Paris College of Art
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Paris College of Art (PCA) is an American private university with four campuses in Paris, France, formerly known as Association Franco-Américaine de Design (AFAD) and 'École Parsons à Paris'. In 1986 the school was re-established as a French Association (type 1901) under the name “École Parsons à Paris”. From 1986 until 2010, the school had a relationship with Parsons The New School for Design, and was known as "Parsons Paris". The school is no longer associated with Parsons The New School for Design and is an independent institution. The university is a degree granting institution of higher learning under the authority of the State of Delaware and is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). It has 300 students and 100 faculty members coming from more than 50 different countries.
History
The first Parsons program was established at the Place des Vosges in 1921 by Frank Alvah Parsons, then director of the New York School of Fine and Applied Art, and William M. Odom, with 22 students. This program was known as the Paris Ateliers; by 1927, 17 nationalities were represented among the 217 students, including Austrians, Swedes, Swiss, Russians and Australians. It was the first American art institution abroad to provide a formal full-time program in the visual arts. [1]
The following year, the school made its home on the oldest planned square in Paris[citation needed], the Place des Vosges. Parsons said "France, more than any country, has been the center of artistic inspiration since the sixteenth century… The value of associating with, and working from, the finest examples of the periods in decorative art, the adaptation of which is our national problem, needs no comment." The school offered courses in architecture, interior decoration, stage design, and costume design, adding poster and graphic design a year later. Among its supporters are interior decorator Elsie de Wolfe and author and interior designer Edith Wharton.[citation needed]
In 1931, interior designer Jean-Michel Frank led a group of students at the Paris Ateliers to create an icon of modern design, the Parsons Table.[2]
After teaching advertising, illustration, and stage and costume design, Van Day Truex becomes director of the Paris Ateliers in 1934. An influential voice of 20th-century American design, Truex later became the design director of Tiffany & Company, where he developed the firm’s signature interiors and graphics. Guest critics at the Paris Ateliers during this period include fashion designers Jeanne Lanvin, Elsa Schiaparelli, and Jean Patou.[citation needed]
After closing before the onset of World War II in 1939, Parsons restarted its activities in Paris in 1948 offering a summer course combining travel and study. What was now Parsons The New School for Design reopened the School (at first with a summer abroad program) in the late 1970s; it became known as Parsons Paris. In 1980, Parsons expanded its Paris program, entering into an educational partnership with the American College in Paris (now American University in Paris), to offer Bachelor of Fine Arts and study-abroad options. Beginning in 1986, students matriculating in the Parsons Paris program were eligible to receive a degree from Parsons The New School. But when the contract between Parsons The New School for Design and Parsons Paris expired in 2008, the former decided not to renew it. At the expiration of the agreement, Parsons notified the Paris school that it could not continue to use the Parsons name any longer. The Paris school challenged that decision and brought the legal proceeding before the International Chamber of Commerce.[3]
Education
PCA offers:
Undergraduate Degree Programs
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Fine Arts, Illustration, Photography, Communication Design, Fashion and Art History
- Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Design Management
- Study Abroad Programs
- Center for University Programs Abroad (CUPA): focusing on direct matriculation and optimal academic and personal support, CUPA provides a high quality study-abroad immersion experience in Paris to linguistically advanced and highly motivated students from US colleges and universities
- PCA Study Abroad: a study abroad option for college juniors and seniors who wish to investigate art, design, and the culture of Paris in an intensive semester or year-long program.
- PCA Summer: a set of intensive courses in art, design, business, culture, and language city of Paris. Course levels include pre-college, college, and adult options.
Non-Degree Programs
- Atelier of Art: a bilingual (English-French) non-degree granting program that prepares students to enter art school in Europe or the US by teaching them key skills and allowing them to develop a strong portfolio.
- Certificate Programs: an intensive one-year curriculum focused on a specific discipline, this program is aimed at mature students wishing to launch a career transition, refine a professional level design portfolio, or prepare for entering a Masters degree program.
- Continuing Education: part-time, non-credited courses open to people living in the Ile de France region, this program is a bridge between the school and the Parisian community.
Notable alumni
References
- ^ D. D. GUTTENPLAN (November 11, 2012). "Parsons to Re-Open Campus in Paris".
- ^ "PARSONS RETURNS TO PARIS".
- ^ http://www.nsfreepress.com/story/parsons-aburptly-halts-paris-program
External links
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