Summer Academy is PAFA's flagship pre-college program: a four-week, college-level art-making experience for talented and motivated high school students at the nation's first and premier school of fine art. 

This year Summer Academy will take place in IN-PERSON! In order to allow students and their families to get a sense of the inspiring space PAFA offers to create art, we are offering a free Museum visit for up to 3 people for each student considering Summer Academy. 

We will also provide additional information and support about Summer Academy and the application process. 

Please note that guests will not have access to PAFA's historic Cast Hall, which is where classes will take place, but will be able to visit the rest of the Museum galleries. If you want to visit the Cast Hall, please sign up for the Summer Academy Open House on April 24 at 10 AM. This promotion is intended to provide interested students with the flexibility to explore PAFA at their convenience. 

Enrich your drawings/paintings on paper by combining wet and dry media! Learn to create opaque and translucent effects using pastel, graphite, chalk and more. Both traditional and contemporary methods will be explained through example and demonstration. Students will work from a variety of subject matter and will be encouraged to experiment, explore, and develop their personal vision. The course will be presented through live Zoom lecture and demonstration, and group critique using the Canvas online learning platform.

Learning Objectives

• Learn historical and contemporary methods of combining wet and dry media.
• Develop skill in the use of relevant tools and techniques.
• Develop your personal artistic vision.

Register by:  April 9

Materials List : Rupinski PT 630AM_ON

CE Policy Guide Spring 2021

Zoom Technical Requirements

Image: 

Jill A Rupinski, On the Edge, pastel on paper, 25 x 38 in.

The oil sketch is a traditional way for painters to execute preparatory ideas and quickly capture initial impressions – perfect for plein air painting! Learn useful techniques for rapidly encapsulating color and form while working directly from observation. Select locations along the Schuylkill River will include beautiful Laurel Hill Cemetery and Bartram’s Garden. Health-safety measures, including masking and social-distancing, will be practiced.

Register by:  April 9

Materials List: Chavez DR 605LS (3)

CE Policy Guide Spring 2021

Image:

Thomas Eakins (1844-1916) Landscape Study: Cultivated Field and Tree, ca. 1874, oil on heavy paper, 4 11/16 x 4 11/16 in. (11.90625 x 11.90625 cm.), Collection of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, accession # 1985.68.38.19, Charles Bregler's Thomas Eakins Collection, purchased with the partial support of the Pew Memorial Trust and the Henry S. McNeil Fund

Take your work to the next level under the guidance of artist/critic/mentor Kassem Amoudi in this live Zoom class. Expert instruction and advice from the instructor will push you to explore new possibilities and work more intuitively, allowing unplanned marks and passages to become artistic breakthroughs. Paint from personal subject matter to find your own visual language, informed by examples from contemporary and modern art. Each class features a presentation on how master artists throughout history have addressed color, harmony, focal points, space, mark-making, paint application, and more. Painting experience recommended.

Register by: April 9

Materials List : Amoudi PT703EL_ON

CE Policy Guide Spring 2021

Zoom Technical Requirements

Practice a variety of fundamental figure drawing approaches while working from photographic references. Media and techniques include graphite on white paper, charcoal on white paper, charcoal and chalk on toned paper, reduction methods, and the trois crayon technique. Proportions and methods of measuring will be emphasized.  Students will gain confidence in their representation of the human form and handling of materials as they draw alongside the instructor during live Zoom sessions.

Register by:  April 9

Materials List: Osti DR 605EF_ON

Policy Guide Spring 2021

Zoom Technical Requirements

Join Roberto Osti on Tuesday, April 6, for a free Q&A and drawing demonstration to launch his new book, Dynamic Human Anatomy.  Learn more and register here.

Image: Roberto Osti, Rebecca Foreshortened, chalk on paper

Trompe l’oeil, or “fool the eye,” is a style of painting in which the artist tries to create an illusion of three dimensionality that is so convincing, the viewer may mistake the flat image for reality. Learn these illusionistic techniques with renowned painter Fred Danziger. Students will set up, light, and paint from their own still life subjects in their home studios. The instructor will provide help with construction and composition, creating an accurate drawing, and techniques for rendering the illusion with the greatest possible “fool the eye” effect. Art historical references and the philosophic uniqueness of trompe l’oeil, will also be discussed.

Topics include:

• Choosing your subject for maximum effect and interest
• Building and lighting your still life
• Supports, mediums, brushes and other special tools
• Compositional drawing
• Painting techniques: underpainting, shadow color theory, layered painting with glazes, velatura
• Special effects such as lettering, satin glow, translucent effects, reflections, possible adding of three-dimensional objects
• Photographing, varnishing, and framing.

Register by: April 9

Materials List : Danziger 600TL_ON

CE Policy Guide Spring 2021

Zoom Technical Requirements

Image: 

Fred Danziger, Four Ways to Enjoy Chocolate, oil on canvas, 12 x 14 in.

Capture the colors of spring en plein air through vibrant watercolor and pastel. Become comfortable and confident with the practice of working outdoors, using either or both mediums, at picturesque Lemon Hill and other select locations around the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Fairmount Park. Instruction will cover means of accurately and expressively depicting outdoor sites, pastel drawing and layering methods, watercolor painting techniques, mixed media applications, color mixing, and the history and capabilities of each medium. All levels welcome. Health-safety measures, including masking and social-distancing, will be practiced.

Learning Objectives

• Learn to observe and depict landscape and cityscape en plein air with attendant materials and set up.
• Learn color mixing and application of each medium. Study of pigment history and development.
• Learn about watercolor/pastel history via short discussions of painters and their motifs.

Register by:  April 16

Materials List: Leitner DR 605WP Spring

CE Policy Guide Spring 2021

Image:

William Trost Richards (1833-1905), Near Beverly, Massachusetts, 1877, watercolor on paper, 3 5/8 x 4 15/16 in., Collection of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, accession # 2008.5.20, Gift of Dorrance H. Hamilton in memory of Samuel M. V. Hamilton

Summer Academy is PAFA's flagship pre-college program: a four-week, college-level art-making experience for talented and motivated high school students at the nation's first and premier school of fine art. This year Summer Academy will take place in PAFA's historic Cast Hall! Come to this open house to learn about:

• How to apply
• Scholarship opportunities
• How the courses will work this summer
• Field trips!
• What students can expect to get out of this unique program

Get an overview of the program and get all of your questions answered in the Cast Hall, where Summer Academy will take place. Then enjoy an exclusive tour of highlights from the Historic Landmark Building. After the Open House ends by 11 AM, guests are welcome to remain and explore the rest of the Museum.

Students who attend the Open House will get a one week extension on the scholarship application deadline. This means they can submit their application through May 7 and automatically be considered for a merit-based scholarship (deadline otherwise April 30).