Visual & Performing Arts

Program Description

Corcoran College of Art and Design

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The Corcoran College of Art and Design is one of the oldest art schools in the United States and upholds a long tradition of partnership between art schools and museums. Studying at one of the few museum-schools in the country, Corcoran students are surrounded by great art and frequently by the contemporary masters whose work is regularly exhibited. The Corcoran Museum of Art has one of the finest collections of American art in the world, which is supplemented by holdings in European painting and sculpture, classical antiquities, and the decorative arts. As Washington’s first museum of art, the Corcoran has played a central role in the development of American culture for more than 125 years. The aspiring young professionals who study today at the Corcoran College of Art and Design join a great and long tradition of quality and impact on the development of American and international art and design.

Corcoran undergraduate students take the integrated first-year Foundation program, which includes an introduction to the many art collections of Washington. After their first year, students select a major field of study in art education, fine art, digital media design, graphic design, photography, or photojournalism. Fine Art majors may choose to concentrate in ceramics, digital art, drawing, painting, printmaking, or sculpture. At the graduate studies level, a master’s degree is offered in art education, interior design, and the history of decorative arts.

Location

 Washington is a city of monuments and museums set off by the neoclassical architecture of government buildings, parks, trees, and greenery. With dozens of major colleges and universities in the metropolitan area, there exists a feeling of a giant “campus” in which restaurants, coffee shops, movie theaters, and night spots are intermingled with bookstores, clothing boutiques, and academic facilities. Within a mile of the Corcoran, the city offers numerous museums and galleries, including the National Gallery of Art, the Phillips Collection, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Also a short walk from Corcoran are the world-famous Mall and performing arts institutions such as the Kennedy Center, Ford’s Theater, and the National Theater. Rock Creek Park, a 1,700-acre public park that has a golf course, bicycle path, picnic area, nature center, playgrounds, tennis center, and Horse Center, is nearby as well.

Program Facilities

 The Downtown Campus of the Corcoran College of Art and Design is located in the same building as the Corcoran Gallery of Art, one block from the White House, with additional facilities in proximity. The building is one of America’s finest examples of Beaux-Arts architecture, with wings designed by Ernest Flagg and Charles Platt.

Freshmen students spend their class time in the downtown and Georgetown buildings. Juniors and seniors in Fine Art have designated studio space as well as generous studio hours.

The Corcoran’s nearby Georgetown Campus is home to the design and printmaking departments, papermaking and silkscreen facilities, jewelry studio, and state-of-the-art computer laboratories.

As an appealing alternative to crowded traditional dormitory housing, the College provides new students with attractive, spacious supervised apartments. These furnished apartments are subway accessible, close to downtown and Georgetown, and have 24-hour security.

Student and Alumni Exhibit Opportunities

 Students of all levels have several opportunities to exhibit their work. In the College/Museum space, there are several exhibition areas, including the White Walls Gallery and the Corcoran Gallery for the annual student sale of art work.

The Corcoran is the only college of art and design that incorporates an exhibition in a prominent museum into its curriculum. For three months of every year, graduating seniors showcase their thesis projects in the Corcoran Museum in a series of weeklong rotating exhibitions. The students are responsible for all aspects of these shows, from exhibition design to installation. These exhibitions culminate in a final exhibition featuring at least one work by every graduating senior. Through the formal presentation of their work in the museum, students make the transition to professional artists and designers and are introduced to the public as emerging talents.

The Corcoran Museum is also the site of the annual juried Corcoran Alumni Association exhibition, presenting works by some of the College’s most accomplished alumni, all with extensive lists of exhibitions to their credit and many with gallery affiliations. The Visiting Artists Program also holds its exhibitions in the museum, allowing renowned contemporary artists, scholars, and critics to visit the Corcoran’s campus each semester.

The Alumni Gallery, located off the main atrium of the Corcoran Gallery of Art, is dedicated to works by artists and designers who have received their degree from the Corcoran College of Art and Design.

Application Procedures

Deadline--freshmen and transfers: continuous. Required: high school transcript, college transcript(s) for transfer students, minimum 2.0 high school GPA, interview, portfolio, SAT or ACT test scores. Recommended: essay, minimum 3.0 high school GPA, 3 letters of recommendation. Auditions held 1 time on campus and off campus. Portfolio reviews held continuously by appointment on campus and off campus in various cities in the U.S.; the submission of slides may be substituted for portfolios for applicants living beyond 200-mile radius.

Contact

Elizabeth Smith Paladino, Director of Admission, Corcoran College of Art and Design, 500 17th Street, NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20006-4804; 202-639-1814, fax: 202-639-1830.