International School of Painting Drawing and Sculpture in Umbria, Italy

  Italy

• All Other Areas in Italy: 
Perugia

Term: Summer 
Dates: May - September

Description: The International School of Painting, Drawing, and Sculpture in Umbria, Italy offers intensive studio programs for developing painters and sculptors from around the world. Internationally distinguished artists teach and critique, and visiting artists and scholars lecture. Students work full-time in their studios and classes, and take weekly trips to study and draw from the great art of Italy. Students, residents and faculty live and work in Montecastello di Vibio, a hill town in Umbria, one of Italy's most beautiful regions.

The School is one of a very few of its kind: a school of modern art with in-depth training in drawing, painting, and sculpture. Enrollment is limited to about twenty-five students per session, with a 5:1 student/teacher ratio. This positive and intimate environment offers students substantial contact, both formal and informal, with faculty mentors.

Highlights: The School:

The School emphasizes the importance of drawing as the foundation for the development of one's individual work.

In our curriculum, students draw from the model or in the landscape in three-hour classes, four afternoons a week; in the mornings, they paint in the landscape or from the model in four-hour classes; at the end of the day, they may work independently in their studios, or paint outdoors in the beautiful late afternoon light. Instructors teach at least twice a week and are accessible for individual consultations and critiques. Artists and Residents may also work independently in the School programs.

Each student is assigned a private or semi-private studio to study, and develop their own personal work. Studios are open seven days a week, 24 hours a day. On non-teaching days, students work with the class or independently under the guidance of their instructors. Art materials are available locally and on our weekly trips, and sculptors are provided with clay and plaster.

In the evenings after dinner, visiting artists, scholars and resident faculty give slide lectures on their work, and preparatory talks for our trips. Fridays are trip days to Italy's cities of art, to study and draw from the great art of the past.

On weekends, International School artists and the local community look forward to our elegant afternoon gallery openings with exhibitions of works by the faculty. On the last Sunday of each session, we dedicate our gallery to a final student or residents show.

Degree Level: Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Cost in US$: 6 weeks: Euro 4900; 3 weeks: Euro 2500

The additional charge for a single room, when available, is 100 Euro per week.

Experience Required: yes

Candidates should submit the completed application form, a non-refundable application fee of US$ 40 (or 40 Euro), letters of recommendation from two people who know your character and your work (preferably current or former teachers for School applicants), 12 slides, photos, or a CD of your recent work. School applicants should include at least four slides of drawings.

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to Italy Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work Independently or in Groups of 15

Scholarships are Available. There are some work-study opportunities to FORMER students. If you are a former student and are interested, please contact the school.

Application Process Involves:

• Essay
• Other
• Written Application

Post-Program Services Include:

• Alumni Network

International School of Painting Drawing and Sculpture's Mission Statement: In 1988, the first year of the school, we started with the idea of a school of modern art in Italy, based on tradition and observation, that would be limited to painting, drawing, and sculpture. We would take weekly trips to Rome, Florence and other cities of art. The idea of the program has not really changed much since then. The International School has always been a place where painters could paint, and drawing would be the core of the curriculum. For the past 20 years, our students have been receiving a high quality art education in Italy, with an outstanding faculty, for a reasonable cost. Many have written to say that they learned more in six weeks at the school than they did in a semester of university.

Year Founded: 2001