At ArtCenter we welcomed the chance to reinvent the virtual classroom as a space rich with unique opportunities for connection and creativity

Classrooms Without Walls

This summer, the format of an ArtCenter education has changed but the substance of the experience remains the same. Armed with experience gathered over the last half of the Spring term when we pivoted to online learning along with the rest of the world, we are now fully-enrolled for the Summer term and are offering a full slate of classes in all departments.

ArtCenter’s mission statement – learn to create, influence change – calls upon us to iterate toward a better future and lead through times of transition. So, in true ArtCenter fashion, we’ve embraced the challenges presented by our shifting landscape from physical classrooms to virtual ones. We've embraced the opportunities to innovate and, in some cases, improve upon the rigorous education for which we’re known. Our faculty have underscored the value of creativity in today’s world by reinventing the classroom experience with assignments tailored to contemporary challenges and home studios. The results have been overwhelmingly positive, prompting faculty and students to remark upon the deepening connections forged within the virtual classroom environment.

Most enduring, perhaps, were the creative breakthroughs that emerged out of a collective sense of increased urgency for young artists and designers to direct their creative skills toward the rapidly changing world around them. This page will offer a glimpse into our virtual classrooms illuminating the ways in which intensified faculty-student connections and enriched student work have emerged in our digital environment.

Remote Extracurricular Activities

ArtCenter is more than classes—we have always offered programs outside the classroom to enrich our students’ educational experience. In true ArtCenter fashion we have embraced the opportunities available to us in this unique time and have lined up a virtual program that is more than just a duplication of what we traditionally offer on campus. Here is just some of what has been scheduled already.

ArtCenter’s Hackathon Club has organized a 1-week remote design challenge in collaboration with Designmatters,  Entrepreneurship and Professional Practice, Caltech and UCLA that starts this weekend. The event will give participants the opportunity to experiment with design solutions addressing the following three timely topics: remote collaboration, health, and education. The focus of this design challenge is not limited to the current COVID-19 crisis. The goal is to develop ideas that also apply to future global catastrophes.

The Summer Salon lecture series, hosted by the Hoffmitz-Milken Typography Center (HMCT) and the Graphic Design department, is already getting noticed for the impressive line-up of typography and graphic design stars on the schedule. London Calling, a lecture series also hosted by HMCT, is running in parallel. 

The Center for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) is offering an Instagram Live series called Live with 5 where they chat with creative professionals about their unique career paths as well as cultural representation in their respective industries.

The calendar is also already filling up with a wide variety of workshop opportunities—everything from the digital skills workshops to time management to learning about adjuncting. Some workshops require enrollment in the no credit course and some allow you to zoom in without reserving a space. See the Master Calendar for details.

Many of our regular services are available online. The Center for Advising and Academic Success is offering both one on one scheduled appointments and a virtual drop in service for the Summer term. Students can also access counseling services virtually by visiting the Campus Counseling Inside page.

Also, although all courses and learning outcomes are designed for remote learning, and there is no expectation that students are local, some of the facilities are offering drop off and pick up services. To find out more, visit The Shops and the Copy Center pages on Inside ArtCenter and information about the Student Store here.