The Academy of LVA
The Academy of LVA is Louisville's premier pre-professional art program for high school students, under the umbrella of the Children’s Fine Art Classes program. Founded in 1925, its mission is to provide intensive, in-depth art experiences for talented and motivated art students. When preparing the curriculum for The Academy, LVA looked at the National Core Art Standards and also had conversations with the top art universities around the country to ensure our Academy students would exceed their expectations. When asked what they were looking for in applicants, their answer was consistent across the board: "We want students who go beyond exhibiting technical skill and talent. Applicants should have both a style and voice unifying their work and should be able to discuss their work conceptually." By completing junior and senior level classes with The Academy, students should be a top choice candidate for universities and arts schools around the country.
Our FAQ page goes over a lot of extra information.
Financial Aid is available in the form of sliding scale scholarships for those who exhibit financial need — please complete this form to be considered by our Education Committee.
We will begin enrolling for the Fall semester on August 1st at 9AM.
The Academy runs for 10 weeks each spring and 10 weeks each fall. Classes are two hours, to allow for in-depth art making and thorough critiques. To maximize their experience, students should expect to spend one to two hours outside of the classroom each week researching artists and universities, working on projects, visiting galleries or writing about their work. We want The Academy experience to go beyond the classroom doors.
Each year, Louisville Visual Art hosts a gallery exhibit of the work from The Academy of LVA. Each year's student has work on display, providing them a chance to see their work in an exhibition and to share that experience with their families. Students have the option to sell their own artwork, but all work will be listed as "not for sale" on LVA's side.
During the opening reception of the exhibition, LVA honors our graduating students with the Senior Night Awards Ceremony. Each year, one outstanding Senior will receive the LVA Vision Award, including a $500 scholarship. Students will be recognized for the levels of classes they have completed in the program and Community Awards will be presented.
Questions? Try the FAQ and then contact:
Annette Cable, annette@louisvillevisualart.org 502-584-8166