Parsons Summer Academy

Cartooning, Grades 3–5

Develop your ability to draw characters and create narrative sketches. Learn how to change facial expressions and give motion to your drawings. Create storyboards, the foundation of visual narrative and animation design. (Students in grades 3–5 who wish to take an afternoon class must enroll in Big Beat: Brazilian Drumming.) 

Foundation Studio, Grades 3–5 

Learn about observational drawing and the design process by working on two- and three-dimensional projects in which you examine and interpret everyday objects and places in new ways. Professionals visit your class, and you take field trips for research, inspiration, and discovery. (Students in grades 3–5 who wish to take an afternoon class must enroll in Big Beat: Brazilian Drumming.) 

Animation Studio, Grades 6–8

Design your own characters and learn how to animate them. In this course, students create original characters, develop visual storytelling skills, and learn the principles of traditional animation to make their characters move. Working with a professional animator, students experiment with both hands-on and digital animation approaches, explore the history of animation, and learn about animation as a career. 

Design and Wear, Grades 6–8

With street fashion as inspiration, students design and make garments and accessories by deconstructing T-shirts and altering found items. Explore design through inventive exercises and repurpose everyday items and materials for your projects. 

Digital Video and Photography, Grades 6–8

New York City provides the visual inspiration for students as they explore themes and develop narratives using still photography and collaborate with classmates to create short films. Students view current exhibits and are visited by professionals working in the field. Students must have a DSLR camera. 

Fashion Design, Grades 6–8 

A professional designer helps you visualize and render fashion ideas, from research and concept development to the creation of final illustrations. Through class discussions on the fashion industry, you learn to recognize the qualities of well-designed garments. Field trips and visits by industry professionals inform you about processes, trends, and careers in fashion. 

Game Design, Grades 6–8

Creativity is key as you plan, produce, and test digital and analog games. Conduct experiments exploring game design and interactive systems while learning about the processes involved in creating your favorite games. Develop skills in teamwork and systems thinking that can be applied in all types of creative projects. 

Painting and Drawing, Grades 6–8

Develop your ability to draw and paint from observation, a skill essential to visual expression. Work in the studio, in museums, and throughout New York City to complete portraits, landscapes, and imaginative projects. Investigate line, value, form, color, and composition through structured assignments. Research, field trips, and visits from working artists deepen your understanding of the problem-solving methods used by artists in the past and today. 

Animation Studio, Grades 9–12

Design your own characters and learn how to animate them. In this course, students create original characters, develop their visual storytelling skills, and learn the principles of traditional animation to make their characters move. Working with a professional animator, students experiment with both hands-on and digital animation approaches, explore the history of animation, and learn about animation as a career. 

Architecture, Grades 9–12

Learn the fundamentals of three-dimensional and architectural design. Develop professional skills in field research, schematic drawing, and model making as you complete studio projects that involve conceptual and concrete architectural problems. Heighten your awareness of scale, form, and spatial relationships, essential for interpreting the built environment. Trips to design firms and architecturally significant buildings help you understand what it means to be an architect. Drawing is incorporated in the projects of this studio. 

Digital Video and Photography, Grades 9–12

New York City provides the visual inspiration for students as they explore themes and develop narratives using still photography and collaborate with classmates to create short films. Students view current exhibits and are visited by professionals working in the field. Students must have a DSLR camera.

Fashion Accessory Design, Grades 9–12

Use sketching as a design process to develop a collection of handbags, belts, wallets, and shoes with the help of a professional. Design and make a handbag. Deepen your understanding of the fashion and accessory world through field trips and lectures by guest speakers. Develop portfolio pieces through drawing. 

Fashion Design I, Grades 9–12

A professional designer helps you visualize and render fashion ideas, from research and concept development to the creation of final illustrations. Through class discussions on the fashion industry, you learn to recognize the qualities of well-designed garments. Field trips and visits by industry professionals inform you about processes, trends, and careers in fashion. 

Fashion Design II, Grades 9–12

Explore the role of fashion in society and the positive impact fashion designers can have on the world. Develop your skills in fashion drawing and garment construction. Hear guest speakers and take field trips to learn about socially and environmentally responsible design. 

Game Design, Grades 9–12

Creativity is key as you plan, produce, and test digital and analog games. Conduct experiments exploring game design and interactive systems while learning about the processes involved in creating your favorite games. Develop skills in teamwork and systems thinking that can be applied in all types of creative projects. 

Graphic Design, Grades 9–12

Graphic design is all around you — on subway posters, websites, T-shirts, candy wrappers. It is the medium in which words and images combine to communicate messages effectively. This class is a traditional studio in which students focus on learning creative problem-solving techniques and the basics of graphic form and expressive typography. 

Illustration, Grades 9–12

Illustrators are visual thinkers who create comics, computer and film animation, video games, children’s books, graphics for skateboards, images for magazines and newspapers, and many other kinds of visuals. This course introduces students to the types of projects contemporary illustrators work on and helps them develop their skills and style. 

