The Florence Academy’s Master of Arts in Studio Art, with its focus on traditional methods, provides training in drawing and painting to art educators seeking to use these skill-based techniques in their classrooms. The program is designed to develop the knowledge and skill set of MA candidates from a variety of backgrounds and levels of experience.

Participants in the program begin with an introduction to methods used in traditional atelier training; checking proportions, values, shapes, edges, etc., while simultaneously incorporating contemporary approaches to paint handling and materials. Great emphasis is placed on working from life and learning how to translate directly from nature.

Initial projects help to build foundational skills and confidence, before advancing to make use of more sophisticated techniques and methods. The program ultimately provides participants with invaluable and transferable skills that can be taught and demonstrated to their own students in class, as well as applied to their personal artistic work.

The Florence Academy’s Master of Arts in Studio Art is a reduced-residency MA. It consists of 30 credits of full-time study, primarily studio-based and structured in three 5-week sessions, conducted over three summers, with remote engagement held throughout the year. In total, the courses are equal to a 30-unit degree program. Each summer session is composed of two courses, 4 credits each, that meet Monday through Friday (five days), as well as two Saturdays, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm. In addition, Independent Study courses account for 6 credits in total.

MA candidates may choose to attend year one and/or year two in person or remotely. The third year session is held in person in Italy. Students studying in person will spend two summers studying at our satellite campus, St. Peter’s University, Jersey City, NJ. All students will attend their third and final summer in Florence, Italy, at The Florence Academy of Art campus. The city of Florence’s connection with the Renaissance, through the many monuments and museums located in its historic center, will greatly aid the participants’ artistic training, as well as enrich their ability to inspire their own students.

FAA’s Master of Arts in Studio Art will be of interest to:

  • visual arts educators of elementary, middle, and high school classrooms
  • university students preparing to become art educators

If applicable, participants should check with their school districts to make sure the FAA MA is recognized for pay scale advancement. 

The Florence Academy of Art is an accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). For our listing on the NASAD website, please click here.

Maximum enrollment: 30 students per cohort.

Click here to view the MA Graduation Ceremony.

Additional Information

By learning a traditional methodology, we provide participants with a blueprint for incorporating skill-based methods into the classroom. They will learn to demystify the training of an artist, and break down the vastly complex task of learning to draw and paint from life into gradual steps. Participants will learn the techniques to teach their students how to observe and translate accurately from nature. Ultimately, students will be able to take these skills with them into their own personal work, as they see fit.

The course develops fundamental skills and techniques that foster visual literacy and hand–eye coordination. Select exercises come directly from the Florence Academy’s accredited curriculum for Drawing and Painting, and provide the basis for constructing a thorough foundation in time-tested, skill-based techniques. Such knowledge will have the dual benefit of increasing participants’ confidence in teaching these techniques in their own classrooms, as well as supporting their own creative development as artists. Simply put, the program aims to empower the participants as both educators and artists.

The course will help students in their preparation for teaching by providing an in-depth and hands-on experience of The Florence Academy of Art’s pedagogy, with an emphasis on technique, method, and language of instruction. Participants will regularly receive direct feedback from MA Faculty, with one-on-one critiques that are tailored to individual needs.

Locations

In-person instruction takes place at our satellite campus, St. Peter’s University in Jersey City, NJ, just outside of NYC, and The Florence Academy of Art main campus in Florence, Italy.

Saint Peter’s University
2641 John Kennedy Blvd.
Jersey City, NJ 07306

The Florence Academy of Art
Via Aretina 293
50136 Florence, Italy

Residency Requirement for Year 3 Students:

The third and final summer of instruction takes place in Florence, Italy, at The Florence Academy of Art main campus.
Limited exceptions will be considered for extenuating circumstances that prevent the participant from attending classes abroad. Requests to alter the learning location for Year 3 must be submitted in writing to the Academic Director no later than November 1 following completion of Year 2 studies. Exemptions will be made on a case-by-case basis to allow participants to complete their Year 3 either remotely, or partially or fully in-person on the Jersey City campus.

MA Curriculum

The MA in Studio Art curriculum will be focused on overall development of the artist’s skill, along with emphasis on the participant’s understanding of the methodology. Studio coursework is structured to engage with formal, technical, and conceptual dimensions of artistic practice. Formal studies emphasize proportion, composition, color theory, and paint handling; technical studies examine material preparation and historically established techniques; and conceptual studies consider the historical context, processes, and contemporary applications of these methods in art-making. Students will apply these concepts to a variety of genres: figure, still life, and portrait.

During the course, participants are tested on their understanding of the methodology used to teach the concepts outlined above. This is achieved through written assignments, devising lesson plans, and sessions during class in which participants share feedback on each other’s work. Because of this, fluency in the English language is a requirement to join the program.

During the summer sessions, all required assignments will be accomplished during daytime class hours (9am to 4pm), and attendance is mandatory during the full period.

Remote Instruction

During the summer sessions, remote instruction is synchronous, and all students are required to attend classes from 9am to 4pm EST each day of the program by logging on. 

All students (remote or in-person) receive critiques and demonstrations throughout the day. Students are expected to upload their works-in-progress every morning and afternoon to a dedicated online portal. Works are critiqued both privately by the instructors meeting with individual students, and in group sessions with the online cohort. Students will have access to dedicated staff for technical issues.

Students who study remotely must possess a computer with a webcam. They will be given instruction on how to set up suitable studio spaces at home for traditional training.