The mission of the Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts is to provide artistic, aesthetic and cultural experiences and training for selected sophomores and juniors in the areas of visual art (including photography), creative writing, dance, music and theater.  Further, the school provides students with opportunities for artistic growth in creative and/or re-creative studio activity, and in the areas of aesthetics and criticism within a historical context.  Living and learning in an environment that replicates an artists' colony, students are led to understand how they may be of service to the cause of the arts in general, and to their communities and schools in particular.  Through these experiences, the program provides students with a more informed basis upon which to assess their individiual commitment to artistic endeavors, and to help them determine the role that artistic activity might play in their futures.

A large percentage of Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts alumni have found success in the arts world and arts-related careers. Since the inception of the Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts, many other states have initiated similar programs based on this model, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania used it in developing its other Governor's Schools.

The Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts takes place on the campus of Mercyhurst College where a faculty of arts practitioners gathers from Pennsylvania, the greater northeastern United States, and from around the globe to work with the Commonwealth's most artistically talented youth. An information line is available for anyone wishing to learn more about the Governor's School for the Arts or any of the other Pennsylvania Governor's Schools of Excellence: (570) 524-5244, weekdays, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., except holidays.