Saturday Program

The Pre-College Art Program at Carnegie Mellon University provides a rich and exciting opportunity for high school students to develop their artistic potential and portfolios. Through the program, students engage in a wide variety of experimental and traditional art-making activities. They work and socialize in a diverse and supportive community of emerging artist peers and established professional faculty, gaining a preview of undergraduate campus life in a creative environment.

The Pre-College Saturday Art Program has for the past seventy years provided a learning environment for high school students in the visual arts from the Pittsburgh region as well as from West Virginia and Ohio. Ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grade students choose from an array of options in two and three dimensional media and electronic media. Studios introduce and immerse students in professional art training that prepares them for future study at universities, colleges and art schools. A Portfolio Workshop is also offered to those preparing for college applications. Critiques are scheduled and assignments are suggested to improve the content of their portfolio.

A significant attribute of the program is the university setting. Students have the opportunity to experience the work of undergraduate and graduate art students in progress in studios, in hallway displays and several student galleries. Campus venues, including the Miller Gallery (located in the Purnell Center for the Arts), exhibit work by Carnegie Mellon faculty, national and international artists. Exposure to these exhibits and evolving artworks further enhances Pre-College students’ development as young artists.

The Pre-College faculty are professional artists and educators who exhibit locally, nationally and internationally. They represent a wide spectrum of talent, experience and abilities, and are particularly interested in young people. The opportunity for students to interact with the faculty is encouraged by a low student/teacher ratio. Class sizes typically range from ten to fifteen students.

Among other extra-curricular activities, Pre-College students are invited to attend the School of Art Lecture Series and to use the University’s Hunt Library. Special Pre-College activities have included trips to the Mattress Factory, the Carnegie Museum and the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, all of which broaden students’ exposure to historical and contemporary art making.

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