Swiss Institute is pleased to announce the return of our new educational offering for young adults ages 20-26. The Young Adult Arts Immersion Cohort (YAAIC) is a mobile, dynamic, experiential engagement with contemporary art designed specifically for young adults who have followed a non-traditional education path and/or are not currently enrolled in a formal academic program. The core of the course will be visits to arts and culture spaces like galleries, performance and music venues and museums, and it will be grounded in dialogue between cohort-members and those we meet along the way. When we are not traveling, we will use Swiss Institute as our home base to reflect and support each other’s creative and personal development.

This program is ideal for participants who are interested in cultivating community and community-based knowledge through engagement with contemporary art. No prior or specific arts skills or experiences are required.

Upon completion of the program, participants will receive a $400 stipend for their time. In addition, all admissions/tickets to other arts and culture spaces, events, and performances over the course of our time together will be covered by SI.

Requirements & Application Details

Applicants must be between the ages of 20 to 26.
Before you apply, note the date and times of all sessions to ensure your availability. As attendance is integral to the program, we ask that all prospective participants be able to commit to at least 8 of the 10 sessions.
Applications must be submitted by 10:00 am on March 4. The form offers options for written, recorded, or image-based answers to several questions. Our intention is to get to know you, your interests and passions, and how you might fit into the group. Please use whatever form/s of communication feel most accessible, exciting, and true to you.

Apply Now →

2026 Schedule

This intensive program will meet over 10 sessions from March 27 through May 4.
Meetings will take place on a selection of Mondays and Fridays during late afternoon and evening hours.
March 27, 6:00-8:00pm
March 30, 4:00-6:00pm*
April 3, 6:00-8:00pm
April 6, 6:00-8:00pm
April 10, 7:00-9:00pm*
April 13, 8:00-10:00pm*
April 17, 7:30-9:30pm*
April 20, 4:00-6:00pm*
April 27, 6:00-8:00pm
May 4, 6:00-8:00pm

*Offsite. All other sessions at Swiss Institute.

Goals

Access resources and support in creative and professional endeavors.
Cultivate creative community and reciprocal relationships.
Practice collective decision-making and self-driven modes of organizing.
Explore contemporary art through close looking and discussion.
Build critical thinking and problem solving skills.
Engage with alternative approaches to education.

Access Statement

In this program we will be moving around in the city, using public transportation and seated or standing for a long amount of time. Sometimes, there will be artworks containing triggering or challenging content. We will give a content warning as much as we possibly can in these cases.

Masks are not required for this program but participants are welcome to wear one. SI will make masks and COVID-19 tests available to all participants. All meetings on-site at SI will have a HEPA air purifier running in the meeting space. All participants must be up-to-date with vaccinations including COVID-19 vaccines.