About Us
The Outreach Pre-College Program was formed in 1992 to extend the Summer Art Program taught and administered by School of Art faculty. Outreach continues to be a full scholarship, year–round program for New York City area high school students, grades 10-12, and is ideal preparation for students interested in pursuing a degree in art. Studio classes include: introduction to drawing, printmaking, photography, two-dimensional design, three-dimensional design, as well as courses that investigate creative writing and contemporary art issues⎯that is, what compels artists to make work today? This program serves the needs of students who would most benefit from portfolio development and a fully funded education. The curriculum is designed to harness the talent and promise of New York’s youth.
Students are admitted to the Outreach Program through a portfolio interview conducted on-campus prior to each seasonal course.
All classes are taught by college level faculty who are professional artists and poets, and are assisted by Cooper Union undergraduates. Enrollment is limited to 18 students per class to ensure lots of constructive time spent with the instructors. Classes take place in Cooper’s iconic building (at Astor Place), but also include opportunities to visit museums, galleries, and artist studios throughout the city to further enrich the student’s experience.
Each session ends with a celebration of students’ work in an exhibition at the Cooper Union as well as a reading to showcase the poetry students create in their writing workshops. After the session each student is represented in an anthology featuring their best works.
For more information on the Outreach Program, call 212-353-4202 or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Outreach Instructors and Staff
Stephanie Hightower is the director of the Outreach Program (since 1992) and teaches Drawing, Two-Dimensional Design, and Contemporary Art Issues. Ms. Hightower has taught Painting and Visual Thinking at Fordham University and the University of Connecticut. She has exhibited at numerous venues and is represented by the Cheryl McGinnis Gallery in New York. Ms. Hightower was the recipient of the Barbara White Fellowship at The Vermont Studio Center (2003), the BRIO Excellence in the Arts Grant (1990), and The Millay Colony for the Arts Studio / Research Fellowship (1989). Education: MFA in Painting (Minor in Art Criticism) Pratt Institute (1987); BFA University of Dallas (1982)
Ania Soliman is the Faculty Advisor, she oversees recruitment and is instructor for Introduction to Drawing, Two-Dimensional Design, and Portfolio Workshop. Ms. Soliman was selected for the Whitney Independent Program and Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. Her work has been in exhibitions at that the Drawing Center and Artists Space. She was also awarded the Laurenz Haus residency in Basel, Switzerland for the year 2009-2010. Education: MA Columbia University; BA Harvard University
Pablo Diaz, is the Outreach Program Coordinator, he has been involved with Outreach as a high school student, undergraduate teaching assistant, and recruiting representative. Mr. Diaz is a painter and printmaker, as well as a technician at the Cooper Union Typography Shop. Previously, he has worked as an artist assistant at Two Palms Press and as a portfolio-prep teacher at Juan M. Campos High School in Brooklyn. Mr. Diaz’ studio is located at The Crane Street Studios in Long Island City where he has exhibited in group shows the past 2 years. Education: BFA, Cooper Union
Cara DiEdwardo teaches Introduction to Printmaking and Two-Dimensional Design Ms. DiEdwardo has been an adjunct printmaking professor at Cooper Union since 1991. She has taught college-level courses in papermaking, calligraphy, and etching. Ms. DiEdwardo also serves on the admissions committee and represents Cooper Union at National Portfolio Reviews across the country. Education: Post graduate study at Kyoto Seika University; BFA, Cooper Union (1985); Undergraduate studies in Foreign Language, Biology, and Chemistry at Hunter College, NY (1991-1993).
Jennifer Williams teaches Introduction to Photography. She currently teaches Alternative Processes and Photo 1 at The Cooper Union as well as Digital Photography and Photo 1 at Queens College. She has been exhibited in the US and in Europe. Her current work utilizes haphazardly piled debris which routinely materializes as temporary curbside “installations” before being dismantled and destroyed the next morning as “trash”. These moments become the raw material for her work; their shapes and colors become a language of marks that transcend their origins and purpose. Through the diverse use of collage: meticulously cut out compositions, wheat-pasted street interventions, and monotone photographic drawings (cyanotypes), her work creates a language freed from gravity and purpose. Currently she is the jurors choice in the upcoming “Fourth Annual Alternative Processes Show” at Soho Photo Gallery in November, and her work will be displayed in the “New Works Gallery Online” gallery at silvereye.org October – December. Please see jennifer-williams.com for her portfolio. Portfolio Website: http://www.jennifer-williams.com Education: MA, Goldsmiths College, London, England; BFA, Cooper Union
Dave Johnson has taught the Creative Writing Workshop for Outreach since 2000 and is the senior editor (with Stephanie Hightower) for all publications. Outside of Cooper Union, Mr. Johnson teaches “The Language of Music: A Poetry Workshop” at Yale University and “After the MFA: Teaching The Creative Writing Workshop” and “Poetry: Language of Music” at The New School University. One of the three full-length plays by Mr. Johnson, Baptized to the Bone (published by Dramatists Books, New York, 2004), was performed in Dallas, Texas (2004) and in Connecticut and New York (2003). He is also the author of Marble Shoot (The Hummingbird Press, Wake Forest University), a book of poems (1996). Education: MFA in Writing from Columbia University; BA in Literature and Theater Arts from Wake Forest University.
