What is Pre-College ArtLab?

PCAL is a two and a half week residency program for students who have completed freshman through senior year of high school. If you are accepted as one of our PCAL students, you will choose a studio major and a liberal arts course which, combined with an intensive life drawing course, will help you discover firsthand the daring and commitment it takes to be an artist.

Summer 2008 dates: June 22 - July 9

Welcome to Kansas City!

North, south, east or west - Kansas City offers a wealth of attractions in every direction. The striking local landscape includes wide boulevards, beautiful parks, more than 160 fountains and fantastic architecture. This heartland city's long list of diversions includes world-class museums, a vibrant arts scene, superb shopping and great blues and jazz clubs. During PCAL you will discover, explore and experience many of these areas in Kansas City. Excursions are a large part of weekend activities because at KCAI we understand how important it is for creative people to renew their energy, refuel their spirit, while experiencing a multitude of environments.

KCAI PCAL features

Compare our pre-college program with other schools and you'll appreciate the value we offer at KCAI. Our program cost of $2,150 includes:

Three college credits
Tuition for the program
Room and Board
Supplies
Excursions and weekend activities
Scholarship for $1,000 per year if you enroll at KCAI
Portfolio review at the conclusion of the program
Exhibition of your work in a public show
Three letters of reference for your KCAI applicant's file written by your three faculty from PCAL
CD of your life drawing and major studio work upon completion
Air-conditioned rooms and facilities (exception: sculpture)

See images of 2007 studio work

Studio options for summer 2008:

Alternative Photographic Processes & the Artist Book
Traditional Animation
Sculpture
Painting
Kiln-fired Glass
Fashion Design
Printmaking

Studio elective descriptions

Fashion Design
This will be an intensive introduction of the fashion design industry and it’s many facets. You will learn the basics of the industry through academic study and hands-on instruction.
An overview of sketching, textiles, apparel and costume design, fashion art and history, fashion buying, manufacturing, and flat-pattern design will prepare you to develop a well-rounded portfolio showing one complete collection. Special emphasis will be given on creative ways to present a fashion portfolio. Additionally, you may have the opportunity to develop and create your design from sketch to garment.
Peggy Noland is a working fashion designer in Kansas City. Noland has explored the fashion industry through her buying, tradeshow, manufacturing, and styling experience. In 2001, Noland began her own clothing label, Peggy Noland-Kansas City. After gaining momentum wholesaling her clothing to boutiques nation-wide, Noland opened her own boutique in 2006 in Kansas City’s Crossroads District. She has been featured in international and national magazines and websites, including Nylon, Venus, Vice, Glamour, Brio and GenArt. Currently, Noland outfits touring band members from Tilly and the Wall and Vedera.

Kiln-Fired Glass
Kiln-formed glass for PCAL 08 will include flat glass drawing and 3-dimensional slumping and casting of glass.
The flat-glass format encourages you to explore with “drawing” materials of colored powders, fluxing frits, stringers and sheet glass. A large selection of glass colors and materials will be available for your use.
The casting investigation of 3-D glass images incorporates a mold-making process. The instructor and technical staff will assist you as you create silica-plaster molds for the glass casting process. Selecting personal imagery through molding clay or a found object will be used to create the imagery in the final casting.
You will be encouraged to develop individual ideas with the skills and processes introduced in this class. This kiln-formed glass experience open to all ,,, an introduction to an exciting new creative format.
George Timock has been a professor in the KCAI Ceramics department for many years. He earned both his B.F.A. and M.F.A. degrees from Cranbrook Academy of Art. A two-time winner of a National Endowment for the Arts grant, George has also received the Outstanding Special Projects Award from KCAI. His work is included in collections around the country, including the Smithsonian Institute and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. George’s pieces have been exhibited nationally and internationally since 1969.

Painting
We will explore the technical aspects of painting in oil and investigate different tools, mediums, and surfaces in conjunction with oil paints. Color and design theories will be taught and utilized as we paint still lives, live models, and self-portraits. We will touch on loose abstraction, and self-expression will be encouraged within learning the foundations of the painting experience.
Jessica Wohl graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute in 2001. As a figurative oil painter, her current work explores aspects of living, aging, and dying through life-sized paintings of the elderly. Her painting experiences include numerous solo shows, portrait commissions, and set designs. She currently teaches at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and at Maple Woods Community College.
Brett Chenoweth received his BFA in painting from KCAI in 1989 and an interdisciplinary MA with an emphasis in creative writing from Goddard College in 1999. He continues to paint and has shown extensively on the east coast, including Boston and New York.

Alternative Photographic Processes and the Artist Book
Using alternative photographic processes such as Cyanotypes on paper and cloth, Van Dyke Brown on paper and photo etching on copper, you will have the opportunity to create a personal statement in an artist's book. You will also create a large Cyanotype photograph on cloth outside using the sun to expose it and water to develop it. To create the alternative photographs you will first learn how to make digital negatives. Finally, different types of book making techniques will be explored as you create your artist's book, using your photographs, different types of art papers, cloth and found objects.
Dan Dakotas' many years of teaching high school art has been recognized with multiple teaching awards including outstanding Kansas art teacher and the Kansas City Star's Excellence in Teaching Award. He is the State of Kansas Governor's Artist. His students' artwork received awards regionally and nationally and their portfolios have been recognized with scholarships to many art institutes across the country. His photography has been exhibited in one-man and juried shows winning numerous awards. His photographs are published in Focus Kansas City: A Heartland Portrait. Dan has also served on the National Endowment of the Arts panel in Washington, DC.

