American Academy in Rome

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The American Academy in Rome

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The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo (Janiculum Hill) in Rome. It was created in 1913 out of a merger between the American School of Architecture (founded 1894) and the American School of Classical Studies in Rome (founded 1895 by the Archaeological Institute of America). The founders included Charles Follen McKim, William Kissam Vanderbilt, Henry Clay Frick, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., and Andrew Carnegie.

Today the Academy is a temporary home to U.S. scholars and artists who have been awarded the prestigious Rome Prize (which is distinct from other prizes of a similar name – see Prix de Rome (disambiguation)). Currently, Rome Prizes are awarded in various fields thus:

School of Classical Studies (12 Rome Prizes, of which 10 are for one year and 2, awarded by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, are for two years). These awards may be in history, literature, musicology, archaeology, art history, or other humanistic fields:
- Ancient Studies
- Medieval Studies
- Renaissance and Early-Modern Studies
- Modern Italian Studies
School of Fine Arts (15 Rome Prizes, of which 11 are for one year and 4 are for six months)
- Architecture
- Design Arts
- Historic Preservation and Conservation
- Landscape Architecture
- Musical Composition
- Visual Arts
- Literature (the only field in which Rome Prizes are awarded by nomination through the American Academy of Arts and Letters, rather than by application)

In addition to Rome Prize Fellows (designated by the acronym FAAR), visiting scholars and artists live and/or work at the Academy for varying periods. Residents, generally prominent scholars or artists themselves, also live at the Academy for three months. There are two to three Residents (RAAR) annually in each field.

The Academy hosts several summer programs, including the Classical Summer School, the National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminar, the Summer Program in Roman Pottery, and the Summer Program in Archeology, which are open to various scholars, teachers, and students.

Also housed at the Academy is the Fototeca Unione, founded by Ernest Nash.

The Academy is housed in several buildings. The main building was designed by the firm of McKim, Mead, and White and opened in 1914. The courtyard has a fountain designed by sculptor Paul Manship. The Academy also owns the Villa Aurelia, a country estate built for Cardinal Girolamo Farnese in 1650. The building served as Giuseppe Garibaldi's headquarters during the French siege of Rome in 1849. The villa was heavily damaged during the assault, but it was restored. It was then purchased by Philadelphia heiress Clara Jessup Heyland. Heyland died in 1909, bequeathing the villa to the Academy in her will.