John Kavalos teaches Drawing for the Outreach Program. His work has been exhibited extensively and he has been the recipient of numerous awards including a fellowship from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation (1998), a painting fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts (1986), and a painting fellowship from the Yale School of Art at Norfolk (1975). Education: MFA in Painting, Tyler School of Art, Temple University, PA; BFA in Painting, Syracuse University, NY
Jane Kent teaches the 4-Week Drawing Intensive. Her work has been seen in numerous group and solo exhibitions. Ms. Kent has taught at a number of universities, including Princeton, Columbia, Brown, and Rhode Island School of Design. She is currently Professor of Printmaking with the University of Vermont. In 2003, she collaborated with author Susan Orlean to produced The Orchid Thief - Reimagined. Ms. Kent’s solo exhibition, “Privacy,” was held at the Mississippi Museum of Art (2000). Ms. Kent has received many awards including a Yaddo Artist’s Fellowship (2008, 2003, 1995) and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship (1989-1990). Education: Graduate of London College of Printing; BFA University of the Arts, Philadelphia.
Christian Nguyen teaches Three-Dimensional Design and Portfolio Preparation. Mr. Nguyen is an artist based in New York City. He combines different media with historical and architectural references to create and explore the practice of making art. He is interested in the space where spirituality and ritual meet and exist in contemporary urban society. He was a resident at the Marie Walsh Sharpe Space Program where he created a series of large-scale drawings. Most recently his work was included in “In Response”, at the Wave Hill Glyndor Gallery, Summer Projects, 2008. Education: MFA Hunter College (2000); BFA Cooper Union School of Art (1990)
Mei Tei-Sing Smith teaches the 4-Week Drawing Intensive. Ms. Smith creates works in a variety of media, including monoprints, etchings and lithographs. She lives in New York City and has participated in exhibitions in New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., and the Cabo Frio International Print Biennial in Rio, Brazil. She has pieces in permanent collections of the New York City Public Library, Fisk University, and the DeCordova Museum.
David Storey teaches Drawing for the Outreach Program. Mr. Storey is a painter and printmaker who is internationally exhibited and published. His work appears in numerous collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, and the Whitney Museum. He has received many awards including a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship and Residencies with Yaddo and the Tamarind Institute. He has taught at the Cooper Union, Columbia University, the University of Iowa and Fordham University. Education; MFA University of California at Davis; BA University of California, Berkeley
Other visiting artists with the Outreach Program have included:
Sol Sax is a graduate of the Cooper Union. In 2004 he received the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship. He lives and works in Bushwick.
Zhang Hong-tu is a Chinese-born New York-based artist whose work has been shown through out the world. His mixed media conceptual paintings challenge notions of high and low art.
Willie Perdomo is a poet and teacher. He was the recipient of a New York Foundation for the Arts Fiction Grant and has been included in numerous poetry anthologies. He is the author of Where a Nickel Costs a Dime (1995). He often performs his work at the Nuyorican Poets Café.
Jeffrey Gibson is a painter and sculptor. He has worked with Outreach as both an instructor and Faculty Advisor. His work has been exhibited at the Aldrich Museum, The Museum of the American Indian, and the Kentler International Drawing Space.
Adriana Farmiga is a sculpture and teacher. Her work has been exhibited at numerous galleries and museums including: Socrates Sculpture Park, The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, and the Monya Rowe Gallery.
Mario Naves, is an artist and an art critic for the New York Observer. He has taught at the Pratt Institute, Brooklyn College, and the Ringling School of Art. He represented by Elizabeth Harris Gallery.
Roberto Visani is a sculpture who has had numerous exhibitions at venues such as the Studio Museum in Harlem, Sculpture Center, and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. In 1997 he was the recipient of a Fullbright Grant to study in Ghana.