For more information on the ST-ARTS program, visit https://www.startswinthrop.com
For questions, e-mail starts@winthrop.edu
Winthrop’s ST-ARTS Program Impacts Local Students Passionate about the Arts
For many students in the area surrounding Winthrop University, studying the arts has become more than just an activity in their free time.
Since its inception in 1989, Winthrop has hosted more than 9,000 students for the annual ST-ARTS (Students with Special Talents in the Arts) program. This program connects middle school-aged students with more than 50 talented artists and musicians and allows them to intensively study a specific arts area. Arts areas include music, dance, design, drama and photography.
To participate in the program, students from York county school districts and others in grades 6-8 apply and audition for the program. Nearly 300 students attend three weeks of music, dance, drama, design and photography classes on Winthrop’s campus each summer. Most importantly, scholarships are available with participating districts to students to cover tuition.
For many, the impact of the program is much longer than just a summer. Some ST-ARTS students have gone on to attend Winthrop University after high school graduation. Hannah Hustad '16 attended the program for three years. In 2016, she starred as Elle Woods in the Department of Theatre’s production of “Legally Blonde: The Musical.”
“I’m proud to be a student at a school that hosts such a beneficial event,” Hustad said. “I don’t think I realized how important of an opportunity it was when I was younger. You grow so much as an artist and as a human being.”
After participating in the ST-ARTS program, many students continue to be involved as a volunteer. Im Chan ‘02 saw the benefits of the program and served as a volunteer after attending the program as a student. Chan now works as an art conservator in Washington, D.C.
“ST-ARTS was the first time I thought about art in a real way that could be studied and practiced,” Chan said. “I loved being able to work in real art studios at a university, which made it feel like so much more than just a hobby.”
The ST-ARTS program has been running for over 30 years. For more information on the ST-ARTS program, contact starts@winthrop.edu or call 803/323-3965.
