Moore College of Art and Design

History
Founded by Sarah Worthington Peter in 1848, Moore College of Art & Design is the first and only women’s visual arts college in the nation. Established as the Philadelphia School of Design for Women, the College continues to thrive on the promise of empowering women to achieve financial independence by providing a quality, career-focused education.

Today, Moore celebrates its rich legacy. Sarah’s original vision continues to drive the College’s mission to educate women for careers in the visual arts. Though our first major was textile design—established during the Industrial Revolution, of which Philadelphia was the center—the College now offers 9 BFA programs including Art Education, Art History, Curatorial Studies, Fashion Design, Fine Arts with emphases in 2D and 3D, Graphic Design, Illustration, Interior Design, Photography & Digital Arts and Textile Design*.

In recent years, we have expanded our curriculum to include Post-Baccalaureate Programs in addition to Continuing Education programs for adults and youth. In 2009, Moore introduced three Graduate level programs.

Moore’s Mission

Moore College of Art and Design is dedicated to excellence in art and design. Founded in 1848, Moore is the first and only visual arts college for women in the United States. Through its undergraduate bachelor of fine arts degrees for women and its coeducational graduate programs, Moore cultivates creativity, promotes scholarship and prepares its students for professional careers in the arts by emphasizing critical thinking, problem solving, risk-taking, and strong communication skills. Moore is dedicated to producing graduates that distinguish themselves as leaders in their fields.

As a cultural leader, Moore promotes access to the arts throughout the broader community. The Galleries at Moore introduce the work of significant regional, national and international artists to the community through distinctive exhibitions and educational programs. The wide-ranging Continuing Education programs also serve the community by providing opportunities for men and women to learn new skills for personal and professional growth. Through Moore’s acclaimed Young Artist Workshop, founded in 1922, the lives of children and youth are enriched through creative arts education.

Building on its historic legacy of educating women for successful careers in the visual arts, Moore is committed to adapting to the needs of future generations of artists, designers, scholars and educators throughout its diverse educational programs.

We accomplish this mission by:

Emphasizing problem solving, creativity and leadership throughout the Bachelor of Fine Arts curriculum;

Developing and promoting non-degree programs for a wide range of co-ed students, from childhood through adulthood, that provide personal and professional enrichment; and

Bringing artists and designers of local, national and international importance to Moore and informing the community at large through exhibitions, symposia and other educational programs.

* The Textile Design major at Moore will be deactivated starting with the 2009/10 academic year. All students currently enrolled in the major as sophomores, juniors and seniors must complete the degree requirements in three (3) academic years (2009/10, 2010/11 and 2011/12). Many Textile Design courses that support the Fashion Design and Fine Arts majors will continue to be offered and revised Textile Design minors will be developed and announced to students during the 2009/10 academic year.