Discover a variety of art-making techniques, while learning new artistic and social skills. Let us draw, paint, collage, and sculpt, make friends, and have fun. 

Learn about the artistic tradition of comic books. Develop your cartoon drawing skills while creating your own heroes and villains to design an eye-catching cover for your own comic book. 

Summer Academy is an intense college-level art program. This rigorous experience is modeled after PAFA's own world renowned, undergraduate first-year arts curriculum.  

Students will master essential drawing and oil painting skills and build on this foundation by choosing to explore a range of other skills, including sculpture, printmaking, illustration and animation.  

Students will gain additional artistic and professional development experience with weekly critique sessions (affectionately known as ‘crit’) and behind the scenes tours of PAFA and other Philadelphia art spaces.  

Finally, students will have the opportunity to exhibit their work at PAFA’s world-class museum and receive an in-depth portfolio review with PAFA Admissions staff, giving students the experience to reach the next level of their artistic journey.  

Full program cost includes: 

Four college level studio art courses, providing pre-college visual arts certificate 

All art supplies 

Studio space and facilities 

Field trips 

Draw, paint and sculpt furry, feathery, and scaly creatures! Animals large and small will feature as subjects all week. Roaring, squeaking, barking, and quacking are welcome while we make wild, and wildly creative artworks. 

Explore the unique qualities of sculptural art learning a variety of techniques, foundational principles, types of materials, and a wide range of approaches.    

Explore the unique qualities of sculptural art learning a variety of techniques, foundational principles, types of materials, and a wide range of approaches.    

Get creative AND get messy as you discover the multiple qualities of color! Invent insane color combinations and make phenomenal, unique art projects.