The Kentucky Governor's School for the Arts (GSA) is a three-week summer program for rising juniors and seniors in the state of

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

originally established in 1987 by the Kentucky Center (now Kentucky Performing Arts), the

Commonwealth of Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

, and numerous private supporters. In 2017, more than 1700 students auditioned for 256 student spots. In 2023, more than 500 students attended. By 2024, the program counted more than 8000 alumni, with graduates from every Kentucky county. Since 2019, GSA has been located at the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

Lexington, KY Lexington is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city coterminous with and the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the city's population was 322,570, making it the List of ...

. The program is free for students to attend. Nearly 30 universities across the commonwealth and outside Kentucky offer

scholarship A scholarship is a form of Student financial aid, financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, Multiculturalism, diversity and inclusion, athleti ...

s to GSA alumni. Selected applicants are divided into nine different art forms (which the program calls "disciplines"). Students may apply in two, but are only accepted for one. An average of about 28 students throughout the state are selected for each discipline, emphasizing the selectivity of the program's recruitment of prospective young artists. Attendance is free.

Disciplines

* Architecture + design *

Creative writing Creative writing is any writing that goes beyond the boundaries of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified by an emphasis on craft and technique, such as narrative structure, character ...

Dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

Drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

* Film & photography *

Instrumental music An instrumental or instrumental song is music without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer t ...

Musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...

Visual arts The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics (art), ceramics, photography, video, image, filmmaking, design, crafts, and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual a ...

Vocal music Vocal music is a type of singing performed by one or more singers, either with instrumental accompaniment, or without instrumental accompaniment (a cappella), in which singing provides the main focus of the piece. Music which employs singing but ...

ArtShops

Each fall, ArtShops are offered in several locations across the state. Begun in 1997, these ArtShops typically take the form of masterclasses for each of the disciplines.

References

{{reflist Education in Kentucky Gifted education 1987 establishments in Kentucky Educational institutions established in 1987

Disciplines

ArtShops

See also

References