Traditional Animation
This elective will focus on traditional drawing and animation techniques. Find out firsthand the daring and commitment it takes to be an animator. Work in an environment that has been designed to facilitate creativity and collaboration. Build upon traditional skills to engage in experimental technique. You will see and think in new ways. Your fellow artists will encourage and challenge you. They are here for the same reason you are – to make their art move.
Doug Hudson, assistant professor of animation at KCAI, has worked as an animator, film composer, videographer, video director and Web designer. He earned a BFA in animation from the University of the Arts and an MFA in experimental animation from California Institute of the Arts.

Sculpture
In this elective you will be exploring a variety of materials. Forms will be achieved by traditional as well as non-traditional methods. Main focus will be metals, primarily steel, but often extends well beyond this to include plaster, fabric, paint, found objects, etc., whatever it takes to make the artwork successful. Processes to be covered include welding, (GMAW), (oxy-acetylene), cutting, exposure to the metal shop machinery as well as assorted hand and power tools too numerous to mention.
If you are curious about 3-D, enjoy working with your hands and not afraid of physical activity, then sign up! It will be good hard work; but fun, challenging and extremely rewarding.
All students in the sculpture elective will need to bring the following:
Pair of work pants – for safety
pair of long denim jeans will be great, a pair you don’t mind if they get dirty.
Pair of work gloves
If you have your own – great, if not, see if you can borrow a pair of mom or dad’s. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy.
Pair of boots or shoes - you will need to have a pair of shoes or boots that cover your feet. Sandals or flip flops are unacceptable in this environment.
If you have previously worked in clay or jewelry and own any modeling tools, bring them along, they will be very useful, but not required.
Jim Whitworth is an artist and sculptor from Kansas City, MO, who works in mixed materials, but specializes in metals such as bronze, steel, and aluminum. Jim received his B.F.A. from KCAI in 1988 and his M.F.A. from the University of Arizona in 1992. He has been a member of the KCAI Sculpture Dept. since 1994, and loves his jo

Printmaking
From the dollar bill to the Bible to the broadsheet, there is power in the print! Through frequent technical demonstrations, in class discussions and group critiques, you will produce a body of printed work consisting of monotypes, etchings and relief printings.
Kelly John Clark earned his B.F.A. from the University of Texas, Austin in 2002 and his M.F.A. in printmaking from the University of Kansas in 2006. He maintains an active exhibition schedule and studio practice from his home in Lawrence, Kansas where he lives and works.

See images of 2007 studio work

Your schedule includes:

Seven hours of studio major five days a week + Sunday evenings
Three hours of life drawing five days a week
15 hours of liberal arts
Field trips, workshops and other fun planned activities on weekends
Free time to use as you wish (in the studio, exploring Kansas City...)

Eligibility

ArtLab is open to graduating 2008 high school seniors and high school students entering their sophomore, junior and senior years. Student must be 15 - 18 years of age.

Tuition

Tuition, room and board and supplies are $2,150 plus a refundable damage/key deposit of $125. A non-refundable deposit of $300 is due upon acceptance to secure placement.

Scholarships

Competitive scholarships are awarded to select applicants, based on artistic merit, academic achievement and demonstrated financial need. Scholarships apply to tuition, room, board and supplies but are not applied toward the non-refundable deposit.

Leadership Scholarships

KCAI is offering four leadership scholarships ($250 each) to students seeking opportunities to get involved in community building and activity planning for the Pre-College ArtLab. Arriving one day prior to your peers (June 21), you will work with Living Center staff to create a fun, educational and social atmosphere and assist in planning activities. Once your peers arrive, your work with Living Center staff ends and your focus turns to your art. Click here for an application.

For more information, contact the Special programs office,

Address: 4415 Warwick Blvd., Kansas City, Missouri 64111
Phone: 816-802-3505
email rkartman@kcai.edu.

KCAI scholarships

Students who successfully complete the Pre-College ArtLab will be awarded a $1,000 scholarship upon their enrollment for each year at the Kansas City Art Institute.

On-campus housing

Students reside in the Student Living Center, along with resident assistants who are degree-seeking students at the Art Institute. They will assist you with daily living needs, while also helping you find out what it means to be a full-time student at the Kansas City Art Institute. For more information, contact the special programs office at 816-802-3505.
Click here for images of the Student Living Center

Application must include:

Completed application form. Click here for application form.
Eight images of artwork by applicant. Drawings made from direct observation are encouraged. Also include examples of work demonstrating area(s) of strength. All work must be original and made in the last two years. DO NOT SEND ORIGINAL WORKS OF ART. This portfolio is required for application and admission to ArtLab.*
Letter of recommendation from a teacher or qualified instructor familiar with the applicant's artistic abilities.*
Letter of intent from the applicant explaining his/her background and artistic objectives.
Current high school transcript.
Copy of parent's 2007 IRS income tax returns (for scholarship applicants only).

Please mark all materials with your name and "ArtLab 2008." These materials will not be returned.

* Returning students need not submit images or letter of recommendation.
Art instructors: please provide us with your candid evaluation of the student applying for the PCAL. You are welcome to include additional information about the student (e.g. newspaper articles, awards, etc.) that you consider relevant. Please note that students have been asked to submit images, letter of intent and a high school transcript.

Submit application materials to: Special Programs Office, Kansas City Art Institute, 4415 Warwick Boulevard, Kansas City, Missouri 64111

Timeline for 2008:

Friday, April 18 Scholarship application as well as Leadership Scholarship materials are due in our office
Friday, April 25 Non-scholarship application materials are due
Wednesday, April 30 Scholarship award announcements will be mailed to students
Wednesday, May 14 $300.00 Non-refundable deposit due
Wednesday, May 28 Balance and refundable damage/key deposit of $125 due
Sunday, June 22 Program registration and check-in
Wednesday, July 9 Last day of class, evening reception and ArtLab exhibition
Thursday, July 10 Check-out

For more information, please contact the special programs office at 816-802-3505.