Frequently Asked Questions:

Is it difficult to get into the program?

Entry to our program is quite competitive, although we manage to eventually find places for most applicants. For those applicants who are not immediately invited to join the program, they may be put on the wait list. It often happens that right up to the first day of school, or throughout the academic year, a place will become available, and we will go back to the wait list to find an applicant to fill it.

What kind of images should I submit with my application?

We require applicants to send us five reproductions – slides or photographs – of recent drawings, paintings or sculpture. This allows our faculty to determine who is best suited for study with us; during the selection process, they want to see if a student's work reflects an interest in figurative realism, if he is attempting to draw or sculpt from life, if he has looked at or studied from the old masters, and finally, if he exhibits some raw talent.

Do you offer a BA or MFA degree?

The Florence Academy of Art is not a degree-granting program, nor is it accredited.

Can I get credit towards my U.S. college degree?

Students obtain undergraduate credit from certain US colleges for work done with us in Florence, for example, Laguna College of Art and Design, California, the American Academy of Art, Chicago, and the University of Missouri, Columbia. We provide these students with transcripts, indicating the number of teacher contact hours then the college translates this information into credit. Up to one year of credit is granted by Missouri and Laguna, and one semester by the others. Students from smaller colleges have obtained credit by working directly with their advisors and obtaining permission prior to enrolling.

All of our graduates receive a certificate of completion after the one-year Intensive Drawing Program, and later, after the two-year Painting Program. This certificate is our recognition that the student successfully completed the program but is not recognized by the U.S. government.

For students studying at the Academy’s branch in Mölndal, the Swedish National Board of Education, Skolverket, has recognized it as a vocational program for artistic training in classical/realistic drawing & painting, KU 805. (The program is not yet approved for CSN (Sweden) or Lånekassen (Norway.)

Must I begin the program in the Fall?

Students may begin their studies during the Fall (October), Winter (January) or Spring (April) trimesters. The Intensive Drawing Program lasts three trimesters, so students who begin in the Fall finish in June, students who begin in Winter finish in December, etc.

Must I apply for the painting course after completing the Intensive Drawing Program?

Students who finish the Intensive Drawing Program in good standing are automatically enrolled in the painting course for their second year of study.

Is painting program three years or four?

The program of study for our basic painting course includes one year in the Intensive Drawing Program, one year in beginning and intermediate painting, and one year in advanced painting for a total of three years. Students often remain for an optional fourth year of specialization in advanced painting.

May I skip the Intensive Drawing Program and go directly to painting?

During the academic year the great majority of new students begin at the beginning of the program, in Intensive Drawing. The purpose is for the student to acquire the necessary skill base before confronting more complicated problems in painting. (Daniel Graves compares it to music, and the necessity to learn the scales before playing the sonata.) On rare occasion, students with prior training in a classical atelier have gained advanced entry. Their past experience and skill base were evident from examples of their work. However, even these students may be asked to complete a few drawing exercises in order to resolve problems that may persist.

What do most graduates do after completing the program?

After completing the three-year program in either painting or sculpture, most of our graduates undertake careers as professional artists. Our website features The Florence Academy of Art Alumni Gallery and a special link to the Alumni Exhibitions we hold every two years in Florence. Students usually begin to sell their work to commercial galleries in the U.S. and Europe before they finish their studies. Afterwards, they participate in group and solo shows in these galleries. Also on our website, on the Alumni Gallery page, is a link to a listing of galleries that feature work of our graduates.

Where do your instructors come from?

Our instructors have been selected from the best of our own student body: some of our principle instructors and all of our program directors were students more than 10 years ago. They are aided by a large group of student assistants – recent alumni and third year students who help with the daily critiques. Students receive one critique in the morning and one in the afternoon on their individual projects, whether they are working on a cast or still life in their studio space, or are in front of the model. The many competent works on our web site is fruit of this teaching methodology and of the dedication of our students to their studies.

What is the average work-week?

Students are in school 36 hours per week, from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm, 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm, and some evenings, 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm, for Anatomy, Art History/Humanities, Composition, and additional figure drawing.

What about housing?

New students may choose to join the housing plan in which we find single bedrooms in fully furnished apartments with other students on the program that are within walking distance or short bus ride from the studio. For students who wish to live on their own, we provide a list of housing agents in Florence specialized in foreign student rentals.

Do I need to know Italian or Swedish?

The language of instruction is English in order to communicate with our students who come from 20 different countries. Our students usually pick up some Italian or Swedish during their free time, particularly if they live with locals. A lot depends on how much he or she wants to learn the language, and finding private tutors or conversation exchanges is fairly simple.