University of the Arts (Philadelphia)

The University of the Arts
Established	1985, 1877, 1870
Endowment	$24.6 million
President	Sean T. Buffington
Academic staff	114 full time, 420 part time
Students	2,300
Location	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Campus	Urban
Colors	Red      White
Website	http://www.uarts.edu

The University of the Arts (UArts) is one of the United States' oldest universities dedicated to the arts. Its campus makes up part of the Avenue of the Arts in Center City, Philadelphia. The University is composed of two colleges: the College of Art, Media and Design (CAMD) and the College of Performing Arts (CPA).

History

The University was created in 1985 by the merger of the Philadelphia College of the Performing Arts (PCPA) and the Philadelphia College of Art (PCA), two schools that trace their origins to the 1870s.

In 1870, the Philadelphia Musical Academy (PMA) was created. Seven years later, the Philadelphia Conservatory of Music (PCM) was founded. In 1944, the Children's Dance Theatre, later known as the Philadelphia Dance Academy (PDA), was founded by Nadia Chilkovsky Nahumck. In 1962, the PCM was merged into the PMA. In 1976, the PMA acquired the PDA and renamed itself the Philadelphia College of the Performing Arts (PCPA). After establishing a School of Theater in 1983, the institution became the first performing arts college in Pennsylvania to offer a comprehensive range of majors in music, dance and theater. This institution is now the College of Performing Arts.

In 1876, the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art (PMSIA) was founded as both a museum and an art school. In 1938, the museum changed its name to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the school became the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art. In 1964, the school became independent of the museum and renamed itself the Philadelphia College of Art (PCA). This institution is now the College of Art, Media and Design.

Twelve years after the merger, in 1996, the University added a third academic division, the College of Media and Communication.

Academics

Undergraduate students take two-thirds of their classes from one of the three component colleges of UArts and one-third of their classes from the Division of Liberal Arts. Graduate students work within one of the colleges. Under an exchange agreement, all students may take classes at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.

College of Performing Arts

• Majors: Dance, Dance Education, Music, Acting, Musical Theatre, Directing, Playwrighting and Production, Theatre Design and Technology.
• Minors: Musical Theatre, Music Education, E-Music, and Music BTE (Business, Technology, and Entrepreneurship).
• Graduate programs: Jazz Studies, Music Education

College of Art and Design

• Majors: Animation, Craft, Film/Animation, Film/Digital Video, Graphic Design, Illustration, Industrial Design, Metal/Jewelry Arts, Painting/Drawing. Photography, Printmaking/Book Arts and Sculpture
• Minors: Animation, Book Arts, Figurative Illustration, Film/Digital Video, Narrative Video, Photography, Studio Photography and Typography
• Concentrations: Digital Fine Arts, Art Education Pre-Certification and Art Therapy
• Graduate programs: Art Education/Teaching, Book Arts/Printmaking, Ceramics, Crafts Post-Baccalaureate, Industrial Design, Museum Studies (programs in Museum Communication, Museum Education, and Museum Exhibition Planning and Design: http://museumstudies.uarts.edu/, Painting and Sculpture

College of Media and Communication

The College of Media and Communication is divided into the following major disciplines: Multimedia, Communication, and Writing for Film & Television.

• Majors: Communication, Multimedia and Writing for Film & Television
• Minors: Documentary Video, Multimedia, Narrative Video, Screenwriting, Web Design
• Communication Concentrations:, Documentary Video, Media Studies, Narrative Video, Professional Writing, Screenwriting

Facilities and collections

The University's campus, located in Center City Philadelphia's Avenue of the Arts cultural district, includes 10 buildings with more than 850,000 square feet (79,000 m²).

The Albert M. Greenfield Library houses 152,067 bound volumes, 6,936 CDs, 14,901 periodicals, 16,820 scores and 1965 videos and DVDs. The Music Library collection holds about 20,000 scores, 15,000 books, 10,000 LP discs, and 5,000 CDs. The Visual Resources Collection includes 175,000 slides. Additional university collections include the University Archives, the Picture File, the Book Arts and Textile Collections, and the Drawing Resource Center.

UArts' 10 galleries include one curated by students. Exhibitions have included Vito Acconci, R. Crumb, Rosalyn Drexler, April Gornik, Alex Grey, James Hyde, Jon Kessler, Donald Lipski, Robert Motherwell, Stuart Netsky, Irving Penn, Jack Pierson, Anne and Patrick Poirier, Yvonne Rainer and Andy Warhol.

