The Long Island Academy of Fine Art

The finest Art School on Long Island. For the serious artist there are instructors with masters degrees in fine art from the famous New York Academy and training in classical art from The Florence Academy on Italy. For beginners there is instruction that will get you on the right tract instead of learning all the wrong things that will ultimately derail you. For the young artists there is a combination of art instruction and fun taught by serious artists who “get” kids. There are lots of workshops run by celebrated artists ( they can fill fast ) so check the website often.

This is the best classical school of art in the New York/Long Island area. After taking classes at different schools in NYC and Long Island I finally found at LIAFA what I wasn’t getting anywhere else. Whether you’re a parent looking for training for your child, young adult or senior returning to, or a beginner come to LIAFA to learn and love art.

For the serious realist painter, this is the school you have been looking for. Although I received a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts from an ivy league school, my professors were not good at actually teaching us how to paint. They told me for 4 years that painting is the easy part and that they were there to teach me concept. Well, I graduated top of my class, received the Faculty Medal of Art, the highest award they offered, and still had no idea how to paint. I became what they wanted me to become - good at slapping paint around and defending the Frankenstein conceptually. I was more like a lawyer than a painter. And I was frustrated, because I could not form MY concepts into what I wanted MY painting to say. At LIAFA the instructors are at last giving my brushes a voice. I am learning how to structure a painting so that the structure becomes part of my message. I am learning painterly techniques so I can decide which tools to use and not use to help get my message across. This is a great school. And despite being a great school, its atmosphere is very welcoming for students at all levels, even beginners. Every student has special gifts and goals and the instruction is tailored to those so that no one is ever intimidated and everyone is always challenged in a forward-moving way. I really love this school and wonder if Long Islanders realize how lucky we are to have it. I doubt there are many like it in the US.

This school and their instructors changed my daughter’s life! She always loved art and It always came naturally to her, but she never felt like an “artist”. She never had the level of instruction or mentoring that she received at LIAFA. Their classes and instructors were instrumental in giving her the skills and confidence she needed to take her art work to the next level. She took the skills they gave her in their classes and created a portfolio of work that most colleges said they had not seen from many high school students. She is now attending RISD, majoring in film/animation, and loving it! Thank you LIAFA😊

My 11 year old daughter has taken three classes and has loved them all. Individualized instruction has allowed her to develop her skills, build self confidence, and express herself artistically. Highly recommend.