University of North Texas 
Get a glimpse of college life and discover your potential in art and design!
Attention, high school students, get a head start on your creative future at UNT CVAD!
A group of newly made friends in Creative U show their spirit in "Find me at CVAD" T-shirts.
Important Note: Enrollment for CU 2026 will begin in January.
Sessions
June 1–5 and
June 8–12
This page is under construction! More information and details will be available soon!
Schedule
June 1–5, 2026
Session 1: Morning, 9 a.m.–noon
Build Your Own Brand Identity
Graphic Design — Create a brand that’s totally you or invent a fictional one with style. In this fast-paced design sprint, you’ll craft a monogram logo, build a mood board, choose your brand colors, and design a few key pieces like social assets, stickers, or merch mockups. It’s a perfect intro to visual identity design, and a great way to explore what makes a brand stand out.
Instructor: Whitney Holden
Art Building, Room 313
In the Mouth of The Dragon: The Art of Enameling
Metalsmithing & Jewelry — Add a pop of color to your life with this jewelry-making adventure! Discover the ancient art of enameling as you fuse vibrant glass onto copper to create beautiful, wearable pieces. Learn basic metalsmithing, pattern stenciling, and drawing techniques to make your jewelry truly stand out.
Instructor: Sarah Loch-Test
Art Building, Room 172
From the Press to the Wall
Printmaking: This workshop will explore the creation of wheatpasted murals using 1–2 layer relief prints, inspired by contemporary artists like Swoon, Killjoy, and Dennis McNett.
Instructor: Clarissa Gonzalez
Art Building, Room 275
Session 2: Afternoon, 1:30–4:30 p.m.
Design Your Own App
Graphic Design — Ever wondered how your favorite apps are actually made? In this workshop, you’ll design and prototype your own mobile app using Figma, the same tool used by real UX/UI designers. You’ll create tappable screens, simple animations, and an interactive experience right on your phone. No coding required. Bring your ideas, creativity, and curiosity about how digital products come to life.
Instructor: Whitney Holden
Art Building, Room 313
From Page to Possibility: Stitch & Fold Bookbinding
Book Arts — Discover the art of bookmaking in this hands-on workshop! You’ll learn bookbinding techniques like Japanese stab binding, French link stitch, tunnel books, and accordion folds to create your own one-of-a-kind sketchbook or artist’s book. Experiment with various types of papers, structures, designs and storytelling techniques. Get ready to fold, stitch and get creative!
Instructor: Marcela Reyes
Art Building, Room 266
The Art of Pulp and Potential
Papermaking — Learn how to transform old newspapers, magazine scraps, and party streamers into pulp that can be used to sculpt, papier-mache, and make sheets of paper for drawing or printing. This workshop will focus on the techniques and steps needed to make paper at home with minimal tools and experience, while also being accessible to all budgets.
Instructor: Max Raign
Art Building, Room 153
June 8–12, 2026
Session 1: Morning, 9 a.m.–noon
Digital, Traditional Illustration Studio
Communication Design: Explore Digital + Analog Art. Level up your illustration skills using Adobe Fresco and Photoshop while mixing in analogue techniques like a pro. You’ll learn some of the “secret tricks” professional illustrators use to add depth, character, and polish to their work. By the end of the week, you’ll create a small collection of finished art prints that’s ready to display or gift.
Instructor: Whitney Holden
Art Building, Room 313
Design Your Dream Dorm Room with SketchUp
Interior Design: Plan a dorm room with the SketchUp app — no prior experience needed. Students will place to-scale beds, desks, and storage; experiment with wall colors and decor; and test layouts. We’ll emphasize clear walkways, shared-space strategies, and simple tweaks that make a small room work.
Instructor: Wei Sun
Art Building, Room 262
Creature of Me: Hybrid Stuffed Animals as Self-Portraits
Design and create a soft sculpture of a hybridized animal that reflects your personality, imagination, and artistic voice. Through metaphorical and material exploration, you will develop a symbolic creature that expresses aspects of who you are. Using hand stitching, embroidery, and beginner-friendly textile methods that require no prior experience or specialized tools, you will bring the creature to life in the form of a stuffed animal sculpture that functions as a tactile self-portrait.
Instructor: Kate Arrows Enoire
Art Building, Room 384
Session 2: Afternoon, 1:30–4:30 p.m.
Spin It: Create Your Own Album Cover
Graphic Design: Design an album cover that looks ready for the record store wall. In this workshop, you’ll reimagine an existing album or dream up a brand-new band and create the full 12” vinyl sleeve using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. You’ll learn how imagery, typography, and layout shape a musician’s identity, and you’ll leave with a printed, full-scale album cover that feels like part of a real discography.
