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Every year, a number of hopeful students apply for scholarships to Parsons The New School for Design, be it for summer or to continue their studies after graduation. To be selected they must fill out an application and submit their portfolios. This year, two students were selected to go and take one of the summer courses offered by the school: María González and Sulamita Javier.
Since 1983, The Altos de Chavón School of Design has been affiliated with the prestigious Parsons The New School of Design, an educational institution founded in 1896 that enjoys a great international reputation for its dedication to excellence in the fields of art and design. Parsons offers summer programs for students from grade 3 through graduate school. The students from Chavón participated in the Summer Intensive Studies programs, offered in New York, which are three week-long boot camps in art and design open to pre-college students (16 years and older) and college-level and adult students. The Summer Intensives provide academically rigorous classes in artistically stimulating environments.
Sulamita Javier chose to participate in the Design and Management course. Parsons provides the following description of the course: “The course provides an overview of topics and issues central to the Strategic Design and Management program, with an emphasis on the relationships between design, experience, and social and economic change. An intensive three-week course, it exposes students to the enormous variety of ways design functions in business contexts and helps them understand the roles designers play in creative industries through critical readings and discussions, case studies, guest lectures, field trips, and collaborative, practice-based projects. By means of research, prototyping, experimentation, self-reflection, and decision-making activities, students become resourceful practitioners and creative entrepreneurs. The intensive nature of the class results in a steep learning curve; the students’ diverse nationalities and backgrounds promote new perspectives, and the immersion in the classroom and the city fosters new friendships and experiences.”
Sulamita shared with us a few pictures of her time there; and says: “Not only do you learn a new skill or deepen your knowledge of one, but you also get to share the experience with a number of people of different backgrounds and cultures and what better place than in NYC!”
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María González chose to participate the Photography: Analog and Digital course. New York’s urban landscapes offered the students the perfect inspiration as they developed their skills in documentary and fine art photography. The class included on-site shoots, lab work, critiques, and lectures plus all work was done in black and white. You can see pictures of María’s works in the gallery below, and a quote from her experience abroad.
This summer, I had the honor of being granted a spot for an intensive course at Parsons The New School; I chose the Digital and Analog Photography: College/Adults course because it is what i will be specializing in next semester at Chavón.
We arrived on Monday July 10th for a brief orientation to start classes, and I was received by a school with impeccable and modern facilities, by friendly staff who was willing to help in every way they could, and by a group of fellow students of different ages and backgrounds. The next three weeks were full of activity and it was an excellent opportunity to reconnect with my camera and the habit of taking it everywhere. All digital and analog laboratories were always at my disposal which was of great help to complete my assignments and final project: a series of 10 photographs that we would expose in small and large format.
The final result was very gratifying; in less than a month, I had achieved a number of pieces that I was proud of and had gained the experience that I would be able to bring and use during the rest of my search of becoming a photographer.
I am very grateful for the opportunity.
– María González
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Congratulations to these students! We hope they enjoyed their time there and we encourage the rest of the student body to apply to these programs when they have the opportunity since they will benefit them in a number of ways!