Every summer, our faculty of professional artists and educators guide over 270 of Kentucky’s finest young artists through three weeks of incredibly intense (and incredibly fun) arts instruction. For three weeks, the students live, breathe, eat and sleep the arts. It’s a thrilling, often life-changing experience, as they meet new friends, explore their creativity, and discover new things about who they are and who they can be in the future.

GSA auditions & reviews the Commonwealth’s most promising high school sophomores and juniors in ten different arts disciplines: Architecture + Design, Creative Writing, Dance, Drama, Film + Photography, Graphic Design, Instrumental Music, Musical Theatre, Visual Art and Vocal Music.

In order to be considered for the Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts, students must meet the following selection criteria:

• Currently be a sophomore or junior in high school or home school.
• Live, attend school, or have a parent/ guardian who works in Kentucky.
• Complete the application by the due date in January. GSA will not consider incomplete applications. There is a fee for applying: $35 for one art form/$50 for two art forms. Students that receive free and reduced lunch have the option to waive the fee.
• Complete the Recommendation Process as part of the Preliminary Round application.
• If selected as a finalist, complete the Final Round in March.

GSA is offered at no cost to the student, and is made available through funding from the state, as well as private fundraising.

Each fall, GSA hosts a series of informational webinars to help students, parents, educators, and arts supporters learn more about the program and application process. To view a full schedule of webinars for this fall, click the button below. 

Webinar Schedule