Interior Design, Grades 9–12

Students work with a professional designer on a complete interior design project, from initial concept to final presentation. They develop skills in freehand sketching, manual drafting, collage, and model building while representing and testing spatial and material ideas. Students consider clients’ needs and aesthetic preferences as they design a functional interior and choose appropriate finishes. Coursework focuses on spatial design applications and concepts rather than interior decorating. 

Painting and Drawing, Grades 9–12

Develop your ability to draw and paint from observation, a skill essential to visual expression. Work in the studio, in museums, and throughout New York City to complete portraits, landscapes, and imaginative projects. Investigate line, value, form, color, and composition through structured assignments. Research, field trips, and visits from working artists deepen your understanding of the problem-solving methods used by artists in the past and today. 

Portfolio Development: Fine Arts, Grades 9–12 

This course is designed for students interested in enhancing their college admission portfolios. This section is dedicated to students who wish to focus on drawing, painting, photography, and sculpture. Through skill-building exercises, experimentation, and research-based projects, students develop a personal vision and learn what is expected in a portfolio. Digital workshops inform students about best practices for documenting and presenting finished projects. Students gain skills in communicating about their work in group discussions and learn to offer feedback to peers through critique. Prerequisite: art and design experience. 

Portfolio Development, Grades 11–12 

This course is designed for students interested in enhancing their college admission portfolios. This section is dedicated to students who wish to focus on graphic, fashion, product, and other areas of design. Through skill-building exercises, experimentation, and research-based projects, students develop a personal vision and learn what is expected in a portfolio. Digital workshops inform students about best practices for documenting and presenting finished projects. Students gain skills in communicating about their work in group discussions and learn to offer feedback to peers through critique. Prerequisite: art and design experience. 

Printmaking: Drawing and Design, Grades 9–12

In this introductory course, students explore graphics, color theory, drawing, design, and composition through various printmaking processes. They create portfolio-quality prints using professional techniques in a range of assignments, both representational and conceptual. The class covers etching, drypoint, and monotype as well as less conventional techniques. 

Product Design, Grades 9–12

Learn from a design professional about how a new product moves from a concept to the market. Invent your own product to solve a real­ world problem by conducting research and creating a three­-dimensional prototype. Students work in teams to find creative solutions while developing technical skills in drawing and model making.

Summer 2020

August 3–14     
Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–3:50 p.m.

Grades 6-12
Classes meet Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m.–12:00 noon and 1:00–3:50 p.m., with a one-hour lunch break.

Grades 3–5
Students in grades 3-5 can choose to attend a half day (9:00-11:50 a.m.) or a full day (9:00 a.m.-3:50 p.m., with a one-hour lunch break at noon).

Spring 2020

Grades 3-12
January 25-April 11, Saturday mornings, 10:00 a.m.-1:50 p.m.

Summer Term Full-Day Program (grades 3–5 and grades 6–12)

$1,312 + fees      

Summer Term Half-Day Program (grades 3–5 only)
$656 + fees

Spring 2020

$483 + fees

All classes meet at one of the following addresses on our Greenwich Village campus:

• 2 West 13th Street, just off Fifth Avenue 
• 6 East 16th Street, just off Fifth Avenue 
• 63 Fifth Avenue at 13th Street
• 25 East 13th Street, between Fifth Avenue and University Place

The Parsons campus is easily accessible by public transportation.

Subway or PATH
Take the 4, 5, 6, N, or R train to Union Square. Walk west on 14th Street. Cross Fifth Avenue and make a left. Walk one block south on Fifth Avenue to 13th Street and make a right.

OR

Take the 1, 2, 3, or F train to 14th Street. Walk east on 14th Street, cross Sixth Avenue (Avenue of the Americas), and make a right. Walk one block south on Sixth Avenue to 13th Street and make a left. Walk east on 13th Street, toward Fifth Avenue.

Taxi
Students should instruct the cab driver to take them to Fifth Avenue and 13th Street.

Car
Metered and street parking is available in the neighborhood. There are also parking garages on 13th Street.

When accompanying your elementary-level child to class, please escort him or her directly to the classroom.

We ask that parents picking up junior- or senior-level students use the lobby of the classroom building as a meeting place.

If an authorized person does not arrive to pick up a student, he or she will be taken to the Pre-College Academy program office and the emergency contact on file will be called.

Please file contact information with the Open Campus office and update the information as necessary.

Please call the office at 212.229.8933 to notify us if your child will miss a class.

All parents should review with their children safety procedures to follow in the event of an emergency or change of plans. Be sure that your child knows how to respond in an emergency.

The Parsons Security Office is located at 68 Fifth Avenue on the mezzanine level (212.229.5101).

Required art supplies vary by course. For the fall and spring Saturday program, supply lists are distributed on the first day of class. For the summer program, students will be emailed a supply list before the course. Below is a list of local art supply stores that carry required materials.

• Blick Art Materials, 21 East 13th Street (between University Place and Fifth Avenue)
• Da Vinci Artist Supply, 132 West 21st Street (between Sixth and Seventh Avenues)
• Soho Art Materials, 7 Wooster Street (between Canal and Grand Streets)