The University of the Arts currently has 7 theaters. The Merriam Theater is the largest on campus with a seating capacity of 1,840 people. The Levitt Auditorium in Gershman Hall can seat 850 but there is also standing-room-only for up to 1,500. Also in Gershman Hall is a black box theater used for student run productions. There is also the Philadelphia Arts Bank which seats 230. The university also owns the Drake Theater which is used primarily by the College of Performing Arts Dance Department. The Caplan Performing Arts Center (formerly the Skyline Performing Arts Center)(located on the 16 & 17th floor of Terra) which opened in 2007 currently house two theaters. The black box seats 100 and the recital hall seats 250.

Notable alumni

• Edna Andrade- Abstract artist and early Op Artist
• Richard Amsel, Illustrator, Recipient of 2009 UArts Silver Star Alumni Award.
• Maxwell Atoms, Animator, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy.
• Robert Barber, Member of musical group High Places.
• Bo Bartlett, Contemporary realist painter.
• Bascove, Painter and illustrator.
• Irene Bedard, Actress, voice of Pocahontas.
• Howard Benson, Rock music producer.
• Stan and Jan Berenstain, Authors and illustrators, The Berenstain Bears.
• Aliki Brandenberg, Author and illustrator.
• Tallia Brinson, Actress, Rent (Mimi, national tour).
• Sean O'Neill, Physicist and nominee for Macurther Genius Grant.
• Anthony Burrell, Dancer, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
• Ken Carbone and Leslie Smolan, Graphic designers.
• Stanley Clarke, Jazz bassist, Emmy Award and Grammy Award winner.
• Mary Lynn Cohen, Creative director & graphic designer.
• Cecelia Condit, Video artist.
• Du Chisiza, Malawian author, playwright, producer - Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture.
• William B. Cooper, Organist, Composer - Minister of Music at St. Philip's Episcopal Church (Harlem, New York) (1953–74).
• Stephen Costello, Tenor, Metropolitan Opera.
• Joe Dante, Film director, Gremlins, The 'Burbs.
• Richard Decker, New Yorker Cartoonist, Illustrator
• Irv Docktor, Artist and illustrator.
• Heather Donahue, Actress, The Blair Witch Project.
• James Doolin, Saturated photo-realist painter.
• Wharton Esherick, Sculptor, "Dean of American Craftsmen."
• David Ewing, Emmy Award and Hugo Award winner.^{[citation needed]}
• Robin Eubanks, Jazz trombonist, composer and arranger, Grammy Award winner.
• Kate Flannery, Actress, The Office.
• Paul Goldberg, Drummer and producer.
• Sidney Goodman, Figurative realist painter and teacher.
• David Graham, Photographer, Famous photographer of the American Landscape. Has Published 8 books of his photographs.
• Roger Hane, Book illustrator.
• Natalie Hinderas, Professor, pianist and composer.
• Judith Jamison, Dancer and choreographer, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and American Ballet Theatre.
• Ric Kidney, Producer, Forrest Gump and Goodfellas.
• Harold Knerr, Cartoonist & illustrator for The Katzenjammer Kids.
• LaChanze, Broadway actress, Tony Award winner, (The Color Purple.)
• Jared Leto, Actor & musician, My So-Called Life and Fight Club, lead singer of the band 30 Seconds to Mars.
• Noel Mayo, Industrial design pioneer.
• Amy Mathews, Australian actress on soap opera, Home and Away.
• Garry Chan, Video game artist, at Konami Digital Entertainment.
• John Mecray, American realism painter - marine art.
• Dr. Sam Micklus, Founder of the Odyssey of the Mind program.
• Phil Nolan, ADDY Awards winning CG Artist.
• Ana Ortiz, Actress, Ugly Betty (Hilda Suarez).
• Irving Penn, Celebrity portraitist and fashion photographer; over 100 covers of Vogue.
• Vincent Persichetti, Composer, Juilliard professor.
• Brothers Quay, Timothy and Steven, stop-motion illustrators and filmmakers.
• Florence Quivar, Mezzosoprano opera singer, Metropolitan Opera.
• James Rolfe, Best known as The Angry Video Game Nerd
• Arnold Roth, cartoonist.
• Charles Santore, Illustrator & graphic designer.
• Cal Schenkel, Illustrator & graphic designer, Frank Zappa collaborator.
• Richard Schultz, furniture designer.
• Jay Smith, Artists and member of the band Sinch, and inventor of the Viditar (video guitar).
• KaDee Strickland, Actress, The Grudge. 2006 UArts’ “Silver Star Alumni Award.”
• Nicole Tranquillo, Vocalist, American Idol (season 6) contestant.
• Bil Van Ness, Film and Video Game Animator, Anastasia (1997 film).
• Samuel Yellin, Blacksmith, sculptor, student & teacher.
• Kacie Sheik, Broadway Actress, Hair.
• Steve Powers (artist), Worldwide famous graffiti artist. Known as ESPO. Painted famous "Love letter for you" murals in Philadelphia.

External links

• University's Official website
• University of the Arts Name Changes
• University Archives