UArts is closing: Here’s how the school started

With the closing of the University of the Arts, a pillar of the Philadelphia arts community has fallen.

For the last 150 years, UArts has nurtured budding artists, cultivated networks of local and international arts communities, and launched many successful careers in the arts. The announcement of UArts’ closure on June 7, following the recent shutdown of undergraduate and graduate degree programs at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, has sent shock waves through the local arts scene.

“I will continue to convene conversations between university leaders and city, state, federal offices, and other stakeholders in the days ahead to determine what can be done to protect every student, faculty, and staff member at University of the Arts, a crown jewel in our city’s academic and cultural communities,” Mayor Cherelle L. Parker told The Inquirer a day after the closure announcement. “Our city cares deeply about the future of every person who studies or works there.”

From its humble beginnings as an educational branch of the Philadelphia Museum of Art to a cornerstone of Philadelphia’s Avenue of the Arts, the university has a storied and significant history.

UArts was one of the oldest art schools in the country. The campus included six academic buildings, four residence halls, nine professional performance venues, and 11 exhibition galleries. It was a private, nonprofit, and nationally accredited institution, and offered 10 degrees, from bachelor’s degrees in fine arts to Ph.D.s.

The University of the Arts was established through the merger of two foundational Philadelphia arts institutions: the Philadelphia College of Art and the Philadelphia College of Performing Arts, both dating back to the 19th century.

In 1876, Philadelphia established the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art in preparation for America’s first official world fair, hosted in the city that year. Over time, the arts museum and school were split to create the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Philadelphia College of Art.

In 1870, the Philadelphia Musical Academy was opened as one of the first European-style institutions of music in the U.S. By 1950, the school had become one of the only in the nation to offer four-year Bachelor of Music degrees, according to UArts. The academy eventually incorporated dance and theater, changing its name to Philadelphia College of Performing Arts.

The Philadelphia College of Art and Philadelphia College of Performing Arts merged in 1985 to create the Philadelphia Colleges of the Arts, which after receiving university status became known as the University of the Arts.

During its final academic year, UArts enrolled 1,207 students.

Enrollment data indicate that fewer students attended the university in recent years compared to before the pandemic. There were more than 70 full-time faculty members, maintaining a near seven-to-one student-to-faculty ratio.

Tuition at UArts was $50,950 per year, with on-campus housing averaging $11,590 annually. The university awarded $32 million in annual scholarships and grants to nearly 80% of eligible students.

UArts boasts nearly 20,000 alumni, including notable figures such as musician and singer Elle King, actress Kate Flannery, musician Stanley Clarke, photographers Irving Penn and Deborah Willis, actress Kelli Barrett, and video game art director Murad Ainuddin.

Actor Jared Leto also studied at the University of the Arts before transferring to the School of Visual Arts in New York City.