site. In the studios, students develop and improve their technical skills and creative expression in their selected art form. Time is dedicated to rehearsals, attending professional performances, visiting professional arts venues and exploring potential careers. Students are given opportunities to perform in selected venues around New York City, and to show their original work in an informal, cabaret-like setting called the SAI Café. The Institute culminates with an exhibition and live performance for families and the local community showcasing the students’ work from all studios.

Students who complete the program in good standing are eligible to receive a 1/2 unit of credit that may be applied towards an elective arts credit or a Regents or local diploma-major sequence upon approval from their school.

Our cultural partners are American Ballet Theatre (Dance), Roundabout Theatre Company (Theater), Theatre for a New Audience (Theater) and Tribeca Film Institute (Film). Young Audiences New York will provide guest artists in a variety of disciplines throughout the Institute.

Summer Arts Institute 2011

Thank you to our students and their families as well as our faculty and staff for a fantastic 2011 Summer Arts Institute!
 
Summer Arts Institute 2011 was a great success!  This summer, 328 talented young artists participated in 11 studios and celebrated the program's tenth anniversary.

Click here to view the program from our culminating exhibit and performance, Young Artists at Work, held on July 27, 2011.

2011 Summer Arts Institue Local News Coverage:

Astoria High School Shares Arts Education During Summer Break (NY1)

Schools Chancellor Tours Free Summer Arts Program (NY1)

Summer Arts Institute 2010

Thank you to all of our participating students and their supportive families for a great summer!

Click here to view the program from our culminating exhibit and performance, Shaping Artistic Identity, held on July 29, 2010.

Click here to view the program from the screening of the film studio’s final projects, Projecting Identities, held on August 19, 2010.

Click here to view the 2010 Summer Arts Institute film studio projects.

2010 Summer Arts Institute Articles:
 
Summer Arts Institute Completes Successful Ninth Season (The Fund for Public Schools)

SUMMER ARTS INSTITUTE 2009

Emerging Artists Creating Change was the guiding theme of the 2009 Summer Arts Institute. 261 of New York City's most talented, enthusiastic, and dedicated public school students engaged in an intensive program to create art, explore world-class arts and cultural resources, and move towards the next level of study in their art form. We would like to thank our stellar faculty and staff, led by Executive Director David LaMorte and Artistic Director Margot Faught, as well as our cultural partners for crafting and providing the memorable experiences that helped these students to grow as young artists.

2009 Summer Arts Institute students attended a performance of Romeo and Juliet by American Ballet Theatre at the Metropolitan Opera House, worked with guest artists provided by Young Audiences New York and had many opportunities to take advantage of the rich arts and cultural resources available in New York City through visits to museums (Guggenheim Museum, International Center of Photography, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, Museum of the Moving Image) and attendance at a variety of professional performances or rehearsals (Arroyo Opera, Lincoln Center Festival, New York Philharmonic featuring Denyse Graves). Students in the performing arts studios also visited the Lincoln Center Performing Arts Library a nd performed at diverse venues such as the SONY Atrium, Harlem School for the Arts, and the Drama Bookshop.

A culminating visual art and photography exhibit and finale performance was held on July 30 to celebrate our students' talent and creativity. Our film students presented their short films exploring the idea of change in a screening at Tribeca Cinemas on August 20.

Click here to view the program from Emerging Artists Creating Change (July 30, 2009).

Click here to view the 2009 Summer Arts Institute film studio projects.

SUMMER ARTS INSTITUTE 2008

254 New York City public school students entering Grades 8 through 12 participated in the 2008 Summer Arts Institute. Executive Director David LaMorte and Artistic Director Margot Faught led an expert and dedicated faculty of New York City public school teachers and teaching artists.

Students in the Summer Arts Institute developed new skills and techniques in their subject area and grew creatively as artists. In addition to studio work, they explored many of the arts and cultural opportunities in New York City through visits to museums, libraries, performing arts venues and performances such as American Ballet Theatre’s Giselle at the Metropolitan Opera House. The summer culminated with an art exhibit and performance, The Arts: A Lens through the City, and the premiere of the film studio projects, Five Stories, at Tribeca Cinemas.

The Summer Arts Institute would like to thank our 2008 cultural partners, American Ballet Theatre, Theatre for a New Audience, Tribeca Film Institute, and Young Audiences New York for the resources and guidance they provided the program.

Click here to view the program from The Arts: A Lens to the City (July 31, 2008).

Click here to view the 2008 Summer Arts Institute film studio projects, Five Stories.

2008 Summer Arts Institute News:

New York City Department of Education “In Our Schools Today”:
Talented student artists shine at Summer Arts Institute (July 25, 2008)
Student filmmakers make their big screen debuts (September 9, 2008)
Budding artist designs billboard (October 21, 2008)

GothamSchools.org:
The Summer Arts Institute at Stuyvesant High School (August 6, 2008)

Summer Arts Institute 2007

Thank you to the 238 students who participated in the 2007 Summer Arts Institute as well as their families and our wonderful faculty and staff. Highlights of the summer included seeing American Ballet Theatre present Cinderella at the Metropolitan Opera House, a performance of Gypsy at New York City Center, career development workshops presented by the Center for Arts Education, the premiere of our students' short films on environmental issues at Tribeca Cinemas, and a fantastic culminating performance and art exhibit, Transformation Through the Arts . We were also very pleased to participate in a press conference where Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Chancellor Joel I. Klein affirmed their commitment to support arts education in New York City's public schools.

Click here to view the 2007 Summer Arts Institute film studio projects, The Green Films.

SUPPORT Summer Arts Institute

The Summer Arts Institute is jointly funded by the Department of Education and private donations to The Fund for Public Schools. If you would like to make a donation to the Summer Arts Institute, please click here. Choose "Arts Education” from the Designation drop down menu and enter "Summer Arts Institute" in the comments field under Additional Information to ensure your funding is directed to our program. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Please note that individual program donations have absolutely no bearing on program application, audition, and enrollment policies or decisions.

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