The Visual Arts program at the Interlochen Arts Academy boarding high school helps the young artist develop personal vision and technical abilities through experimentation with a variety of media. Problem solving, critical thinking and experimentation with processes respective to the medium build the foundation for aesthetic thinking.

Visual Arts Majors are expected to maintain a balance between Interlochen's college preparatory academic classes and visual arts studio courses. This balance of the studio and the academic allows for cross-disciplinary thinking and working, and prepares students for a wide range of academic and professional endeavors. Critiques, lectures, demonstrations, sketchbooks and writing research papers are part of the studio experience.

Students start with traditional foundations and as they progress, more conceptual work and thinking is expected. Students are encouraged to study a variety of media to understand how closely these seemingly different media connect. Through the study of different processes and media, students learn and develop their own personal image/object-making vocabulary and aesthetic.

To learn more about the Visual Arts program and Interlochen Arts Academy, please explore the links above. We encourage prospective students and their families to visit Interlochen if possible. To schedule a campus visit, please contact Office of Admission and Financial Aid.