Founded in 1825, the National Academy fosters the awareness, appreciation, teaching, and professional practice of art in America. The National Academy Museum collects and exhibits historic and contemporary American art. The National Academy School teaches painting, sculpture, drawing, and printmaking. The National Academy members elect notable American artists and architects to membership in an honorary association of their peers, whose work is collected and displayed at the Museum. Academy members govern all the programs of these three branches of the National Academy, which is the only institution of its kind in America.