Studio
Policies
The Florence Academy of Art endeavors to provide an educational environment conducive to encouraging the artistic talents of each student. This requires that all students respect the policies of the Academy, its instructors, and the other students in the program. By enrolling in the Academy, students agree to subscribe to these policies.
The Academic Year
The academic year is divided into three trimesters. Students receive at least one critique during each class from course instructors. They work half of the day on studio projects and they spend the other half of the day in the model room working from the figure. Anatomy and Art History lectures, and Ecorché Sculpture, take place weekly; technical demonstrations on methods, materials and techniques, and classes in composition take place during the term. In order to graduate, students must successfully complete all required exercises as listed in their program’s curriculum.
The Studio
The Certificate Programs are built on focus, respect, and a shared responsibility in the studio environment. Students are expected to arrive early to prepare for model sessions and be ready to work at the start of class. During posing sessions, silence is required, and movement in and out of the studio is only permitted during scheduled breaks. Students are expected to follow instructor’s guidance throughout the day.
The methodology we teach requires students to stand or be mobile for long periods, potentially 6 to 8 hours per day, with regular breaks included. Students work under natural north-facing light using the sight-size method, which requires standing to observe both the subject and the work simultaneously. This is integral to our approach and is key to gaining the most out of the learning experience; students move between their easels or sculptures and their sight-size positions in order to make observations about their subject from a distance.
Working from Life
Students work from live models for 5–8 hours per day, five days a week. Exercises range from short pencil studies focused on line, to long poses developed over several weeks for fully finished drawings, paintings, or sculptures. Advanced Painting students also complete a minimum of six hours per week with the model. All students additionally attend evening life drawing sessions.
Working in collaboration with models lies at the core of the methodology and training at The Florence Academy of Art. Models are an essential and valued part of our community, and a cornerstone of all programs and curricula. This collaborative environment requires a professional standard of conduct and mutual respect within a shared working space. The studio remains quiet and focused while the model is posing, including during breaks, when work continues in a structured and disciplined manner. Only instructors or designated assistants may direct poses or make adjustments.
End of Term Critique
At the end of term each student receives an individual and personalized critique conducted by the course instructors, in which they are graded on a scale of one to three in five areas (attendance, performance, effort, attitude and progress), and awarded final score. The Academy thus monitors the student’s progress through the curriculum’s established set of exercises. A student’s promotion to the next trimester is determined by the instructors after the final critique.
