The unique attraction of this program is its focus on the arts. It is designed for students wishing to develop their interests and talents in areas such as the studio arts (drawing, painting, photography, bookbinding, printmaking, sculpture, fashion design illustration, ceramics, etc.), art history, and dance while experiencing another culture. The success of the program is intimately linked to its location: Paris is undoubtedly one of the most exciting places in the world for people in the arts due to its unique combination of historical resources, professional instruction, and public commitment to art and culture. Its incomparable art collections are displayed in more than thirty museums, while any street corner may inspire the photographer, the painter, the colorist. As many as 300 films from around the world are shown each week in the city’s numerous cinemas and cinémathèques.

The Arts in Paris program is geared to take advantage of this richness by utilizing the museums, galleries, parks, and attractions as an integral part of its course instruction. Classes are conducted whenever possible in museums, studios, and historic sites throughout the city and in surrounding areas such as Chartres, Versailles, St. Denis, and Giverny. The program offers a unique opportunity to pursue both theory and practice by combining courses in the history of the fine and performing arts with extensive studio work; numerous visits of museums, galleries, artists’ studios, and historic sites; and field trips in, around, and outside of Paris.