Summer Studios
Summer Studios is a week-long program that offers teens the opportunity to cultivate technical skills in art and design with emphasis on problem solving, designing, communicating and creating. Students will engage in two studio classes, with choices available in both art and design disciplines, as well as in seminars led by industry professionals and college faculty. Students have access to the Frederick Hart Studio Museum to practice figurative drawing, as well as the professional photography lighting studio and the fabrication lab that houses 3D printers, 3D scanners and laser cutters. This program provides a rigorous art and design school experience, with students engaging in critiques as they work toward an exhibition at the conclusion of the program.
Students have the option to engage in the full college experience by staying in Belmont's dorms and eating in our dining hall for the week. We will provide evening programming for all students staying on campus, including a field trip to local botanical garden and art museum, Cheekwood.
2027 Program Dates and Registration
Sign up today for your pre-college summer experience.
Build Your Summer Studios Experience
Each Summer Studios participant creates a personalized schedule by selecting three courses.
Explore all available course options by expanding the dropdown menus below. Students choose one class for each time slot, creating a unique combination based on their interests.
Sample Daily Schedule
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 9:00-11:30 a.m. | Morning Studio Course |
| 11:40 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | Seminar |
| 12:30-1:30 p.m. | Lunch (provided) |
| 1:30-4:00 p.m. | Afternoon Studio Course |
Overnight students enjoy an extended schedule that includes breakfast, supervised downtime, dinner, and evening activities designed to build community and make the most of the Summer Studios experience. Overnight students check in on Sunday afternoon and check out on Friday afternoon following the Summer Studios Exhibition.
Week 1 Schedule | June 7 - 11
Darkroom Photography
Step into the darkroom and discover the magic of making photographs by hand. Students will learn the fundamentals of black-and-white film photography using a medium format camera, from shooting and developing film to creating prints in the darkroom. Along the way, they'll explore exposure, focus, composition, and other core photographic techniques while experimenting with the unique possibilities of analog photography. Students will leave with a collection of handcrafted prints and a deeper understanding of the photographic process from start to finish.
Painting
Grab a brush and bring your ideas to life! In this energetic painting studio, students will dive into color, texture, composition, and creative experimentation using water-based oil paints. Through demonstrations, guided exercises, and personal projects, you'll learn how contemporary artists build a painting from the first sketch to the final brushstroke. As your confidence grows, you'll be encouraged to explore your own style and create work that's uniquely yours.
Printmaking
Take your artwork in a new direction with etching, one of printmaking's most versatile and expressive mediums. Students will explore line and aquatint techniques while building creative problem-solving skills and producing high-quality original prints. This course offers a rare opportunity to work with specialized printmaking tools and processes, making it a great way to broaden your portfolio and experiment with a medium you may not otherwise have access to.
Animation 1
*Please note: Students must register for both Animation 1 and Animation 2, as these courses are designed to be taken together.
Architectural Sketching Techniques
In this course, you’ll explore how architects and designers use sketches to communicate their thoughts and plans. The goal isn’t to make your drawings look realistic, but to make your ideas clear and easy to understand. Build your sketching skills and discover how drawing can bring your designs to life.
Intro to Machine Knitting: Design Your Own Scarf
In this hands-on summer studio course, students will learn the basics of hand-operated knitting machines and explore the art of creating knitted textiles. Students will experiment with color, texture, pattern, shape, and scale while learning how yarn and machine knitting techniques work together. They will also dye their own yarn and use it to design and create a custom knitted scarf.
Fashion Illustration
Luxury brands are bringing back the art of hand-drawn fashion illustrations.
Explore how creative concepts come to life through the art of sketching. Students will experiment with a variety of media, including ink, watercolor, pen, and collage, to capture the textures, colors, and prints that bring their fashion designs to life.
Portfolio Preparation
Get ready for the next step in your creative journey. This seminar helps students build, refine, and present a strong visual arts portfolio for college applications, scholarships, and other opportunities. Students will gain insight into what admissions reviewers look for, learn strategies for showcasing their work, and explore career pathways across the visual arts.
Animation and Graphic Design Seminar
This seminar teaches students how to curate and present both video and traditional portfolios through Adobe Behance. Students will gain insight on industry opportunities with a generalized overview of jobs they may consider.
Fashion Seminar
Discover the creativity, trends, and endless possibilities of the fashion world! Through conversations with industry professionals, program alumni, and fellow students, participants will get an inside look at the industry, hear real-world stories, and discover the wide range of career paths fashion has to offer. A hands-on project will give students the opportunity to experiment with their own ideas, express their creativity, and bring their vision to life.
Architecture & Interior Design Seminar
Discover how creativity, design, and innovation shape the spaces where we live, work, and play! Through conversations with industry professionals, program alumni, and fellow students, participants will hear firsthand about real-world projects, creative processes, and career opportunities in both fields. A hands-on project will give students the chance to experiment with their own ideas and put their creativity to work.
Digital Photography
Capture, edit, and bring your images to life. In this course, students will learn the foundations of digital photography using DSLR cameras while exploring professional workflows, image editing, and file preparation for printing. Through hands-on projects, students will build skills in exposure, focus, composition, and storytelling through images. They will also experiment with studio lighting techniques and gain access to Belmont's professional lighting studio to create dynamic photographs.
Drawing
Put pencil to paper and bring your ideas to life. Students will explore a wide range of drawing techniques while working from objects, photographs, imagination, and live demonstrations. Along the way, they'll experiment with expressive mark-making, shading, composition, and visual storytelling to create drawings that are both technically strong and uniquely their own.
Hand-Building Ceramics
*Please note: This class is only available to students who can return to Belmont a few weeks after the course ends to pick up their finished, fired ceramic piece. Shipping is not available.
Get your hands in the clay and bring your ideas to life! Students will explore hand-building techniques such as pinch, coil, and slab construction while creating unique sculptural ceramic piece. Through experimentation and creative problem-solving, they'll develop artistic skills, express their individual style, and leave with original artworks of their own design.
Animation 2
*Please note: Students must register for both Animation 1 and Animation 2, as these courses are designed to be taken together.
Furniture Design Build Studio
Build it. Paint it. Make it yours. In this hands-on studio you’ll turn a laser-cut template into a chair prototype with a personality all its own. Explore how flat pieces become functional furniture as you assemble, test, refine, and paint your creation. Along the way, discover how interior designers think through making, connecting form, comfort, color, and construction.
Textile Design for Interiors
This course introduces students to the world of fabric design. They'll learn how to create unique patterns by exploring the rich traditions of a chosen country or historical period in a modern way. Students will transform their ideas into material and textile designs for interiors.
Fashion Design with a Purpose
Learn why responsible fashion is better, and how you can create one-of-kind pieces. In this class, students will be introduced to industry-standard equipment, patterning, and cut and sew methods that will be used to upcycle garments into something new for their wardrobe.
Week 2 Schedule | June 14 - 18
Darkroom Photography
Step into the darkroom and discover the magic of making photographs by hand. Students will learn the fundamentals of black-and-white film photography using a medium format camera, from shooting and developing film to creating prints in the darkroom. Along the way, they'll explore exposure, focus, composition, and other core photographic techniques while experimenting with the unique possibilities of analog photography. Students will leave with a collection of handcrafted prints and a deeper understanding of the photographic process from start to finish.
Introduction to Watercolor
This introductory course will demystify watercolor. We will cover the basics of composition, color mixing, and brush handling, as well as wet-on-wet, dry brush, and transparent glazing techniques. The course will emphasize watercolor's dynamic range as an effective tool for drawing and painting from observation, as well as studio-based experimental techniques. In a comfortable and relaxed setting that will center the pleasure of painting, students will gain experience with this medium that is too-often saddled with a reputation for being difficult to control. No experience necessary.
Printmaking
Take your artwork in a new direction with etching, one of printmaking's most versatile and expressive mediums. Students will explore line and aquatint techniques while building creative problem-solving skills and producing high-quality original prints. This course offers a rare opportunity to work with specialized printmaking tools and processes, making it a great way to broaden your portfolio and experiment with a medium you may not otherwise have access to.
Illustration
Step into the world of visual storytelling in this introductory illustration class. Students will reimagine a traditional fairytale through a unique illustrated composition, learning essential skills such as character design, expressive posing, composition, and background creation. Along the way, they will explore how illustrations communicate mood, action, and narrative.
Architectural Model Making 1
Textile Design for Fashion
Students will explore how fabrics, colors, patterns, and textures are used in fashion design. Students will learn the basics of textile design by creating their own fabric patterns and experimenting with techniques such as drawing, dyeing, painting, printing, and surface decoration. Through creative projects, students will discover how textile choices influence the look and feel of clothing and accessories.
Portfolio Preparation
Get ready for the next step in your creative journey. This seminar helps students build, refine, and present a strong visual arts portfolio for college applications, scholarships, and other opportunities. Students will gain insight into what admissions reviewers look for, learn strategies for showcasing their work, and explore career pathways across the visual arts.
Animation and Graphic Design Seminar
This seminar teaches students how to curate and present both video and traditional portfolios through Adobe Behance. Students will gain insight on industry opportunities with a generalized overview of jobs they may consider.
Fashion Seminar
Discover the creativity, trends, and endless possibilities of the fashion world! Through conversations with industry professionals, program alumni, and fellow students, participants will get an inside look at the industry, hear real-world stories, and discover the wide range of career paths fashion has to offer. A hands-on project will give students the opportunity to experiment with their own ideas, express their creativity, and bring their vision to life.
