American Academy of the Sacred Arts, Philadelphia, PA


Sister M. Paula Beierschmitt, I.H.M. was raised in a small coal mining town in Northumberland County and one of the first sites with electric lighting in the world. Sister Paula attended parochial schools and from an early age pursued interest in the artistic disciplines of drawing, painting, ballet, acrobatics, drama and choral work. At the age of seventeen, Sister entered the Congregation of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary where she was assigned to teach primary grades and study, assist with communications at the Motherhouse and attend to the needs of the priests and guests at Immaculata University. At the age of thirty-eight, Sister Paula was sent to study art and began her studies at Philadelphia Community College where she was advised by her teachers to enroll in a school that specialized in fine arts. This was done subsequently in L' Atelier, where a portfolio was prepared, and in the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. At the conclusion of this year, the Dean of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts believed an extension of the time allotted should be considered. A second year of study was then granted, during which time Sister Paula received national recognition for her sculpture. A decision was made by her Congregation to complete the requirements for a certificate.
THE MISSIONARY © S.M. Paula, I.H.M.	In her third year of study, Sister was commissioned to sculpt the founder of the Pallottine Fathers for the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D. C. An edition of this work for other sites with the Pallottine presence followed. Having completed four years of study in the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Sister engaged in more than fifty exhibitions, where she garnered numerous awards at the local, regional, state and national levels.
When it became evident that artists where not accorded equal status in the educational sphere of the parochial system, Sister Paula consulted with department chairpersons in the major Catholic institutions of higher learning in the Philadelphia area to discuss a plan or procedure to remedy the situation. Further consultation with European educators, theologians and canon lawyers followed and in 1993, the American Academy of the Sacred Arts was founded as a pioneer organization in the United States. Academic experiences in Immaculata University, Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary, Philadelphia Community College, L'Atelier, the Barnes Foundation and Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts gave Sister sufficient background to assess the critical need for a radical change of perception regarding the artistic disciplines, particularly the visual arts. Affiliations with the over fifteen local, regional and national organizations as a member or officer provided Sister Paula with the additional insights on the arts.
	At present, Sister Paula is entrusted with the task of securing a place for artists in American culture whose aspirations transcend the temporal plane and focus on eternal truths, thus providing a light in the world of education that cannot be extinguished, a light borne by the Word made flesh Who vanishes darkness with the creative power of love and understanding.
Founded in Philadelphia, the cultural cradle of the United States, the American Academy of the Sacred Arts is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to glorify God in the cultural disciplines through the creation of original art, educational outreach and ecumenical dialogue. Sister Mary Paula Beierschmitt, I.H.M., founder of the American Academy of the Sacred Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the first woman religious to graduate from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Sister resides in Mary Immaculate Convent in Philadelphia.
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The American Academy of the Sacred Arts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization incorporated in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The purpose of the organization is to glorify God in the cultural disciplines by fostering original art, educational outreach and ecumenical dialogue. All contributions are tax-deductible. Gifts of time and talent are also deeply appreciated.