Corcoran College of Art and Design

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The Corcoran College of Art and Design, (Originally the Corcoran School of Art), founded in 1890, is the only professional college of art and design in Washington, DC, located in the Downtown area. The school is a private institution in association with the Corcoran Gallery of Art.

The Corcoran Gallery of Art is Washington's first and largest private art museum. The gallery opened officially in 1874, originally built to house the collection of its founder, William Wilson Corcoran^[1] One of America's oldest art institutions, it predates both New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and is known around the world for its collection of historic and modern American art as well as European fine art and for its collection of decorative arts.

The School's Beginning

William Wilson Corcoran founded the Corcoran Gallery of Art in 1869. He donated additional funding to establish the school in 1878. The Corcoran’s evolving collection includes more than 17,000 works and objects and is considered one of the best American art collections in the world. Gallery 31 is the Corcoran’s dedicated exhibition space for the Corcoran College of Art + Design. The space hosts exhibitions by the Corcoran’s faculty, students, alumni, visiting artists, and annual senior thesis exhibitions. The Corcoran’s original 19th-century location at Pennsylvania Avenue and Seventeenth Street was designed by James Renwick and is now the Smithsonian Institution’s Renwick Gallery.

Construction began at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue in 1859 , but shortly after the exterior work was completed, the Quartermaster General's corps of the Union Army occupied the building, setting up offices for the duration of the Civil War. Upon its return in 1869, the gallery was formally founded as a public institution: the first special event held that year was a fundraiser for the completion of the Washington Monument. The gallery welcomed its first visitors in 1874 and art students immediately flocked to the gallery, eager to sketch and paint copies of the collection's famous works.

In 1877 the painter E.F. Andrews (1835-1915) started offering the visiting students and artists formal instruction in two dimensional media for no cost to the student. In 1878 William Wilson Corcoran donated additional funding to be used to establish a school to be associated with the gallery. After Corcoran's death in 1888 a small building was built in 1889 for the purpose of the gallery's burgeoning identity as a place for education in the arts. In 1890 the school officially opened as the Corcoran School of Art.^[2]

By 1897 the institution had outgrown its original home, and moved to its present location. The Beaux-Arts style building was designed by Ernest Flagg and is considered to be a premier example of the style. By the start of the 1930s the school saw enough growth to begin its expansion. Commercial art classes, scholarships, children's courses, the library, ceramics facilities and courses, weekend classes and summer opportunities were added at this time. The school became a member of the National Association of Schools of Art in the mid 1970's and in 1978 awarded their first BFA degree. The school became fully accredited in the 1980s.

Most recently, in 1999, the college changed its name formally to The Corcoran College of Art and Design and has established itself as Washington's singular four-year accredited institution for education in the arts.^[2]

The College

Academics

It offers Master of Arts degrees in Interior Design, History of Decorative Arts, a Master of Arts in Teaching in Art Education, Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in Fine Arts, Digital Media Design, Graphic Design, Photography, Photojournalism, a joint Bachelor of Fine Arts-Master of Arts program in Teaching and Associate of Fine Arts degrees in Fine Arts, Digital Media Design, and Graphic Design. In 2008 the college will launch a masters program in Exhibition Design.

The small size of the College is indeed one of its strengths; the educational environment is known for its intimacy, with small class sizes benefiting the academic environment as a whole. An informal but respectful setting allows the students and faculty to work together on an individual basis. Highly motivated students especially thrive in this environment, as they are able to work closely with the faculty and use the College's resources to better their educational experience and creative development.

Students are exposed to internships with renowned organizations including National Geographic Magazine, embassies, and White House news photographers; summer study abroad trips in Italy, Greece, and India; and visiting artists such as Annie Leibovitz, Shepard Fairey, Maya Lin, Abelardo Morell, and William Pope.

The College has three buildings. The Downtown location houses most if not all academic offerings, the fine art facilities, the fine art photography and photojournalism facilities. A second building is located in Georgetown, housing the Digital Media and Graphic Design programs, as well as many fine art offerings in painting and drawing.The third campus is on the National Mall at the Smithsonian’s S. Dillon Ripley Center.

As of 2006, about 850 full-time students were enrolled in the Bachelor's degree program. For a period of time in the spring, senior students' works for their senior theses are exhibited within the museum, giving the students experience in gallery openings as well as public exposure to their work.

The College's Continuing Education Program, which offers partial credit and non-credit classes to children and adults, draws more than 3,500 participants every year. The Corcoran offers Master of Arts degrees in Art and the Book, Art Education, Exhibition Design, Interior Design, the Smithsonian-Corcoran History of Decorative Arts, and a Master of Arts in Teaching

The Corcoran offers a pre-college portfolio development program in the summer for high school students.

Student Life

Student Affairs sponsors educational, cultural, career, and other events throughout the year, including, bus trips to both local landmarks and outings, as well as other cities in the mid-Atlantic; holiday parties, film screenings, breakfasts and other social events; and student-sponsored art shows and sales. Additionally, as Members of the Corcoran Gallery of Art, students can also take advantage of numerous special learning opportunities through the gallery.

Students have the option to live in Student Housing, located in the Foggy Bottom area just outside of George Washington. The living spaces differ from regular dorms in that they are actually furnished apartments with a kitchen, bath and high-speed internet. Two students share a studio layout while three students share a one bedroom. Resident Assistant's frequently organize gatherings and activities in housing such as movie nights and holiday parties, and Foggy Bottom has a large and lively student population.

Notable Alumni and Students

• alumna Tara Donovan - American installation artist.
• alumnus Bjorn Egeli - American-Norwegian Portrait Painter.
• alumnus Tim Gunn - American fashion expert and television personality.
• student Frederick Hart - American sculptor.
• alumna Leigh Holliday - Mixed media artist & teacher of Fine Arts for Children and Children with ADD/ADHD and Autism.
• student David Lynch - American filmmaker, painter, composer, video artist and performance artist.
• student Eugene J. Martin - American visual artist.
• alumnus Chris Moukarbel - Site specific video and installation artist.
• alumna Sonya Rapoport -- American artist.
• student Ian Svenonius - American musician and author.
• alumnus Duff Goldman -- American Pastry Chef and television personality.
• student Susannah Brown-- Photographer

References

http://www.corcoran.edu/about_the_college/fast_facts.php

External links

• official website
• Corcoran College of Art and Design
• Corcoran Gallery history
• CCA+D history
• CCA+D history

Coordinates: 38°53′44.8″N 77°2′24.8″W / 38.895778°N 77.040222°W / 38.895778; -77.040222