International Academy of Fine Art

“Robert and Christine Emmons; Daniel and Anki Graves; George and Betsy White; Gregory and Margaret Hedberg; David and Pamela Thompson; Jamen Graves AND DANIEL GRAVES; NELSON WHITE AND GEORGE WHITE; Robert Montgomery and Valerie Montgomery; and Judy Jones and Terry Jones HAVE FAMILIAL rELATIONSHIPS.”

“The organization makes its governing documents, conflict of interest policy and financial statements available to the public upon request.”

“To provide the highest level of instruction in classical drawing, painting and sculpture. Graves' vision of the academy is its potential to train a select group of highly skilled realist painters and sculptors. His philosophy, which underlies the academy's curriculum and method of instruction, demands a return to discipline in art, to canons of beauty, and to the direct study of nature and the old masters as the foundation for great painting and sculpture. Under his direction, the academy is a source of stimulation and healthy competition, in which an internationally varied group of students receives training from professional painters of different nationalities, in a city renowned for its artistic past.”

“The Florence Academy of Art was founded in 1991 by American painter, Daniel Graves. First housed in a small studio in the gardens of a local Florentine palace, students trained in the methods of the Old Masters. Graves set out to demystify the training of an artist and break down the complex task of learning to draw, paint, and sculpt from life into gradual steps, and Florence - with its rich history, artistic treasures, and natural beauty - was the ideal place to start a school to keep the tradition of great painting and sculpture alive. Soon, the handful of students who had come to study grew to exceed the space available. In 1994, the academy moved to a 4500 square-foot studio, and there began its journey to become a bonafide school. Over the years, it grew from a dozen students to locations in three countries (Florence, Italy, Jersey City, NJ, and Mlndal, Sweden) offering classical instruction in drawing, painting, and sculpture to 150 full time students. By 2013, The Florence Academy of Art became accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, including a Master of Arts in Studio Art and an MFA in Painting. The academy realized a long-term goal in 2015 to purchase a permanent home in Florence. Renovation of the 19th century customs house was completed in October 2016 in time to inaugurate the 2016-2017 academic year. The 35,000 square foot campus provides 100 students enrolled in drawing, painting, and sculpture over 30 northerly lit studios, a library, gallery, bookshop, cafe and two apartments for visiting artists. Part of the academy's mission is to form the next generation of teachers. All the academy's instructors are graduates of its three-year program and therefore trained in the philosophy, methodology and language of instruction of The Florence Academy of Art. They pass on a consistent and clearly delineated body of knowledge and guarantee a continuum of the academy's philosophy and artistic language. Most instructors also work on site in private studios provided by the school; students therefore benefit not only from daily direct instruction and critique, but also from watching the professional artist at work. Students study on a full-time basis, 36 hours per week, from October through June; preference is given to applicants who intend to stay the full three years; a fourth year of specialization is the norm. Applications for academic year study exceed available spaces 3 to 1. Equally successful is the continuing education programming with enrollment in most courses reaching 100%. Financial aid in the form of partial or full tuition scholarships is awarded to 30% of students annually and is subsidized by regular tuition income (90%), and Board contributions or private donations (10%). The education students receive at The Florence Academy of Art is foundational. Like in other classical-art disciplines, students begin with simple exercises, and progress through the curriculum only after each requisite skill is acquired, from learning to draw accurately to learning to use precise color values in oil or -for sculpture students - learning to use correct structure in clay. When students walk in the door of the Florence Academy, they are assigned a north light studio space and settle into a rhythm of working that will remain constant throughout their years of study. They spend half the day working from the figure, and half of the day in their studios, working on specific exercises. They attend weekly lectures in Anatomy, corch Sculpture and Art History. They are taught the sight-size method of measurement in the early stages of the curriculum, and never work from photographs, but only from life. Working in charcoal, drawing students develop accuracy, and, in preparation to become a painter, a sophisticated understanding of gradations of value. The students' cast drawings look like the actual casts, and their figure drawings have the weight and balance of a living person. Painting students start e”

“The Form 990 is prepared by the auditor, reviewed by management and a full copy is presented to the board prior to submission with the Department of Treasury.”

“Annual questionnaires will be required from all board members and key management by June 30th of each year.”

“The Executive Director and the Board of Trustees conduct reviews and utilize comparable data in setting salaries for staff during the annual budget process. The budget is then approved by the board.”

“THE SCHOOL OPERATES IN FLORENCE ITALY, Molndal (Gothenburg), Sweden and jersey city, nj AND HAS APPROXIMATELY 18 full-time EMPLOYEES, 4 part-time administrative staff and 27 adjunct instructors who WORK AND ARE PAID THERE. Employees are legal residents of their respective countries of employment and therefore all payroll filings and taxes paid for these employees are filed in Italy, Sweden or the United States depending on their residency.”

“Other changes in net assets - translation gain of $212,109 was included as an other adjustment to change in net assets. Translation gains(losses) are recorded annually for the conversion of assets and liabilities for accounts held in Euro to US dollar based on the current exchange rates at the end of each fiscal year. additionally italian taxes of $110,856 for VAT and other local taxes were shown as an other adjustment to net assets for a total of $101,253.”