Pre-College Courses

This class is an introduction to 2D animation using the grease pencil tool within the free and cross-platform program Blender. Students will learn the basic concepts of animation, including creating characters, making backgrounds, and finalizing in editing software. Each student will make an animated short from beginning to end from a story or idea that they’ve chosen.

Instructor: Jared Duesterhaus

Discover the inner workings of the fashion industry. Students will explore the many different roles and aspects of fashion through projects and simulations that focus on the design process, concept and product development, and garment making. The fundamentals of forecasting, branding, and marketing will be introduced and featured in the final project.

Instructor: TBD

Through group instruction and individualized coaching, students will acquire skills and confidence in auditioning for college programs. Course will cover monologues, interviews, and preparation techniques to help students feel ready for auditions days!

Instructor: Janel Miley

Make your college application portfolio stand out with ceramic art! This class will focus on developing a well-rounded portfolio by teaching students to build ceramic work using multiple building techniques. Students will learn traditional and boundary-pushing methods of working with clay. They will learn to throw pottery on the wheel, coil-build figures, slab-build sculptures, slip cast into vintage molds, and print their own forms using a ceramic 3D printer. Toward the end of the course, students will learn how to professionally photograph their work with backdrops, lighting, and basic photo editing. Students will leave this course with unique additions to their portfolio and experience in a studio class.

Instructor: Rice Evans

This course will focus on developing skills in character design and visual narrative, using classic industry design approaches.

Course goals include generating a suite of design options, refining 2 designs for production, and organizing the work for a gallery show, a print portfolio, and a digital portfolio.

Projects will be both individual and team-based, use a mix of contemporary digital tools and traditional media (provided), include representational and abstract elements, and discuss visual design/proportion, costume design, figure drawing (basic anatomy), and basic acting.

Instructor: Jason Bennett

This course provides students with total immersion into the magic of film-based analog darkroom photography in this intensive portfolio-building experience. Students will learn camera techniques while developing an understanding of light, composition, and exposure.

Through hands-on work, students will explore various genres of photography and gain practical skills and creative confidence by executing traditional printing, alternative processes (like cyanotypes), as well as gallery presentation. The course emphasizes technical mastery and individual artistic expression, culminating in a unique, handmade darkroom portfolio as they prepare for future studies in photography.

Manual 35mm film cameras will be provided, but students are encouraged to bring their own if they have one.

Instructor: Ian Rillet

This fast-paced, hands-on course introduces students to the creative world of interior design through the lens of storytelling, culture, and the human experience. Over three immersive weeks, students will explore how designers shape the way we live, work, and connect — from mood to movement to meaning.

Working in Pollak’s studio spaces, students will learn the foundations of space planning, materiality, color, lighting, and concept development. They’ll sketch, model, experiment, and develop small design projects that reflect their unique vision. Along the way, they’ll sharpen their design voice, practice critical thinking, and discover how interior design blends imagination with real-world problem-solving.

Instructor: Filipa Godinho

This course is an immersive program that introduces students to the fundamentals of filmmaking, from concept to completion. Participants will explore every stage of digital film production, including scriptwriting, storyboarding, directing, camera operation, lighting, sound, and editing. Through hands-on workshops and collaborative projects, students gain practical skills and creative confidence, culminating in the production of their own short film. The course emphasizes storytelling, teamwork, and technical proficiency, offering a supportive environment for young filmmakers to express their unique voices and prepare for future studies in film or media arts.

Students are required to have their own DSLR or mirrorless camera with full manual control capabilities.

Instructor: Brice Goldberg

This immersive three-week course focuses on essential drawing skills for portfolio development. Students will strengthen their perceptual abilities through observational exercises, including figure drawing from live models, and will explore foundational concepts in perceptual color theory. Projects include still life drawing, figure drawing, and work with materials such as micron pen and colored pencil. Students will also learn techniques for professionally documenting their artwork to create a cohesive and compelling portfolio presentation.

Instructor: Brian Barr

In this course, students will learn some of the basic techniques for fabricating jewelry in metal. We will learn basic jewelry skills like soldering to make items like a ring, pendant, or belt buckle. The class will explore how jewelry can serve as a powerful form of self-expression.

Instructor: Sarah Parker

Empower yourself with new skills.

