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A Collaborative Environment

Internationally recognized visiting artists work closely with participants of Kent Blossom Art Intensives in group and one-on-one experiences, and offer lectures, technical demonstrations and share the same studio spaces as participants in a collaborative environment. Participants are encouraged to work on their individual practices and often provide each other with working feedback on in-progress projects.  

An Opportunity for Wide-Ranging Artists

Kent Blossom Art Intensives welcomes all visual artists who practice art, including K-12 and university educators. For some educators, attending this intensive means learning new skills for their personal practice, and passing them along to their students.  

Alycia Roach, a high school art teacher of 20 years for Warrensville Heights High School, participated in the jewelry/metals/enameling intensive. She gained the opportunity to pass along new skills to her students which will enhance their learning in the K-12 environment.  

“When I do anything in terms of education for myself, I try to see how I can use it in my classroom,” said Roach. "Andrew Kuebeck and I have already talked about how to use some things that I’ve learned here and transfer them to my high school classroom.”

An Abundance of Resources

During this two-week intensive, Kent Blossom Art Intensive participants receive access to a plethora of resources, facilitated by the Kent State School of Art.

Denise Buckley, a retired art teacher from Hawken School, noted the spacious firing kilns made available.

“I signed up to do this because I can only fit pieces 22 inches high in my kiln at home," Buckley said. "I wanted to work larger in one piece, and [Kent State has] the facilities that allow me to do that.”

Improving through Constructive Critique

Over the last days of Kent Blossom Art Intensives, artists often gather their works to be critiqued by guest artists, faculty and each other. The workshop participants will continue their work after the intensives have ended, renewed with fresh skills and inspiration.  

A Whole Body of Work

In some cases, artists will create or begin whole new bodies of work in just two weeks. Participants use this time to launch artwork that explores new or continuing themes and expand on past ideas.   

 For undergraduate ceramics student Sarah Espenschied, this time meant the opportunity to explore ideas for her B.F.A. senior thesis project. 

"I am about to go into my senior year,” said Espenschied, "and [Professor Anna Kruse] told me that [KBAI] would help me explore my ideas before thesis."

About Kent Blossom Art Intensives

Kent Blossom Art Intensives (KBAI) are a series of two-week studio art intensives conducted each summer since 1968 at 5X����. 

Similar to an artist residency, participants create a self-directed body of artwork under the guidance of resident School of Art faculty and talented visual artists from around the country. These studio intensives offer in-depth discussions, professional mentorships and unforgettable experiences to all that participate.

Each course is specific to one medium and the offerings change annually. KBAI provides students and individual artists with two weeks of focused learning, experimentation and creation under the guidance of experienced artists from around the country. Students may continue their explorations of the medium most familiar to them; experienced artists are equally encouraged to discover new modes of creating.  We are proud to invite an outstanding roster of visiting artists to complement the instructional insights of our resident faculty. Visiting artists also present public talks on their work, giving KBAI participants and the greater public an opportunity to learn more about contemporary issues and ideas in the visual arts.

Enrollment is open to undergraduate and graduate students at any college or university as well as individual artists. Participants must have an intermediate understanding of the medium to enroll.

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