Instructor: Whitney Holden
Art Building, Room 313
Creating with Light: Exploring the Cyanotype Process
Photography: Discover one of the oldest and coolest ways to make images! In this workshop, you’ll learn how to create photograms and make your own cyanotype prints! This workshop is a space for translating light into form, where experimentation and intuition guide images into being.
Instructor: Kate Arrows Enoire
Art Building, Room 384
Comic and Zine Exploration
Communication Design: For those who are interested in exploring storytelling and graphic visuals! Explore compositional flow, narrative, and sequential imagery by creating comics and zines with a variety of drawing supplies and methods, including pencil, ink, watercolor, and collage.
Instructor: Jordan Black
Art Building, Room TBA
Non-Residential Summer Experience
As the CVAD Precollegiate Summer Experience does not provide on-campus residential
options, we invite those from out of the area to spend a week in the vibrant arts
city of Denton — Discover Denton! Here is a list of possible hotels.
- Hilton Garden Inn Denton
- Courtyard by Marriott Denton
- Best Western Plus Denton Inn & Suites
- La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Denton
- Hampton Inn & Suites Denton
- Comfort Suites Denton
- Days Inn by Wyndham Denton
- Super 8 by Wyndham Denton
- Motel 6 Denton
- Homewood Suites by Hilton Denton
Parking: Free
Creative U students enjoy free parking. A digital parking pass, included in the orientation
packet, must be displayed on the car's dashboard. This packet will be sent out two
to three weeks before the start of Creative U.
Lunch Possibilities
Lunch is not included in the session fees, but CVAD has many options on campus and
within a five-minute walking distance of the Art Building. Visit the Denton Eateries webpage for possibilities.
Participants who plan to remain on campus between the morning and afternoon sessions,
from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., will have a designated room available in the Art Building
that will be supervised. Students can bring their lunch and work on their art and
design projects. We also plan to have scheduled activities during this time, including
tours of the Art Building, the UNT campus, and the UNT Libraries' Rare Book Room,
as well as opportunities to meet with the CVAD College Recruiter.
Tuition, Registration, Payment Options
Due to underwriting from a generous corporate donor, the 2026 sessions are offered
to all students at a deeply discounted rate of $225 per session, instead of their actual cost of $450 per session.
Registration | Important Note: Enrollment ends on May 23, 2026, at 5 p.m.
Please register online using the Creative U Registration Form available below. Should you have questions, please email CreativeU@unt.edu or call 940-565-4606.
Tuition Payment Options
By Credit Card.
Option 1: Pay in full.
Pay in full upon registration with a credit card. Instructions are in the Registration
Form.
Flexible Payment Option
Option 2: Not available after April 1.
Please pay by credit card after April 1.
Refunds, Cancellations
- Cancellations received by April 18, 2026, will receive a 100% refund, less a $50 deposit processing fee.
- Cancellations received between April 19 and May 16, 2026, will be eligible for a 50% refund, minus a $50 deposit processing fee.
- No refunds will be issued on or after May 17, 2026.
- Questions? Contact CreativeU@unt.edu or call 940-565-4606.
Note: Should you need reasonable accommodation because of a disability to fully participate in a CVAD event, please contact the CVAD Dean's Office, cvad@unt.edu, 940-565-4001. Please make the request as soon as possible to allow sufficient time to arrange the accommodation.
About CVAD
Karen Hutzel, Ph.D., Dean and Professor of Art Education
The College of Visual Arts and Design is led by Dean Karen Hutzel, Ph.D., a professor of Art Education, and is considered one of the nation's best and most comprehensive visual arts schools. The CVAD programs include a nationally ranked graduate fine arts program, a graphic design program ranked first in the Southwest and the state's only Ph.D. in art education. CVAD offers 16 undergraduate and 13 graduate degree programs, a graduate certificate program and concentrations ranging from Art History to Communication Design to Studio Art, including eight programs with minor fields of study.
About UNT
UNT is one of the nation's largest public research universities with nearly 41,000 students. Ranked a Tier One research university by the Carnegie Classification, UNT is a catalyst for creativity, fueling progress, innovation and entrepreneurship for the North Texas region and the state. UNT students earned more than 10,000 degrees last year from its 14 colleges and schools. The university offers 116 bachelor's, 87 master's, and 39 doctoral degree programs, many of which are recognized both nationally and internationally.
