We're continuing to review applications! You're going to love being a Saxon, and we would be so happy to have you.
This program has reached the maximum number of participants. We apologize for the inconvenience. If you would like to be placed on the wait list, please contact Isaac Matson. If not, consider registering for another Pre-College Program.
July 12 to July 17, 2026
This pre-college program is an intensive for high school rising sophomores, juniors and seniors preparing portfolios for art school admissions and for those thinking about entering an art program. The five days will develop students’ concepts and skills to strengthen their portfolios. This program will focus on color. Students will use a wide variety of materials to learn through experience how color interacts with material and form to create experiences for viewers. Students will create a minimum of 2 finished works for their portfolios, as well as be introduced to art work planning and development. Both 2D and 3D formats will be explored. Work documentation for portfolio presentation will be covered.
High School level; Beginners Encouraged
Program Cost: $1,000
Program Deposit: $100
This pricing includes tuition, materials, meals, and housing. All housing and meals will take place here on Alfred University’s campus.
We are pleased to offer a $100 discount off tuition for students whose primary residence is within a fifty-mile radius of Alfred, New York, as well as for children of Alfred University Alumni and returning students from any Pre-College Program at Alfred University. Please contact Pre-College Programs Coordinator Isaac Matson for details.
Zihao Chen’s artistic practice centers on abstract painting, extending into drawing and hand-papermaking. Through the language of abstraction, his work explores how personal memory, cultural identity, and political tension shape individual experience. Abstract forms and material gestures become vessels for psychological and sociopolitical complexity, revealing the emotional turbulence and contradictions embedded in contemporary life. Zihao currently serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Foundations at Alfred University.
Alfred University is located in the peaceful village of Alfred in Western New York State, where summer days are warm and nights are cool and comfortable. Surrounded by rolling hills and beautiful meadows and valleys, Alfred University is the perfect place to spend an enjoyable week learning more about your favorite subject and meeting other students who share your passions!
The campus, a 6-hour drive from New York City, 2 hours from Buffalo and 1 1/4 hours from Rochester, is easily accessible by car or bus from all directions and is located just five miles south of Interstate 86. The nearest major airport is the Rochester International Airport (about 65 miles north). Transportation to and from that airport can be provided for an additional charge if we receive your request by the date indicated in your acceptance notification. After that date students must make their own arrangements with an airport limo service.
The University may cancel any course or activity at any time because of insufficient enrollment or other unforeseen circumstances. If a program is canceled or postponed, the University will refund registration fees, but cannot be held responsible for other costs, charges, or expenses, including cancellation/change charges assessed by airlines or travel agencies.
Whether considering candidates for admission or financial aid, applicants for employment or the management of its policies and school-administered programs, Alfred University does not discriminate on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, age, race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, or disability. Alfred University is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer.
