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Interdisciplinary Arts Major at Arts Academy


Why Study Interdisciplinary Arts

Are you inspired by more than one art form? Are you passionate about both acting and music? Do you express yourself through writing and dance? Here, you'll be able to explore, create, and collaborate across arts disciplines.

What You'll Learn

As an Interdisciplinary Arts major, you'll take both individual and group studio classes with the opportunity to take electives in majors across campus. You will also devote time to independent studies, collaborative projects, and subjects that interest you. 

Within the program's design, you'll have access to accomplished faculty from all our artistic disciplines. You will work closely with the Director of Interdisciplinary Arts to create a plan of study to match your artistic goals. Instructors from the Creative Writing, Music, Film & New Media, Visual Arts, Theatre, and Dance departments will serve as mentors to guide you toward polishing an array of talents as you prepare for a dynamic future.

As a student at our boarding school for Interdisciplinary Arts, you will:

  • Develop artistic potential across multiple disciplines 
  • Apply practical skills in creative expression, collaboration, arts leadership, and management
  • Refine skills in communication, organization, and planning
  • Collaborate across disciplines through designing, producing, and devising original work
  • Exhibit knowledge of the cultural movements that shaped art and cultural history, and the history of performance 
  • Broaden the artistic mind to encompass all elements of artistic expression and develop the ‘complete artist’

Core Curriculum

Portfolio Requirements

For information on graduation requirements and academic curriculum, please visit Academy Academics.

Meet the Faculty

All Faculty

Clyde Sheets

Clyde Sheets

Director of Interdisciplinary Arts

Steven Speciale interdisciplinary arts interlochen

Steven Speciale

Instructor of Interdisciplinary Arts

Get to know Jenn

"Before I came to Arts Academy, I always pictured myself as a Theatre major—but when I learned about Interdisciplinary Arts, I thought that makes more sense for me." - Jenn, Interdisciplinary Arts

Guest Artists

  • Sydney James Harcourt, musician, actor, dancer, theatrical producer
  • Jaime John, multi-disciplinary artist, activist
  • Luis Resto, musician, songwriter, record producer
  • Christina Seymour, musician, actor, director, educator
  • Jennifer Steinorth, author, interdisciplinary artist

Program Highlights

Core Classes

All Interdisciplinary Arts majors are required to take four core classes: Contemporary Arts Performance and Culture, Leadership and Management in the Arts, Individual and Collaborative Studio, and Portfolio and Resume Development. This is where you'll receive hands-on experience in the arts industries, the aesthetic and practical skills it involves, and the chance to develop your own individual path of study.

Interdisciplinary Performance Collaboration

A year-long course open to all majors and grade levels, the Interdisciplinary Performance Collaboration course culminates in an original work presented in the spring, often shaped and produced by Interdisciplinary Arts majors. Past presentations include RESOLVE, which premiered at Brooklyn's National Sawdust and ONE, which debuted at the New World Center in Miami, Florida.

College Matriculation

Arts Academy Interdisciplinary Arts students regularly enroll in top art programs and conservatories, as well as prestigious undergraduate institutions, including:

  • New York University
  • Parsons School of Design
  • Northwestern University
  • Skidmore College
  • Pratt Institute
  • School of the Art Institute of Chicago
  • DePaul University
  • Emerson College
  • The New School
  • The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts
  • Rider University
  • Sarah Lawrence College

"Patterns Change" by Son Lux

This music video is one of many projects developed by the Interdisciplinary Arts Department. Students and faculty members from dance, visual arts, and music programs worked together to create it.

[Interdisciplinary Arts] is for a person who wants to be in a place where they have the resources to investigate different art areas as fully as they'd like.

Melanie Chitwood '12, Arts Academy (Interdisciplinary Arts)

A smiling woman

Helping Hospitals Help Patients

A charter member of Interlochen Arts Academy’s Interdisciplinary Arts program, Melanie Chitwood (IAC 09-10, IAA 10-12) is now a research associate in the Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases at the Yale School of Public Health. She is currently collaborating with researchers from Yale, Harvard, Sanford University and the University of Maryland to develop models that help hospitals predict their needs for beds, ventilators, and other vital virus-fighting resources during the pandemic.

Learn more about Melanie

Upcoming Interdisciplinary Arts Events
May
10

Interdisciplinary Arts, Academy Student

Interdisciplinary Arts: Annual Projects

Wednesday, May 10, 2023 - 7:30 p.m. ET

Phoenix Theatre FREE, no tickets required

May
11

Interdisciplinary Arts, Academy Student

Interdisciplinary Arts: Annual Projects

Thursday, May 11, 2023 - 7:30 p.m. ET

Phoenix Theatre FREE, no tickets required