Hand papermaking, 3-dimensional collage, and casting are fun and calming techniques. You will be given professional materials, including abaca and flax pulp made in a Hollander beater. Discover and dive into a new realm of curiosity and creativity.

Open to any level of experience, from beginners to those rounding out art school portfolios with unique sculptures. There will be guidance and support for bringing your ideas to life.

Instructor: Annie Sarachan

This course is an introduction to the basic concepts and formal concerns to creating a narrative story in a 6 to 10 page comic-graphic novel. Students will become familiar with the complex language of comics and learn to craft, revise, develop, and produce a fully-realized work in sequential form. They will work with images as well as words, structuring of the page and creating a clear reading path through panel layout and placement, utilizing pacing, editing, and scene transitions. Students will explore character development, model sheets and world building while developing imagery within their unique visual language and voice.

Instructor: Kelly Alder

This introductory Graphic Design course will examine the methods, materials, and language involved in creating and manipulating graphic form. Students will be introduced to the fundamental practices of design and learn to connect the processes of making with the meanings of their creations. The course will focus on various methodologies and tools that emphasize the importance of process through play, iteration, and risk-taking.

Instructor: TBD

In this immersive three-week studio course, students will use 3D and 4D methods to create art installations that bring imagined worlds to life. This class will empower students to navigate sculpture, performance, video projection, and sound to create portals into their imagined realities. Basic skills and techniques in video editing and projection will be covered, as well as sound and sculptural installations. Students will keep a sketchbook and work with interpretation of symbols and metaphors. Learn to craft the subtle vibes of your dream world with lighting, sound, and video.

Instructor: Caleb Flood

Train like a college musical theatre major before you even apply. The Musical Theatre & Acting Preparatory Program intensive at VCUarts gives you the coaching, confidence, and materials to shine in your college auditions.

A three-week triple-threat intensive for high school students preparing for college musical theatre auditions. Students train daily in singing, acting, and dance while preparing two contrasting audition songs, one contemporary monologue, and a dance pre-screen. The final week culminates in filming these materials, complete with college-style slating and feedback.

Instructor: Joshua Denning

This class will introduce students to developing narratives that interact between commercial and fine art with the core purpose of developing a strong, diverse portfolio that is suitable for applying to undergraduate art programs. This course will focus on three main concepts: figure drawing from a live model, working with gouache illustrations, and conceptual research involved in the painting process.

Throughout the course, students will develop a portfolio that shows a variety of narrative works, showcasing a clear concentration of ideas. Students will also look at the work of professional portfolios from artists working in both commercial and fine art fields.

Instructor: Andrew Norris

This three-week course immerses students in the full process of transforming drawings into repeatable surface-design patterns, ideal for anyone interested in fashion, fiber, interiors, print, illustration, or commercial art. Students will learn both hand-drawn and digital methods for creating a variety of repeat patterns while exploring color, composition, and visual storytelling.

Lectures will cover key design principles — such as shape, unity, color theory and balance — as well as the history of printing in both artistic and industrial contexts. Students will develop a cohesive print collection using gouache, colored pencils, mono-printing, and screen-printing techniques. By the end of the course, students will have designed and created a dynamic one-yard repeat as well as a collection of portfolio-ready work that showcases both creative vision and industry-aligned skills.

Instructor: Aleckxi Dorhofer

In this three-week immersive studio-intensive, students will cultivate the skills necessary to create expressive, portfolio-ready 3D works. This is a unique opportunity for students to explore sculptural techniques and perspectives typically unavailable in high school settings. Students will investigate the intricate connections between form, space, material, and meaning within both contemporary and historical contexts. They will engage in a broad range of conceptual approaches, construction methods, and hands-on work with a wide range of materials.

Instructor: Nyasha Madamombe

Students will learn how to design characters and props to bring to life through an interactive video game! Utilizing digital software such as Photoshop, Blender, and Unreal Engine, students will get the opportunity to bring their ideas into reality using the same methods as professional video game artists and designers. The course begins with the fundamentals of design, exploring ideas, and interests within a sketchbook. It progresses into 3D modeling and importing designs and models to Unreal Engine, where students, family, and friends can see ideas in action.

Instructor: Hunter Hutcheson