Summer Arts Clinic
We invite young dancers, actors, designers, artists, creators and arts enthusiasts of all experience levels for a week of art and memory-making on the UW–Madison campus. There is a creative path for everyone!
Summer Arts Clinic offers you the opportunity to:
- Learn from experienced educators and arts professionals from UW–Madison and around the country
- Develop new artistic skills and explore existing ones
- Meet and collaborate with a community of peers with multiple and diverse artistic voices and interests
- Explore education and career opportunities in the arts
- Develop and express your unique, creative style. Learn to tell your story in a variety of ways through the arts
- Enjoy new experiences in a welcoming, supportive community on the UW–Madison campus
At a glance
program dates
July 13-19, 2025
Grade level
Students finishing grades 9–12
2025 Tuition and fees
Daily Commuter Tuition: $850
$75 non-refundable application fee
A $75 non-refundable deposit will be charged at the time of registering. All remaining tuition fees will be due by June 1, 2025.
Registration information
Registration will open on January 13, 2025 and will be open through May 15th, 2025.
Format
In person. Daily Commuter-only program, no residential component.
Location
UW–Madison campus
Summer Arts Clinic works in partnership with the UW Madison Division of the Arts.
A tailored commuter program
Summer Arts Clinic is a daily commuter experience for students completing grades 9–12; there is no residential component.
You choose your experience based on your goals! Each path incorporates instruction in both small and large groups, explores a variety of artistic techniques and centers student creativity. You may choose multiple courses for artistic variety or focus on a specific area.
Sample paths of study — choose your focus or your variety!
- Dance
- Theater and drama (acting, costume design, technical theater and more!)
- Visual art
- Fashion design and textiles
Perform or exhibit your work
- Each course also offers you the opportunity to perform or exhibit your work on Saturday morning, the final day of the program
- Work with world-class artists at a major university
- Build your arts portfolio for college applications
- Work in your chosen art form and explore new ones
- Learn about the college application process and experience
- Immerse yourself in learning on a beautiful college campus
- Meet student-artists from other high schools
How to register
- Look through the paths of study below and decide on your area(s) of interest.
- Log in and complete the online registration, indicating your course and path choices when prompted.
- Submit the registration, along with the registration fee and deposit. You will receive an email confirming your submission immediately and be notified of next steps via email.
- If you are interested in applying for a scholarship, all appropriate forms are due no later than April 1, 2025. Funds available for scholarships are limited and are distributed throughout the months of January-April on a rolling basis. If you are eligible for free or reduced lunch in Wisconsin, complete both sections of the DPI form. If you are not eligible or do not live in Wisconsin, submit the first page of the 1040 form of the most recent year’s tax return with Social Security numbers redacted to the program application. If extenuating circumstances (i.e. loans, loss of employment) are not reflected on tax return but are impacting your family’s finances, please also submit your financial need story. For information on general scholarship pages, please visit our financial information page.
Summer Arts Clinic Course Offerings
Dance
Dance course offerings
Contemporary Choreography Lab*
This class emphasizes the study and practice of the Contemporary dance technique and exploration of the body as a creative and expressive instrument capable of gaining new understanding through the art of dance. Students must be registered for Modern Technique to be registered for Contemporary Choreography Lab.
Modern Technique*
Modern technique is the study of various practices that work with balance, direction and momentum, release of the joints, and individual expression. This class is designed to prepare the dancer to move fully through space, to use personal expression, and to develop an awareness of self.
Design
Design course offerings
Dimensions of Material Culture
Through visits to museums and collections on campus this course introduces the interdisciplinary field of Material Culture Studies. Open to everyone interested in thinking about the stuff around them, we will consider how people create meaning in everyday life. Visits will complement and inspire the creative work done in other courses.
Flower Power: Eco Fashion and Plant Dyes* (Limited Enrollment – 8)
In this hands-on experience, students will learn how to use flowers and other plants to create natural dyes, and will custom dye and alter their own clothing! Students will explore multiple processes using both fresh and dried plant material and will create a variety of colorful effects on cloth. In addition, they will gain awareness of the environmental impact of the fashion industry and be introduced to more eco-friendly alternatives. No prior sewing or dying experience is required.
STREETWEAR AND SUSTAINABLE STYLE: Exploring Upcycled Design through Hip-Hop* (Limited Enrollment – 8)
In this week-long course, students will take inspiration from a musical artist or song in order to design and construct fashion-forward streetwear garments. In addition to learning the basics of fashion design including moodboarding, illustrating and sewing, students will practice mending, dying, altering and other skills needed in order to turn second-hand textiles into wearable pieces that reflect their personal style. At the end of the week, students will showcase their work in a fashion show featuring their musical inspiration. No prior sewing or dyeing experience is required. Skills that students will learn: – How to create croquis and sketch designs. – How to create a mood board. – How to make basic garment alterations such as flaring pants, mending holes, adding patches and making simple size alterations. – How to use cyanotyping dying and print on a tote bag.
Theatre & Drama
Theatre and drama courses
Actors Lab 360*
This course explores how we tell stories through acting. Through creative play, group exercises, and skill-based rehearsals gain valuable training in voice and diction, characterization, focus, staging, and more.
Fundamentals of Theatrical Design
This course explores foundational elements of theatrical design and developing the skills to translate text into visual and/or aural content. Involves an introduction to script analysis; visual, aural, and dramaturgical research; problem solving skills; creative exploration and visual communication. Relevant to designers, directors, actors, stage managers, technicians, and informed audience members.
Fundamentals of Improvisation
Participants will engage in interactive exercises and reflective conversations that explore the fundamental principles of improvisational theatre and how they apply to performance and to our everyday lives. These improv modes—listening actively, failing cheerfully, making others feel safe and look good—can facilitate creative thinking, foster collaboration, and add to our daily interactions a sense of play, delight, humor, and humility.
Visual Art
Visual art courses
Putting the Pieces Together: A Glass Mosaics Workshop* (Limited enrollment 12)
Throughout this workshop at the Summer Arts Clinic, the students will be introduced to the art of glass mosaics. The students will be given the guidance and instruction to create their own 12” x 12” mosaic. They will learn how to use the provided tools to cut down the glass into desired shapes, adhere them to the board, and grout the mosaic for a finished look and permanence in design. No previous experience is required.
Screen Printing* (Limited enrollment 12)
Explore the variety of techniques in the screen printing process from burning images into photo emulsion to creating custom stencils. Set yourself up for printing a variety of materials and learn screen coating with emulsion, photograms, applying pen/crayon/paint lines for different effects and other image-forming techniques. Includes basics of printing on paper, cloth, wood and non-traditional substrates.