The American Academy of Art seeks to inspire in its students the desire to stretch their minds and talents and the determination to work hard at their art.
The American Academy of Art was founded in 1923 as a school for professional artists. Our classes have traditionally placed an emphasis on drawing and design based on the classical academic tradition. We are home to a distinguished faculty committed to providing our students with artistic skills and knowledge of contemporary tools and techniques. Today, the American Academy of Art continues to build on this strong reputation of educating successful professional artists.
Our curriculum is based on developing strong foundational skills and knowledge from which students can improve their abilities as they complete challenging projects of progressive difficulty. The Academy offers seven Bachelor of Fine Arts degree programs in illustration, design, 3-D modeling/animation, multimedia/web design, life drawing, painting with specializations in oil painting and watercolor painting and photography.
All of our students start their training with the foundation program. The foundation program helps students to develop the core skills of the visual arts. In Fundamentals of Art and Life Drawing, students learn figure drawing, composition, rendering, linear perspective and color theory. A variety of materials and techniques are introduced in these courses. Class projects give students experience in the full artistic process—from concept to sketch to thumbnail to finished work.
The Academy also places a high priority on studio time to practice and improve on the skills and concepts covered in the classroom.Students spend many hours each week with hands-on studio work as they learn to develop and convey visual images. In addition, studio time gives students an opportunity to apply their unique inventiveness within the framework of a traditional approach.
We also recognize our experienced faculty as one of our most valuable assets in the classroom. Our faculty is familiar with all stages of artistic development and able to provide guidance and encouragement to young artists. Classroom collaboration often results in greater creativity and inspiration. The students benefit from instruction and critique from faculty members who are invested in the students’ artistic growth.
We include a core of humanities and sciences courses as an essential component of our curriculum. We realize that a well-rounded knowledge of other disciplines of human achievement can fuel a more diverse approach to artistic thought and expression. Our humanities and sciences classes prepare students for negotiating the professional world with strong critical thinking, assertive problem solving and clear communication skills.
We are proud of the success of our graduates. Many of our alumni have established themselves in leadership positions in their fields. In the years that our students are with us, we make every effort to equip them for rewarding careers where they can have a positive impact on their culture and community.
When Frank Young Sr. founded the American Academy of Art in 1923, he was an internationally recognized authority in advertising design. He believed the Academy should “provide the best instructors, attract the best students, and neglect nothing that will help them to build successful careers.” The same goals and traditions hold true today. His son Frank Young Jr. managed the Academy from 1964 until 1970, when Clinton E. Frank, founder of Clinton E. Frank Inc. Advertising, took over as chief executive. Mr. Frank’s agency was widely known for its exceptional creative departments. Richard H. Otto, our current president, assumed the role of owner and president in 1992. During his tenure, he has established the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree program. He has maintained the Academy’s tradition of excellence while developing new programs and initiatives to ensure the continuing quality of education for future generations.
Mission Statement
The mission of the American Academy of Art is to teach students the traditional and contemporary skills of the professional artist to enable them to pursue a career in art. Academy graduates will have the professional skills and vision, the knowledge of other disciplines of human achievement, and the attitudes toward lifelong learning needed to succeed in a constantly evolving global job market while contributing to their communities.
Core Values
The College Community believes in the following principles:
Lifelong learning: Among students and staff alike, the Academy supports self-development, the use of critical thinking skills for intellectual independence, and an appreciation of the need to integrate new knowledge and technology.
Emphasis: The Academy believes in the importance of stressing foundation skills, such as drawing, color and design. The competencies we teach are based upon a long tradition of representative visual thinking, but interface with a modern visual language using today’s artists’ tools.
Assessment, accountability and continuous improvement: The Academy focuses on the “value-added” of the education provided and seeks innovative ways to improve that. It actively seeks both internal and external assessment in order to ensure that it is continually striving for excellence.
Diversity: The Academy promotes and integrates diverse ways of thinking about art, diverse media for working in the art field and, ultimately, diverse ways of world-making. It provides students with the awareness of cultural differences, particularly by demonstrating how images are created and interpreted.
Employment: The Academy realizes that its ultimate success is measured by the number of graduates who find careers as professional artists. In order to facilitate their achievement, it seeks input from employers and students on ideas for improvement.
Resources: The Academy believes that it is uniquely positioned to serve as a resource at the convergence of many creative communities, including fine art and commercial art, industry and creative talent, digital art and traditional art.
Self-Reliance: The institution seeks to provide a challenging environment where students can discover their full potential and apply the life skills of self-discipline, responsibility and problem solving with confidence.