Residential Summer Studio

Immersive, hands-on Residential Summer Studio courses are a highlight of the online M.A. in Art Education (MAAE) program. Students who choose to participate in on-campus studio courses frequently describe them as “transformative.”

It’s a magical, surprising, and intensive week. There’s an obsessive drive to make and figure things out. Students push themselves and, as an instructor, it’s my job to push them further.

Patrick Grigsby
lecturer, University of Florida

Benefits and Features

Summer studio courses take place in July on the university’s main campus in Gainesville, FL, and are focused short-term courses. We typically offer students a choice between two different course offerings per session. Summer studio courses include Sketchbook Development, Ceramics, Big Color Monotypes, and Art as Narrative. We offer these courses on a rotating basis, often engaging students in the selection process. View a complete list of studio courses in the Course Description section on our Curriculum page.

Residential Summer Studio courses provide you with the opportunity to:

Focus without distraction on your art practice
Create art in fully equipped, collaborative studio settings and personal studio spaces
Take graduate-level fine arts courses taught by accomplished artists
Interact in person and form lasting bonds with your peers in the program
Experience the University of Florida campus and landmarks including the Samuel P. Harn Art Museum, one of the South’s largest collegiate art museums, and the Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, a native ecosystem that is home to alligators, bison and other species.

Summer studios — you gotta, gotta, gotta go. Budget now. It’s intense. It’s real and it’s amazing.

Heather Blackmon-Gordon ‘18
online M.A. Art Education, University of Florida

Residential Summer Studio courses take place Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Students take breaks for lunch and dinner and typically work independently after dinner. Students have Sunday off between the two studios.

The program hosts a welcome dinner on the first Monday night, giving you an opportunity to meet and socialize with peers from both studio courses, the instructors, the online MAAE program director, and the director for distance education for the College of the Arts. On Thursday night, we usually hold an ice cream social.

Instructors may engage students in other activities including:

An informal walking tour of public art
Plein air drawing in the nearby State Park
Museum Nights at the Harn Museum of Art

The Summer studios are a great experience. It’s mentally and physically exhausting, but it’s also cool because you’re living the life of a working artist.

Bryce Appleton ‘17
online M.A. Art Education, University of Florida

Room and Board Options (Summer Studio)

Online MAAE students have multiple housing options that include a residence hall within short walking distance of the Fine Arts Building, as well as nearby hotels and bed and breakfast establishments.

A room in the residence hall costs $425 per week. It consists of two bedrooms, one bathroom and a small kitchenette. Linen service and wifi are included.

Students who obtain on-campus lodging can obtain a weekly parking pass for $35. Students who reside off campus can access metered spaces and paid parking facilities on campus.

Numerous restaurants on and near the University of Florida campus provide students with a wide range of dining options. Many online MAAE students find it convenient to take their meals at a university dining hall near the Fine Arts Building.

Once students enroll in the Residential Summer Studio, we provide more detailed information about housing options and other aspects of the on-campus studio experience. Additionally, the college’s director for distance education is available to guide you through the process of exploring and securing housing.