The Royal Academy of Arts, a charity in Piccadilly founded in 1768 that runs exhibitions, the RA Schools art school and the world's largest open-submission Summer Exhibition.
The Royal Academy of Arts, known as the RA, is a place where art is made, taught and shown. It is based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. It runs major exhibitions, and each year since 1768 it has put on the Summer Exhibition, which it calls the world's largest open-submission art exhibition, meaning that anyone can send in work for consideration. It also runs the RA Schools, Britain's longest-established art school, which offers a three-year postgraduate course with free tuition and is highly competitive.
The RA describes its purpose in a simple phrase: it exists to "champion art and artists". It aims to promote both the appreciation of art and its practice. It was founded in 1768 by 40 artists and architects, who became the first Royal Academicians, with Sir Joshua Reynolds as its first president. A statue of Reynolds stands outside Burlington House. Its 2023 to 2028 strategy aims for financial soundness, cultural and educational renown, and environmental sustainability.
The RA has one home, in the heart of London, and it moved several times before settling in Burlington House. It survived the Blitz. It describes itself as an independent charity that receives no government revenue funding and relies on visitors, donors, sponsors and the Friends of the Royal Academy, a separate charity with its own trustees. The Royal Academicians are working artists and architects elected by their peers, and each donates an artwork to the RA Collection when elected, so its collection grows from its own members.
The RA runs learning events for teachers and students, family workshops, programmes for adults and community groups, and life-drawing workshops for A-level students. The page we read gives no staff numbers or description of working life, and we did not find a values statement, so we cannot say how the organisation describes its culture. What we can say is that its identity is built around artists: they teach in the Schools, they are elected as Academicians, and they submit to the Summer Exhibition.
An institution like this needs many skills. Curators and exhibition teams plan and install shows; art handlers and technicians hang work safely; the RA Schools has teaching and student-support staff; the collection, archive and library need specialists; learning teams work with schools and families; and other teams run the shop, cafe, events and hire, marketing, digital, fundraising, membership, finance and people. If you like art and want to work close to artists without being one, jobs like these may fit. The RA's website lists current opportunities.
Website: www.royalacademy.org.uk
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