Art school: Bridge Academy aims to help artists find their dreams

Every artist who has reached the pinnacle of success has taken a different path.

"You can't say, 'If you do this' or 'If you do that' you will succeed," artist Sean Diediker says.

And yet, there are things you can learn for every artist's story. Marking it as an artist is about technique, but it's about a lot more, and those things are not necessarily what you learn in university classes, he says.

Enter the Bridge Academy of Art, a private institution based in Provo that is "devoted to guiding dedicated students in acquiring the tools necessary to make substantial contributions in today's world of fine art," as its mission statement declares.

"The academy is built on a strong commitment to the fundamentals of observational drawing and painting, as well as an informed knowledge of composition and design."

Bridge Academy is run by Diediker and fellow artists Ben McPherson and Justin Taylor. It has 45 full-time students, who range "from kids who have just graduated from high school to people who have been working in the field for years," says Diediker.

Instructors are all full-time artists who teach a couple of hours a week "because they are passionate about the mission and standards of the academy," says Diediker. They include artists as Adam Ford, Allison Leigh Smith, Brian Kershisnik, Doug Fryer, Gary Earnest Smith, J. Kirk Richards, Trevor Southy, William Whitaker, to name a few.

"There is a wealth of talent in Utah," says Diediker. "A lot of the art gets imported to other places, but the talent is here."

The academy also has the support of local universities and art museums such as Brigham Young University's Museum of Art, the Utah Museum of Fine Art on the University of Utah campus, and the Springville Art Museum, Diediker says. In fact, a recent exhibition of student and founders' art was held at the Springville Art Museum.

"It's not like we are in this to make money," he says. "In fact, we are probably losing money. Our goal is to reach nonprofit status." What it is about, he says, is helping other people with a passion for art find their dreams.

To celebrate its first anniversary, the Bridge Academy will hold an open house and birthday party on Friday. Student art will be on display; art by the founders will be donated for a silent auction, and refreshments will be served.