Adult Arts
Center
Step into the breathtaking natural landscape of the Idyllwild Arts campus and embark on a transformative creative journey within a welcoming community of passionate artists. Our Adult Summer Program offerings allow you to immerse yourself in your craft, expand your knowledge, gain inspiration, and establish meaningful connections in an idyllic setting.
H.O.T. Clay & Ceramics
Originating in 1994, H.O.T. Clay (Hand-Built Or Thrown) workshops at Idyllwild Arts have captured the spirit of creativity and craftsmanship inspired by the vision of Lora Steere’s first sculpture workshop at the inception of the Summer Program in the early 1950s, with small class sizes to maximize interaction with faculty in the company of Fred Olsen, Shiro Otani, Susan Peterson, Maria Martinez, Patti Warashina, Lana Wilson, Ingrid Lilligren, and Jeff Oestreich. Designed for adult students eager to learn new techniques or refine their skills, each week-long workshop offers a vibrant, hands-on journey including faculty demonstrations, insightful lectures, and ample studio time, concluding with an exciting kiln unloading and culminating exhibition.
Metals Week
This comprehensive week-long immersion into the world of metals is carefully curated to enhance your creative artistic journey. Engage in enriching classroom sessions led by seasoned metalsmiths and jewelers, featuring captivating demonstrations, insightful lectures, and visually stimulating presentations. Intimate class sizes foster optimal interaction between participants and instructors.
Writers Week
Idyllwild Arts has long been a gathering place for some of the world’s finest poets and writers, among them Natalie Diaz, Ben Lerner, Victoria Chang, Ed Skoog, Terrance Hayes, Dana Levin, Willie Perdomo, Angela Morales, Allison Hedge Coke, and many others. This beloved annual celebration of the written word brings writers from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences to work with talented and award-winning faculty in Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Environmental Writing, and Screenwriting. Participants will refine their work, learn new craft techniques, generate new ideas, and continue to grow their practice as they participate in workshops, attend craft talks, readings, and build community with other writers. The experience culminates in a final reading.
Native American Arts
Since 1950, Idyllwild Arts has explored and celebrated Native American Arts in the heart of Cahuilla country. We welcome you to join us for a wide variety of thought-provoking workshops that stimulate conversations, empower creative contributions, and strengthen community by continuing the great legacy of Indigenous art forms including weaving, beadwork, pottery, basketry, jewelry, and much more. Many of these workshops coincide with the annual Native American Arts Festival Week, designed to enhance and add depth to the Summer Program workshop experience. The week-long festival provides a provocative learning experience by bringing together distinguished artists, scholars, and cultural specialists to present performances, demonstrations, films, exhibitions, showcases, and the popular Michael Kabotie Lecture Series.