Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts

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The Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts (PGSA) is one of the Pennsylvania Governor's Schools of Excellence, a group of five-week summer programs for gifted high school students in the state of Pennsylvania. All of the Pennsylvania Governor's Schools of Excellence are completely scholarship-based and state-funded. Upon its inception in 1973, PGSA was housed at Bucknell University in Lewisburg; in 1990, it moved to its current location at Mercyhurst College in Erie. Currently, it is directed by Mr. Douglas Woods. Participants are required to be Pennsylvania high school students between their sophomore and junior year or junior and senior year and are required to live in the dormitories for the full five weeks of the program. Admission into the program is very competitive - approximately 2000 students compete for the 200 spaces in the program. The aim of PGSA is to create an environment where gifted students can grow as artists, audience members, and advocates for the arts. Students "major" in one of five art areas: dance, theater, music, visual art, or creative writing. In addition to these classes, students select an elective class in one of the other art areas. Collaboration and multifaceted projects are common and encouraged. Alongside classes, nightly performances and gallery shows combine with a broad range of social activities and events to create a unique experience similar to that of an art colony.