Architecture & Interior Design Seminar
Discover how creativity, design, and innovation shape the spaces where we live, work, and play! Through conversations with industry professionals, program alumni, and fellow students, participants will hear firsthand about real-world projects, creative processes, and career opportunities in both fields. A hands-on project will give students the chance to experiment with their own ideas and put their creativity to work.
Digital Photography
Capture, edit, and bring your images to life. In this course, students will learn the foundations of digital photography using DSLR cameras while exploring professional workflows, image editing, and file preparation for printing. Through hands-on projects, students will build skills in exposure, focus, composition, and storytelling through images. They will also experiment with studio lighting techniques and gain access to Belmont's professional lighting studio to create dynamic photographs.
3D Mixed Media Sculpture
Go Big: Large-Scale Drawing
Go big and explore what happens when drawing moves beyond the sketchbook! In this course, students will experiment with a variety of conceptual and practical approaches to large-scale drawing, including projection, grids, freeform and geometric systems, automatic drawing, graffiti, and text. Students will work with graphite, charcoal, ink, paint, and other materials to create at least one finished 30” x 50” drawing. No previous drawing experience is required. Beginners are welcome, and experienced artists will have plenty of opportunities to expand their skills and experiment with new techniques.
Graphic Design by Hand: The Art of the Poster
Architectural Model Making 2
*Please note: Students must take Architectural Model Making 1 in order to take this course.
Students will have the opportunity to advance their skills learned in Model Making 1 and enhance their work with access to 3D printers, 3D scanners, and laser cutters and discover how imagination, sketching and digital fabrication work together to bring design ideas to life. Models will be presented at the culmination of the class.
Fashion Design with a Purpose
Learn why responsible fashion is better, and how you can create one-of-kind pieces. In this class, students will be introduced to industry-standard equipment, patterning, and cut and sew methods that will be used to upcycle garments into something new for their wardrobe.
Introduction to Interior Design: Design Your Dream Dorm Room
Students will explore the basics of interior design by creating their dream college dorm room. They will learn how to use color, furniture, lighting, patterns, and accessories to design a space that reflects their personal style while meeting practical needs. Students will discover how to make small spaces functional, comfortable, and stylish.
Course Registration
Course enrollment is offered on a first-come, first-served basis, so we encourage students to register for Summer Studios as early as possible to maximize their chances of receiving their preferred courses.
After completing Summer Studios registration, families will receive a course selection form via email. New registrants receive this email each Monday and can use the form to rank their course preferences.
Important: Not all courses are offered during both Summer Studios weeks, so please review course availability before submitting your selections.
Pricing
Overnight Program: $1500 (includes room and board, meals, evening activities, Cheekwood field trip, a tote bag and a sketchbook)
Day Program: $650 (includes a sketchbook and lunch each day)
*Program tuition can be paid up front or spread over a 10-month payment plan.
Important Deadline
Summer Studios registration must be completed by May 10.
Frequently Asked Questions
Watkins Community Education
Applications for Summer Studios 2027 scholarships are now open. The scholarship application deadline is Friday, April 16, 2027. Applicants will be notified of their award status following the deadline.
To be eligible for a Summer Studios scholarship, students must qualify for free or reduced-price lunch and reside in the United States. Priority consideration is given to students in the Middle Tennessee region.
If you have questions about scholarships email watkins.communityed@belmont.edu.
Anthony Quinn Foundation
Students may also seek financial assistance through the Anthony Quinn Foundation program, which provides support for high school students attending recognized pre-college and summer intensive arts programs.
Applications for the 2027 Anthony Quinn Foundation Scholarship Program are open through January 5, 2027. To be eligible to complete the application, students must first submit the required registration form by November 30, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Because the application process requires a letter of recommendation, portfolio materials, and a brief artist statement, we strongly encourage students to begin the process as early as possible.
Can I Room With a Friend?
Yes. Students may request a preferred roommate during the completion of the housing/medical form. To be considered, both students must be registered for the program and must list each other as their preferred roommate.
Please note that, in accordance with Belmont University housing policies, students who are 18 years old may not room with students who are 17 years old at the time of participation. Because one student is considered a legal adult and the other a minor, roommate requests between these students cannot be accommodated.
Belmont reserves the right to cancel a course in the event of insufficient interest for that course noted in completed student registrations. Courses with low enrollment will be canceled, and students will be contacted to select another choice or receive a program refund. If a course is in high demand, we will work to create another section to accommodate student interest.
Students will receive a full refund, less a $25 processing fee, if they drop out of the program at least one month prior to that start of the program. No tuition or fees will be refunded within one month of the start date of the program. Requests for cancellation and refunds should be sent in writing to watkins.communityed@belmont.edu. Requests for refunds must be received during our business hours between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. If a request for a refund is sent over the weekend, it will be considered as received the following Monday.
