Changing Lives Through The Transformative Power of Art

Idyllwild Arts Foundation

Idyllwild Arts is an intentional community that welcomes different life experiences, perspectives, identities, cultures, abilities and languages. We joyfully aspire and commit ourselves to create a safe environment in which the uniqueness of each person is valued, and everyone is seen, heard, and treated with respect. Art is the greatest teacher of humanity, and we embrace its power to develop empathetic citizens of the world. We thereby will dedicate resources and time to build an inclusive community.

Our History

Vision Statement

We recognize art as an essential solution to global challenges. Idyllwild Arts will be a thriving leader in 21st-century education with a global network of support, providing access for a diverse population of artists. We will maintain a sustainable environment worthy of our mission, and an intellectual space worthy of our students.

Cultivating Citizen Artists

Nestled amidst the breathtakingly beautiful village of Idyllwild, high in the San Jacinto mountains of Southern California, our campus serves as a peaceful respite for artists seeking to explore the depths of their creativity and join a broader creative collective. Our highest goal is to embolden and cultivate artists as inspired citizens who practice interdisciplinary thinking and undertake the intentional journey of self-discovery while finding creative fulfillment in uplifting others.

Idyllwild Arts Promise Statement

Idyllwild Arts Foundation is the intentionally-founded respite for and collective of creators envisioning the purpose and person of the artist and the artist’s role and responsibility to society.

Idyllwild Arts believes that art is the greatest teacher of humanity and that the practice of creativity, no matter the ultimate expression, hones each individual’s desire and ability to craft global change.

Because of this belief, Idyllwild Arts emboldens and cultivates the artist as:

Master teachers guide the practice of creativity and connectivity within and across all subject areas, instilling in students a well-honed and nuanced ability to think critically and holistically and to problem-solve with agility and imagination.

Idyllwild’s intimate size, scale, and deliberately secluded location provide a sanctuary for self-discovery, maintaining the space for students to undertake the journey of self-recognition while nurturing their independence and originality.

Idyllwild Arts actively curates an environment promoting collaboration over competition to move beyond mere conservatory prep. At Idyllwild Arts, each student is uplifted and supported by their peers and expected to do the same in return.

As an international, multicultural community representative of authentic and multilayered diversity, Idyllwild members engage in the earnest dialogues about identity that prove integral to becoming both world-focused citizens and their fuller selves.

Inspired by the Cahuilla land on which the community dwells, Idyllwild Arts embraces the sacredness of all spaces, both within and without. All members respect and seek the human-nature relationship daily as one rich in lessons and vital to personal and societal evolution.

Discover Our Programs

Experience a world-renowned education at Idyllwild Arts, which offers two dynamic programs where Citizen Artists develop confidence, refine their technique, and foster meaningful connections with fellow creatives under the leadership of experienced instructors:

Idyllwild Arts Academy is the country’s premier and internationally-acclaimed residential arts high school for grades 9-12 and postgraduate. We provide pre-professional training in the arts and a comprehensive college preparatory curriculum to a diverse student body of gifted young artists from all over the world.

Idyllwild Arts Summer Program provides instruction in all art disciplines through programs and workshops for all ages and abilities. Kids, teens, and adults explore their creativity in an artistic and welcoming environment.

Learn About Academy

Learn About Summer

Idyllwild Arts Land Acknowledgement

Idyllwild Arts respectfully acknowledges the Qawishpa Cahuillangnah (also known as Cahuilla Band of Indians) and all nine sovereign Bands of Cahuilla people who have stewarded this land throughout the generations and continue to steward this land for all future generations.