ALABAMA SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS

The 'Alabama School of Fine Arts' (ASFA) is a public, partially residential high school located in Birmingham, Alabama. The mission of the Alabama School of Fine Arts, a community of explorers, is to nurture impassioned students by guiding and inspiring them to discover and fulfill their individual creative abilities in an atmosphere distinguished by the fusion of fact and feeling, risk and reward, art and science, school and community.

Contents

Overview

Departments

Notable Alumni

External links

Overview

ASFA admits students into one of six specialty programs: creative writing, music, dance, theater, visual arts, or mathematics and sciences. The five arts departments are among the most prestigious in the nation. The mathematics and sciences program, housed in the school's Russell Mathematics and Science Center, is among the best of its kind and is a member of NCSSSMST. ASFA boasts one of the strongest academic core programs in Alabama, with 100% of ASFA students passing the Alabama graduation exam.
The school began in 1968 with grants by Governor Lurleen Wallace to Birmingham, AL arts organizations for after-school instructional activities. After receiving legislative approval in 1971, the school grew quickly into a comprehensive arts institution. In 1976, the school created a private, non-profit support organization, the ASFA Foundation, to enlist private sector assistance to address school needs. The school’s Board of Trustees appoints members to the Foundation’s Board of Directors, which approves foundation policy and employs an Executive Director, who directs foundation operations. In 1991, the school added its sixth and final specialty program, the mathematics and science department. In 1993, ASFA moved into its new instructional and performance complex in the heart of the Birmingham cultural district.
Because ASFA is a public school funded by the Alabama legislature, students who are residents of Alabama pay no tuition. Enrollment is not limited to Alabama residents, but out of state students must pay tuition. Scholarships are available to help defray the cost of room and board for students who demonstrate financial need.
Admission into ASFA is highly competitive. Prospective students must first submit an application for admission with test scores, transcripts, essays, and three letters of recommendation. Select students are then invited to audition for their chosen department. For the arts departments, audition is through performance, portfolios, and interview. For the mathematics and science department, audition is through interview and two rounds of testing. The longest of these tests being 3 1/2 hours long.
ASFA accommodates approximately 350 students in grades 7-12. The mathematics and science program is the only specialty program that does not admit students below grade 8. Most ASFA students commute everyday, with some students driving from as far away as Clanton, but approximately 70 students board. The math and science department is the largest program, usually with about 33 percent of the student body.
ASFA is a member of the International Network of Performing and Visual Arts Schools as well as the Coalition of Essential Schools.

Departments

ASFA currently contains six departments.
-- Creative Writing

-- Music

-- Visual Arts

-- Theatre Arts

-- Dance

-- Math & Science

Notable Alumni

★ Azure Ray

★ Mark Kimbrell

External links

★ Alabama School of Fine Arts

★ ASFA LJ Community