The school was hosted each summer first by Bucknell University, then by Mercyhurst College.

Like other Pennsylvania Governor's Schools of Excellence, PGSA operated on a state-funded, scholarship basis.

[2] PGSA was hosted at Bucknell University in Lewisburg under the direction of Arthur Gatty, who led the program until 1988.

Alongside classes, nightly performances and gallery shows combined with a broad range of social activities and special events to create a unique experience similar to that of an artists' colony.

Governor Ed Rendell's 2009–2010 budget proposed cutting funding for all the schools in the PGSE program, including PGSA.