UW Hosts Annual Art Intensive for high school students

Art students from 14 high schools around the state, including April Miller, Nicole Queen-Wineteer and Jessica Trigg from Moorcroft, visited the University of Wyoming earlier this month to participate in the annual High School Art Intensive hosted by the Department of Visual and Literary Arts.

The intensive is partially funded by an inreach grant from the College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Office, intended to assist and help facilitate programs bringing K-12 students to the UW campus. The goal of the grant is to let the college connect with students within and without the state.

The intensive is a two-day, immersive experience for students with an interest in art that consists of educational sessions as well as hands-on studio workshops. Throughout the weekend, the students interacted with current UW art students and faculty members, and learned more about the art program.

“The UW High School Art Intensive weekend is a unique and exciting opportunity for high school art students from around the state to be introduced to our department, use our incredible facilities and work with our exceptional faculty and students,” says Doug Russell, professor of art.

He adds that the program provides high school students with hands-on experiences that they often are not able to have in their own schools, such as metal casting or six-hour drawing sessions.

“The energy of this weekend is then carried back into the school districts and into their high school art classrooms, invigorating and encouraging both the students and teachers,” Russell says. “Through this kind of inreach activity, we nurture and enrich the roots of the arts within our state and beyond.”