Open studio access: M - F, 7 a.m. - 10 p.m.; Sat, 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.; Sun, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Move-in available starting Monday, July 7 at 9 a.m.
Orientation on Tuesday, July 8, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Critiques scheduled each Thursday by timeslot sign-up
Credit: Non-credit or 4.0 undergraduate credits/3.0 graduate credits (K-12 educators) (See Below)

This six-week on-campus studio-rental program is designed for experienced visual artists and educators who desire constructive feedback on their artwork, as well as the support and interaction of an artistic community. Stimulate your personal artistic growth in your own private PAFA studio through individual weekly critiques from a stellar ensemble of nationally and internationally known artists, including members of PAFA’s acclaimed faculty, as well as discussion, group critiques, and artist studio visits.

Tuition covers a private studio in PAFA's Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building, weekly critiques (one-on-one; one group critique), and additional group discussions and outings to museums and commercial galleries (scheduled per students' interests), as well as the option to earn 4.0 undergraduate credits or 3.0 graduate credits upon satisfactory completion of the program.

One-on-one and group critiques will be conducted in-person from a roster of artist-/curator-critics (one per week), scheduled each Thursday by time-slot sign-up.  Lead faculty-critic Michael Gallagher will host orientation, group and final critiques, and additional activities scheduled to best accommodate the group's needs.

Note:  This is an uninstructed program; as such, prior art-making experience and the ability to work independently are required. Beyond this understanding, there are no specific application requirements or prerequisites for this program.

Optional:  This program is available for $2,300 for 4.0 undergraduate credits or 3.0 graduate credits (for K-12 educators).  Select credit choice with tuition adjustment during checkout.

Summer 2025 Critics Include:

• Michael Gallagher (Lead Critic and Coordinator) - PAFA Professor - Drawing, Painting, and Graduate Studies
• Jan Baltzell - Visiting Critic, past PAFA Faculty
• Roger Chavez - PAFA CE Faculty - Drawing, Painting, and Fall/Spring Studio Programs Instructor
• Deon Robinson - PAFA Associate Professor - Computer Illustration and Digital Painting, Drawing and Painting
• Jill A. Rupinski - PAFA Chair of Fine Arts, Painting and Drawing
• Bruce Samuelson - PAFA Professor, Drawing and Painting

Policy Information and Deadlines:

• Registration Deadline:  Rolling, on a space-available basis. Enrollment is limited to 12 participants.
  
  
• Withdrawal/Refund Deadline:  A withdrawal fee of 10% tuition ($150) applies to all refund requests received by June 29 (prior to one week before the start date, per policy); no refunds can be issued for withdrawals after June 29. Withdrawal requests must be issued in writing to continuinged@pafa.edu (dated by June 29 for refund eligibility).  Please note that the minimum withdrawal fee applies to all refunds, including for same-day withdrawals, in order to cover third-party registration/processing fees.  Please check your schedule and review all information before registering.
  
  
• Academic Credit:  This program is available for $1,500 for non-credit, or $2,300 for 4.0 undergraduate credits or 3.0 graduate credits (for K-12 educators). Changes in credit status must be made directly through the CE office prior to the second meeting (critique) of the program. No refunds can be issued for changes from credit to non-credit. See CE's Procedures and Policies to review academic credit policies and procedures for transcript requests.
  
  
• Studio Deposit: Registration requires an additional $200 studio deposit that is refundable upon satisfactory return of the studio to its original condition at the end of the program. Students must agree to and sign PAFA’s studio agreement form.
  
  
• Additional Pricing Information: No scholarships or discounts are available for this program. Membership discounts apply to regular CE courses only; Special Programs are not eligible for tuition deductions.
  
  
• Materials:  No materials list is provided for this program.  Students may work in their media of choice within PAFA's safety/clean-air guidelines.  Access to print and sculpture shop facilities is not included in tuition:  Students must be enrolled in in-person CE printmaking or sculpture classes, or registered/approved for a PAFA Shop Membership, for access to the pertinent shop facilities and abide by shop rules and access hours.
  
  
• Housing:  Students requiring housing are responsible for their own accommodation arrangements. PAFA does not provide a campus housing option for this program; however, students can find short-term rental options through Airbnb, https://www.airbnb.com/a/stays/Philadelphia--Pennsylvania--United-States, and other sources.

Review Studio Critique Program registration and policy information above, as well as the CE Policy Guide Summer 2025, prior to registering. By enrolling in the Summer Studio/Critique Program, you agree to abide by PAFA's Procedures and Policies.

Registration deadline: Rolling, on a space-available basis.
Materials List (PAFA-Approved Materials) 
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Wednesdays, 9 a.m. - 4p.m.
Instructor: Morgan Dummitt
Six-Week Condensed Course (36 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)

Modeling the portrait in clay is a foundational skill of traditional sculpture. Working from a model, learn to create a portrait from composition to completed sculpture. Instruction for this uniquely comprehensive course will encompass learning to build an armature, modeling the form in clay, and casting in plaster to preserve the finished artwork. Topics of study will include proportion, composition, structure, and simplified sculptural form. 

This class consists of six meetings, which will be divided as follows: 

Week 1: Armature Construction/Demo/Modeling 

Weeks 2 - 4: Clay Modeling 

Weeks 5 - 6: Plaster Casting 

Student Learning Outcomes

• Gain a basic understanding of the osteology, myology, and morphology of the head

• Analyze and organize the various forms of the head and neck into simplified sculptural forms

• Understand various techniques for creating a “likeness” of the sitter

• Carry out best practices for modeling and maintaining water-based clay sculpture

• Understand and execute basic plaster casting techniques

Note: Course tuition includes a $50 model fee. 

Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $745 (including models fee). Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.

