The mission of the American Academy in Rome, founded in 1894, is to foster the pursuit of advanced research and independent study in the fine arts and humanities. The Academy awards the Rome Prize to a select group of artists and scholars invited to Rome to pursue their creative goals in an atmosphere conducive to artistic innovation and rigorous scholarship. The Academy provides a multi-disciplinary environment where groups of talented and ambitious artists and scholars come together, influence each other, and contribute to the artistic movements and scholarly culture of their time. Central to its mission are encounters with the Eternal City, deepening and intensifying all the Academy has to offer.