Pennsylvania Governor's School For The Arts - Overview

Overview

Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts was established earliest among eight such Governor's schools. Like other Pennsylvania Governor's Schools of Excellence, PGSA operated on a state-funded, scholarship basis. Upon its inception in 1973, PGSA was hosted at Bucknell University in Lewisburg; in 1990, the program was relocated to Mercyhurst College in Erie. The most recent program director was Douglas Woods, an English teacher in the Butler Area school district. Only residents of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania were permitted to participate in the program. Additionally, only applicants rising to 11th or 12th grades of high school were considered. Students were required to live in dormitories for the full five weeks of the program. Admission into the program was extremely competitive—annually, approximately 2000 students competed through a rigorous three-step process, for 200 spots in the program. Similar to a college experience, students took various classes associated with a "major" in one of five art areas: creative writing, dance, music, theater, or visual arts. In addition to these classes, students selected an elective class in an art area other than their primary. Collaboration and multifaceted projects were encouraged and common. Alongside classes, nightly performances and gallery shows combined with a broad range of social activities and special events to create a unique experience similar to that of an artists' colony.

Mr. Woods often emphasized that the goals of PGSA were to create an environment where gifted students could learn and grow as artists, audience members, and advocates for the Arts. He adopted Mercyhurst's motto, Carpe diem, or Seize the Day, as a motto for the summer program.