The Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art (PMSIA), also referred to as the School of Applied Art, was chartered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on February 26, 1876, as both a museum and teaching institution. This was in response to the

Centennial International Exhibition The Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, the first official World's Fair to be held in the United States, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the ...

held in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

that year. PMSIA 1880

Classes began in Fall 1877, in a building at 312 North Broad Street, and soon moved into the old Franklin Institute (now the

Philadelphia History Museum The Philadelphia History Museum was a public history museum located in Center City, Philadelphia from 1938 until 2018. The museum occupied architect John Haviland's landmark Greek Revival structure built in 1824–1826 for the Franklin Institute. ...

), at 15 South 7th Street.''Fifth Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art'', (Philadelphia, 1881), p. 1

/ref> In 1893 PMSIA acquired a complex of buildings at Broad & Pine, vacated by the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf, Pennsylvania Institution for the Deaf and Dumb when they moved to Germantown. In 1964, following a series of name changes, the two institutions split: the museum became the

Philadelphia Museum of Art The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMoA) is an art museum originally chartered in 1876 for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The main museum building was completed in 1928 on Fairmount, a hill located at the northwest end of the Benjamin Fr ...

, and the school became the Philadelphia College Art. After further name changes the school has become the University of the Arts. University of the Arts has retained the property at 320 S. Broad Street.

Notable people

The first president of PMSIA was

Coleman Sellers II Coleman Sellers II (January 28, 1827 – December 28, 1907) was a prominent American engineer, chief engineer of William Sellers & Co., professor of mechanics at the Franklin Institute, professor of engineering practice at Stevens Institute of Tec ...

(1827–1907). The first principal of the school was Leslie W. Miller (1848-1931), who remained there for forty years, 1880 through 1920. Notable alumni include

Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller ( ; born Meta Vaux Warrick; June 9, 1877 – March 18, 1968) was an African-American artist who celebrated Afrocentric themes. At the fore of the Harlem Renaissance, Warrick was known for being a poet, painter, theater ...

,''Meta Warrick Fuller : Sculptures from the Studio.''
Danforth Museum of Art. 11 May 2014.

Charles Sheeler Charles Sheeler (July 16, 1883 – May 7, 1965) was an American artist known for his Precisionist paintings, commercial photography, and the avant-garde film, ''Manhatta'', which he made in collaboration with Paul Strand. Sheeler is recognized ...

, Allan Randall Freelon, Samuel Yellin,

Irving Penn Irving Penn (June 16, 1917October 7, 2009) was an American photographer known for his fashion photography, portraits, and still lifes. Penn's career included work at ''Vogue'' magazine, and independent advertising work for clients including Is ...

, the

Brothers Quay Stephen and Timothy Quay ( ; born June 17, 1947) are American identical twin brothers and stop-motion animators who are better known as the Brothers Quay or Quay Brothers. They were also the recipients of the 1998 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding ...

Henry Clarence Pitz Henry Clarence Pitz (June 16, 1895 – November 26, 1976) was an Americans, American artist, illustrator, editor, author, and teacher who wrote and/or illustrated over 160 books, and dozens of magazine covers and articles. His most well-known ...

Jerry Pinkney Jerry Pinkney (December 22, 1939 – October 20, 2021) was an American illustrator and writer of children's literature. Pinkney illustrated over 100 books since 1964, including picture books, nonfiction titles and novels. Pinkney's works addres ...

Jayson Musson Jayson Scott Musson is an artist who lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. He was born in Bronx, NY. Early life In an interview in Nat. Brut magazine, Musson said that he grew up in Spring Valley, New York, about 25 minutes from New York City. He ...

, Paul F. Keene Jr.,

Harold Knerr Harold Hering Knerr (September 4, 1882 – July 8, 1949) was an American comic strip creator, who signed his work H. H. Knerr. He was the writer-artist of the comic strip ''The Katzenjammer Kids'' for 35 years. Born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, H ...

Wharton Esherick Wharton Esherick (July 15, 1887 – May 6, 1970) was an American sculptor who worked primarily in wood, especially applying the principles of sculpture to common utilitarian objects. Consequently, he is best known for his sculptural furniture a ...

Frederick Meyer Frederick Heinrich Wilhelm Meyer (November 6, 1872 – January 6, 1961) was a designer and art educator prominent in the Arts and Crafts Movement. He was a long-time resident of the San Francisco Bay Area. Early years Meyer was born near Ha ...

Julian Abele Julian Francis Abele (April 30, 1881April 23, 1950) was a prominent Black American architect, and chief designer in the offices of Horace Trumbauer. He contributed to the design of more than 400 buildings, including the Widener Memorial Library at ...

and

Aliki Brandenberg Aliki Liacouras Brandenberg or pen name Aliki (born September 3, 1929) is an American author and illustrator of books for children. Early life Brandenberg was born in Wildwood Crest, New Jersey, to James Peter and Stella (née Lagakos) Liacouras ...

References

External links

University of the Arts website

Philadelphia Museum of Art Web Site

Museums in Philadelphia Defunct private universities and colleges in Pennsylvania Educational institutions established in 1876 1876 establishments in Pennsylvania {{Pennsylvania-museum-stub