Register by: July 2
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Thursdays, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Instructor: Roberto Osti
Six-Week Condensed Course (36 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)

Paint portraits from a variety of models using the direct painting method. Examine the proportions and volumes of the head, as well as the placement, structure, and characteristics of the facial features, through preliminary drawings and demonstrations. Develop color using a limited palette to understand how to use chroma, temperature, value, tint, and tone. Instruction will address materials, composition, paint handling, and color mixing, blending, and theory. Homework assignments working from photos, Masterworks, or oneself/others will encourage students to learn to make personal aesthetic and technical choices and to practice concepts addressed in class. Open to all levels, this course is excellent for beginners as well as experienced students who want to review fundamental techniques or who simply enjoy painting portraits from life. Note: Course tuition includes a $75 model fee.

Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $770 (including models fee). Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.

Image: Roberto Osti, Copy from William Paxton - Class Demonstration, oil on canvas.

Register by: July 3
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Fridays, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Instructor: James Toogood
Six-Week Condensed Course (42 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.5 Undergraduate Credits (See Below)

Enrich your knowledge of painting with an in-depth look at watercolor. Thoroughly investigate a wide range of watercolor materials and techniques from your choice of landscape, still life, portrait, and figure subjects. The course is designed to equip each participant with the knowledge and skills necessary to make accomplished, personally rewarding watercolor paintings. Open to watercolorists of all levels and to acrylic/oil painters looking to broaden their skills.

Learning Objectives

• Students will learn about color theory as applied to watercolor.

• Students will receive a comprehensive explanation of watercolor materials and tools, with particular focus will be paid to the properties of paint and pigments as they interact with the paintbrushes and paper.

• Through both discussions and demonstrations, first time participants and beginners will learn a variety of techniques that are fundamental to watercolor, presented in a systematic step by step method. Participants can expect to have regular individual instruction, given at their current skill level.

• Focus also will be paid on acquiring the skills needed to achieve a richness of color and a feeling of light.

• Participants will work from direct observations from the still life and model, or from their own source material. Those not taking the class for credit will have the option to work on landscape, still life, portrait and figure or abstraction, as they wish.

• Participants will be exposed to a variety of watercolor styles and encouraged to discover one’s own personal aesthetic.

Optional: This course is available for 1.5 undergraduate credits for $995. Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.

Register by: July 3
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Sundays, 3 – 4 p.m. (Interactive asynchronous Canvas content supported by weekly Zoom meetings)
Instructor: Al Gury
Six-Week Condensed Course (30-Hour Equivalent)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)

Al Gury, noted author of Alla Prima: A Contemporary Guide to Traditional Direct Painting and Color for Painters: A Guide to Traditions and Practice amongst other works, presents this in-depth approach to the skills, materials, colors, history, and techniques of direct landscape painting. Working from photographs, master works, or available on-site images, learn concepts that will not only improve your landscape painting but also grow your in confidence in your artistic practice. Video demonstrations, images, and written instructions on Canvas will be supplemented by critiques and weekly Zoom discussions. Oil painting will be the primary focus, but all media are welcome.

Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $595. Select credit option with price adjustment when registering. 

Register by: July 7
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies 
Information for PAFA CE Online Courses

Sundays, 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. (Interactive asynchronous Canvas content supported by weekly Zoom meetings)
Instructor: Al Gury
Six-Week Condensed Course (30-Hour Equivalent)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)

Explore the creative and expressive possibilities that can enhance your traditional and observational artwork. Each week the class on Zoom will begin with a traditional subject: still lifes, landscapes, portraits, interiors and figures and master works with a goal of exploring and bringing greater expression and creativity to the subject. Content will include Q&A about materials and processes that students might struggle with, the visual history of the creative diversity and variety of the subject in art history, color, style and compositional possibilities, richly informative materials posted in Canvas and video demos by the instructor. A weekly project will be assigned with a goal of incorporating creative possibilities in each subject with critiques on Canvas by the Instructor. Each class will be recorded for review and sent to students weekly. The class learning goal for students is an enriched toolbox of creative ideas, and possibilities for the artistic process. Open to all media.

Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $595. Select credit option with price adjustment when registering. 

Register by: July 7
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies 
Information for PAFA CE Online Courses

Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Instructor: Rebecca Gilbert
One-Week Intensive Course (30 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)

Wood engraving is a relief printmaking process that involves carving into end grain hardwood, making it possible for an artist to create highly detailed images and tonally rich compositions.  Used as the primary means for printing illustrations alongside of moveable type from the late eighteenth century through most of the nineteenth century, wood engraving is still a great way to incorporate imagery into letterpress cards, book plates, printed ephemera, artist books, broadsides, and of course to develop graphic stand-alone images, especially when there is a need to work small. Students will be guided through the entire process from transferring an image, to engraving, to printing small editions. Participants will learn about types of wood used for engraving, care and sharpening of tools, and types of paper. Printing by hand as well as on a small proof press will be covered.  No previous engraving or printing experience is necessary, but patience, good eyesight, and a steady hand are very helpful!  Note:  Tuition includes a $20 lab fee.  Additionally, students should come prepared to purchase custom end grain blocks and paper directly from the instructor, approximately $15.  See materials list below.

Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $615, including lab fee. Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.

Interested in learning moveable type processes?  See Letterpress Printmaking as a companion course.

Register by: July 14
Materials List 
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. 
Instructor: Tony Rosati
One-Week Intensive Course (30 Hours) 
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)

Monotypes are an expressive and accessible entry into printmaking: draw or paint an image on a Plexiglas plate or other surface and then print it on paper or fabric to create a one-of-a-kind artwork. Instruction will cover both hand-printing and press techniques, as well as water- and oil-based colors. Tuition includes a $30 lab fee.

Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $615, including lab fee. Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.

Register by: July 14
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies