Cal Poly Pomona to Host Prestigious Summer Arts Program for California Teens
Cal Poly Pomona will be the new host site for the California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA) beginning in July 2026. The new partnership will bring 500 highly talented California teens to campus for a month-long, residential training program in the visual and performing arts, creative writing, architecture, animation and film.
The summer program is one of several new partnerships that the College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences (CLASS) and the College of Environmental Design have established to highlight CPP as one of Southern California’s most dynamic hubs for arts education, cultural engagement and creative collaboration.
“Our campus is becoming a place where high school students discover their artistic voices, college students work alongside professional mentors, and practitioners train and develop the next generation of artists and creative professionals,” said Camille Johnson, dean of CLASS.
Established by California Legislature in 1985, CSSSA is the premier pre-professional training program for high school artists in California, empowering them to pursue their artistic passions while preparing for a successful future.
The new partnership expands the program’s artistic facilities with Cal Poly Pomona providing both intimate and grand settings for learning and performing, with performance stages large and small, state-of-the-art equipment and facilities throughout campus and as well as a recently opened residence hall.
These amenities provide the CSSSA with its first opportunity in many years to expand into new artistic disciplines, such as architecture and environmental design, that are reflective of the creative industries in California.
Cal Poly Pomona was selected as the host site after a highly competitive proposal evaluation, which included several outstanding public and private college campuses.
For CPP, the partnership offers an opportunity for highly talented students to learn about the university. There will also be opportunities for some staff and faculty to work in the program.
“Partnering with Cal Poly Pomona is a new and exciting perspective for CSSSA. The polytechnic approach aligns closely with CSSSA’s mission and the needs of California’s creative industry workforce as well as foster the interdisciplinary mindset, and innovative problem-solving abilities demanded by the state’s rapidly evolving cultural and creative sectors,” said Donna Casey, CSSSA co-founder and current board member.
Cal Poly Pomona, which is part of the California State University system, is the nation’s No. 1 polytechnic university for diversity and economic mobility.
For more information about the California State Summer School for the Arts, visit the CSSSA website.
By Cynthia Peters with contributions by Nell Horowitz and Jonathan Kwok