By Kirsten Coachman
Over the years, Academy of Art University’s Study Abroad program has welcomed students of all majors and those seeking personal enrichment to expand their creative horizons with the Schools of Fine Art, Fashion, and Photography in the picturesque city of Florence, Italy.
Over seven weeks, students take in the sights and sounds of Italy, including trips to the Uffizi, Pitti Palace, and Boboli Gardens. There are also opportunities to venture outside of Florence to Venice (this excursion is planned with experiencing the fireworks of the Festa del Redentore in mind) and Pietrasanta.
“There’s an abundance of art wherever you turn,” said School of Fine Art Online Director Anna Nelson. “You have architecture and sculpture and painting and tapestries; the students come away always saying that it’s life-changing.”
“A lot of our students have never traveled internationally before, so you’re getting students that are seeing things that are so new to them,” said School of Photography Online Director Kimberly Mowbray. “Seeing them be inspired by the light, by the architecture, and just looking at the streets is amazing. Photography’s everywhere, right? They can be anywhere and be photographing. So they’re constantly looking and learning to see; not just finding pictures, but learning how to see and learning how to capture in a way that’s interesting.”
Additionally, the School of Fashion, which joined the program in 2023, packs as much as possible into its four-week trip, including visits to Zerolab, The Cube Archive, and the Ferruzzi Accessories Handbag Factory, as well as exploring the renowned fashion capital of Milan.
“The Tuscan region is the hub for manufacturing of materials and innovation and textiles, and so on,” said School of Fashion Online Director Iliana Ricketts. “The first thought was textiles. We go to a yarn trade show. We go to the trade show in Milan for the new fabrics for the new season. But we also go to factories and to places where you could purchase wholesale yardage. And that to our students is just so new to be able to be around these materials that they just see on a computer now.
Ricketts added, “It’s just like kids in a candy store. They can’t get enough, and they get swatches, they get yardage. They get free things from those factories, and they just cannot get enough. You know, you can’t work with materials until you understand the material behavior and how it is made and what it is for. So there’s a lot of technicality behind it, so when they’re there touching and learning, that really impacts what they do with it later on.”
Throughout their time in Italy, students work on projects—solo and collaborative—ranging from plein air painting and curated photography collections to creating accessories with materials sourced on outings and documenting a lifetime of memories from their trip in journals.
On Friday, December 5, the Schools of Fine Art, Fashion, and Photography will host a showcase featuring a selection of student works in a special Study Abroad Italy 2025 exhibition at the Cannery Gallery, from 5 to 7 p.m.
Attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about the Academy’s Study Abroad program offerings first-hand from faculty and staff, as well as hear from the students who have participated in the program.
An RSVP is recommended, but not required, to attend. Click here to RSVP.
The ArtU Cannery Gallery is located in Room 110 at 2801 Leavonworth St., San Francisco, CA, 94109.
Additional gallery hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.