Idyllwild Arts Academy Explained

Idyllwild Arts Academy
Streetaddress:	52500 Temecula Road
Zipcode:	92549
Established:	1946
Type:	Private, day and boarding Specialist arts school
Gender:	Coeducational
Grades:	9–12, Post-Graduate
President:	Pamela Jordan
Head Of School:	Jason Hallowbard
Dean:	Eric Bolton
Enrollment:	311
Enrollment As Of:	2018^[1]
Campus Size:	205acres
Affiliations:	The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS)

Idyllwild Arts Academy is a private school located in Idyllwild, in the San Jacinto Mountains and San Bernardino National Forest, within western Riverside County, California. The school was founded in 1946. It was previously known as Idyllwild School of Music and the Arts.^[2] Joy in the Making (1967) is a documentary about its summer arts program made by filmmaker Virginia Garner, who became a Trustee Emeritus of the Board of Governors and Trustees of the Idyllwild Arts Foundation.

Academics

It offers a college preparatory program for grades 9–12 and post-graduates, with training in music, theater, dance, visual art, creative writing, film, and interdisciplinary arts. An audition or portfolio is required for admission.

It was the first independent boarding high school for the arts in the western United States.

Idyllwild Arts Academy offers programs including music, visual arts, theatre, creative writing, dance, fashion design, film & digital media, and interdisciplinary arts. Outside of the regular school year, Idyllwild Arts Academy offers summer workshops that include Jazz in the Pines, ESL, Native American Arts.^[3]

Notable alumni

• Casey Abrams, American Idol season 10 contestant and musician^[4]
• Clayton Alexander, inventor.^[5]
• Amanda Aday, actress.^{[6] [7]}
• Neal Bledsoe, actor on Smash and Ugly Betty.^[8]
• Douwe Blumberg, sculptor.^{[9] [10]}
• Evan Christopher, clarinetist.^{[11] [12]}
• Shepard Fairey, artist.^{[13] [14]}
• Joel Gennari, Artist. Emmy Award-winning puppet builder for The Jim Henson Company. Book illustrator for Soman Chainani, Victoria Aveyard, & Harper Collins
• Greer Grammer, actress^[15]
• Trevor Hall, musician.^[16]
• Celeste Headlee, author and radio host ^[17]
• Marin Ireland, actress^[18]
• Aaron Lee Tasjan, musician.
• Nate Lowman, artist.
• Jennifer Missoni, actress.^[19]
• Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor and pianist^[20]
• Liang Wang, oboeist^[21]
• Mara Wilson, actress.^[22]

Notable faculty

• Lisa Adams, painter
• Suzanne Jackson, visual artist and dancer
• Michael Kabotie, Hopi silversmith^[23]
• Bella Lewitzky, Modern dancer and founding chair of the Dance Department at Idyllwild Arts Academy (1956–1972).^[24]
• Mary Stone McLendon, Chickasaw artist and educator.
• Eleonore Schoenfeld, cellist and longtime professor at University of Southern California (USC) at the Thornton School of Music.^[25]

In popular culture

In the television series The Fosters the character Brandon Foster attends a summer program in piano competition at Idyllwild.

Author Justin Cronin confirmed on Twitter that Idyllwild Arts Academy eventually becomes the community called First Colony in his book The Passage as humanity tries to survive one hundred years into a vampire apocalypse.^[26]

External links

• • The Association of Boarding Schools profile

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Notes and References

1. Web site: School Profile 2018. idyllwildarts.org.
2. Web site: Edmond authors gather at book fair Saturday. Coburn. James. The Edmond Sun. en. 2020-04-24.
3. Web site: Explore Idyllwild Arts Academy. 2021-11-02. Niche. en.
4. Web site: Casey Abrams Makes the Jump from Idyllwild to Burbank. Gawecki. Marcia. August 2013. Palm Springs Life. 2013-08-01.
5. Web site: Clayton Alexander – Alumni of Idyllwild Arts. en. 2020-03-05.
6. Web site: Seminar Series. IIFC. Women in Independent Film and Television. Idyllwild Town Crier. 25 November 2013.
7. Web site: IDYLLWILD: Seven decades later, arts program still 'changing lives'. 2016-03-20. Press Enterprise. en-US. 2020-04-24.
8. Web site: Wesson. Gail. Idyllwild: Arts School Leader Retires. The Press Enterprise. 14 June 2011.
9. Web site: About the Artist. Blumberg. Douwe. Douwe Studios. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150814224642/http://douwestudios.com/about.html. 2015-08-14.
10. Web site: Gross. Julie. William Shatner tours the Frazier Museum and brings a 200lb bronze friend. Louisville.com. 16 May 2012.
11. Web site: Independent Ear. The. Heard Evan Christopher Yet?. Open Sky Jazz. 5 February 2010.
12. Web site: Christopher. Evan. About Evan Christopher. Clarinet Road. 26 November 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131119075942/http://clarinetroad.com/about_ec. 19 November 2013. dead.
13. Web site: Wesson. Gail. Idyllwild: Artist Shepard Fairey shares inspiration behind work. The Press Enterprise. 11 February 2012.
14. Web site: Shepard Fairey - The Giant: The Definitive Obey Giant Site . The Giant . 2013-09-02.
15. Web site: QAmbassador. Los Angelenos. conciergequestionnaire.com. 4 October 2012.
16. News: Aguilar. Ashleen. Artist Spotlight: Trevor Hall. The Daily of the University of Washington. 28 January 2010.
17. Web site: Celeste Headlee – Alumni of Idyllwild Arts. en. 2020-03-05.
18. Web site: Rizzo. Frank. Reasons to Admire Marin Ireland. The Courant. 7 June 2009.
19. Web site: Jennifer Missoni. 2010-11-02. Vogue.it. en. 2020-04-24.
20. News: Kelly. Cynthia. A Birthday Tune for Idyllwild Arts. LA Times. 1 March 2014. 18 January 1997.
21. News: Wakin. Daniel J.. Pilgrim With an Oboe, Citizen of the World. The New York Times. 8 April 2007 . 8 April 2007.
22. Web site: Wilson. Mara. Brushes with Greatness. marawilsonwritesstuff.com. 10 March 2013.
23. Book: Benesh, Carolyn. A Trickster For the Arts. Ornament Magazine. 2010. San Marcos, CA. 34–37.
24. Web site: Bella Lewitzky. Jewish Women's Archive (JWA). 2020-04-24.
25. Web site: Eleonore Schoenfeld: A Life of Elegance. Thornton School of Music, USC. 19 June 2014. en-US. 2020-04-24.
26. 1091435037789220864. jccronin. You nailed it. My wife and I taught ESL there one summer in the early 90s. . 1 February 2019.