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Program Overview
BLUR provides selected high school students an opportunity to grow in their technical skill and conceptual understanding of the arts, and explore how making art and thinking creatively can improve life.
While in residence on Sweet Briar’s picturesque campus — ranked among the most beautiful in the country — students are inspired by the natural world and aided by technology. Each participant receives an iPad to use whenever and wherever inspiration strikes: in the studio, in the campus art galleries, on a hiking trail or on the banks of Sweet Briar Lake.
Studies show that creativity is best nurtured through collaboration. Students spend two-thirds of their time working with master teachers in the “home” studio writing, making visual art or acting. They spend the other third working in an entirely different medium, collaborating with professional artists and with their peers — using iPad applications and traditional materials — to create exhibits and performances inspired by Sweet Briar’s rich natural landscape.
All students work with members of Endstation Theatre Company, Sweet Briar’s professional theater troupe-in-residence, as they design sets, run rehearsals and edit scripts for Endstation’s Blue Ridge Summer Theatre Festival, staged on locations throughout the College campus.
Daily Schedule**
6:45 a.m. | Breakfast, Monday-Saturday |
8-11:30 a.m. | Major classes, Monday-Saturday |
1-3 p.m. | Major classes, Monday-Friday; optional activities, Saturday |
3-4:45 p.m. | Free time, daily |
4:45 p.m. | Dinner, daily |
6-8:30 p.m. | Collaborative art-making, Monday-Friday, planned program activities, Saturday and Sunday |
8:45-10:30 p.m. | Recitals, readings, exhibits, guest artists, presentations, Monday-Friday; planned program activities, |
11:05 p.m. | Curfew |
**Weekend Schedule:
On Saturdays, major classes meet as usual in the morning, but the rest of the day is open. Studios are open for students who would like to work; field trips and other recreational activities are available.
Sunday is considered family visiting day. Parents/guardians may sign students out for the day. No classes are held, but studios are open for students who would like to work. Students wishing to attend religious services will be shuttled to and from the nearest congregation.
Quick Facts
When: June/July 2014
Application Deadline: TBA
Where: Sweet Briar College
Credit: 2 hours of college credit
Tracks: Creative Writing, Theater, Technical Theater, Music, Visual Arts
Cost (includes iPad): $2,995*
(*Scholarships and day student rate available)
Sponsors: Endstation Theatre Company, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts
