Founded in 1946 by Willard “Bill” Cummings, Sidney Simon, Henry Varnum Poor, and Charles Cutler, Skowhegan’s founding artists were committed practitioners of traditional skills that formed the original curricular core. Yet, over time, their program design revealed a uniquely capacious and lasting vision: established artists working in a range of media served as faculty mentors; recruited the most talented emerging artists; provided scholarships; and developed relationships with schools and institutions beyond dominant art world centers.

From the outset, Skowhegan was committed to fostering a diversity of voices and practices within the campus community, and was inclusive of women and artists of color. This core tenet set the tone for its founding community of artists that included Ben and Bernarda Shahn, Annie Poor, William and Marguerite Zorach, Jacob Lawrence, Alex Katz and David Driskell, among many. These principles have guided the institution for more than 75 years.

Skowhegan is located on a 350-acre campus in central Maine. The nine-week summer program provides 65 emerging artists and 11 faculty artists with a collaborative and rigorous environment that is shaped by risk-taking, mentorship, and peer-to-peer exchange. Skowhegan does not consider financial ability or circumstances in its admissions process and, instead, focuses on an individual’s commitment to artmaking and inquiry. Founded by artists, for artists, the program provides an atmosphere in which participants are encouraged to work in contrast to market or academic expectations.