The Institute of Classical Architecture & Classical America
Encyclopedia
The Institute of Classical Architecture & Classical America, founded as two separate nonprofit organizations in 1991 and 1968, respectively, merged in 2002 as a national organization dedicated to advancing the classical tradition in architecture
, urbanism
, and their allied arts. It does so through education, publication, and advocacy. Today there are eleven regional and local Institute chapters that together extending this unique public service.
The organization is a valued educational resource for students of art, planning, and architecture, for design professionals, and for the general public. It offers a wide array of programs from a Master of Science degree with concentration in classical design with Georgia Tech
, to continuing education classes, travel programs, lectures, salons, and conferences. It publishes an academic journal called The Classicist as well as the acclaimed book series, the Classical America Series in Art and Architecture. The Grand Central Academy of Art
flourishes as the Institute’s division of fine arts pedagogy.
Partnerships with non-architect, building and residential designers via the American Institute of Building Design as well as Habitat for Humanity International
bring the traditional design skills sustained and disseminated by the Institute to bear in diverse communities across America. A blog further offers a voice for advocacy.
Awarded annually, the Arthur Ross
Awards are an increasingly recognized awards program administered by the Institute that honors excellence in the classical tradition, be it in practice, scholarship, or patronage. The first awards were presented by Brooke Astor
in 1982. The Institute additionally offers two affiliated fellowships at the American Academy in Rome
to advance the career of the architect or artist recipient and to foster the continuity of knowledge of the classical tradition as a vital aspect of contemporary culture around the globe.
The goal of the Academy is to train a generation of highly skilled, aesthetically sensitive artists in the humanist
tradition.
The further mission of the Grand Central Academy is to offer a public place for the revival of the classical art tradition; to foster and support a community of artists in pursuit of aesthetic refinement, a high level of skill and beauty.
Also available, in years when the ICA&CA offers its Rome Drawing Tour, is The Edward Vason Jones Scholarship. Established in 2000 by ICA&CA Fellow William H. Bates III, the scholarship provides support for a qualified applicant to attend the Rome program.
Other signature programs include the annual The McKim Lecture with the One West 54th Street Foundation and the Summer Lecture Series. Special events include the Arthur Ross Awards, which celebrate excellence in the classical tradition, and the bi-annual Holiday Benefit Auction, as well as occasional salon-style gatherings.
The ICA&CA Chapters offer a wide range of comparable programs themed and tied geographically to their respective regions.
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
, urbanism
Urbanism
Broadly, urbanism is a focus on cities and urban areas, their geography, economies, politics, social characteristics, as well as the effects on, and caused by, the built environment.-Philosophy:...
, and their allied arts. It does so through education, publication, and advocacy. Today there are eleven regional and local Institute chapters that together extending this unique public service.
The organization is a valued educational resource for students of art, planning, and architecture, for design professionals, and for the general public. It offers a wide array of programs from a Master of Science degree with concentration in classical design with Georgia Tech
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
, to continuing education classes, travel programs, lectures, salons, and conferences. It publishes an academic journal called The Classicist as well as the acclaimed book series, the Classical America Series in Art and Architecture. The Grand Central Academy of Art
Grand Central Academy of Art
The Grand Central Academy of Art is an art school located at 20 West 44th Street in New York City. Founded by New York artist Jacob Collins, the school focuses on training artists in the classical art tradition.- References :...
flourishes as the Institute’s division of fine arts pedagogy.
Partnerships with non-architect, building and residential designers via the American Institute of Building Design as well as Habitat for Humanity International
Habitat for Humanity International
Habitat For Humanity International , generally referred to as Habitat for Humanity or simply Habitat, is an international, non-governmental, non-profit organization devoted to building "simple, decent, and affordable" housing, a self-described "Christian housing ministry." The international...
bring the traditional design skills sustained and disseminated by the Institute to bear in diverse communities across America. A blog further offers a voice for advocacy.
Awarded annually, the Arthur Ross
Arthur Ross
Arthur Ross may refer to:*Art Ross , Canadian ice hockey player and General Manager of the Boston Bruins from 1924-1953*Arthur A. Ross, Academy award nominated American screenwriter for Brubaker...
Awards are an increasingly recognized awards program administered by the Institute that honors excellence in the classical tradition, be it in practice, scholarship, or patronage. The first awards were presented by Brooke Astor
Brooke Astor
Roberta Brooke Astor was an American philanthropist and socialite who was the chairwoman of the Vincent Astor Foundation, which had been established by her third husband, Vincent Astor, son of John Jacob Astor IV and great-great grandson of America's first multi-millionaire, John Jacob...
in 1982. The Institute additionally offers two affiliated fellowships at the American Academy in Rome
American Academy in Rome
The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo in Rome.- History :In 1893, a group of American architects, painters and sculptors met regularly while planning the fine arts section of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition...
to advance the career of the architect or artist recipient and to foster the continuity of knowledge of the classical tradition as a vital aspect of contemporary culture around the globe.
Academic programs
The Institute of Classical Architecture and Classical America (ICA&CA) is the leading national nonprofit educational organization dedicated to advancing the practice and appreciation of the classical tradition in architecture, urbanism, and the allied arts. Under the heading “Academic Programs” the ICA&CA has developed a wide variety of course offerings, including studio-based seminars, lectures and travel tours. By adapting course content and crafting delivery methods to meet the educational needs of a diverse body of learners, the ICA&CA has pioneered an ecumenical curriculum model aimed to educate all individuals interested in mastering the language of classical design.The Grand Central Academy of Art
The Grand Central Academy of Art was created by professional, exhibiting artists to offer classical training to serious students. The Academy offers a positive environment for classical, progressive instruction of drawing and painting.The goal of the Academy is to train a generation of highly skilled, aesthetically sensitive artists in the humanist
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
tradition.
The further mission of the Grand Central Academy is to offer a public place for the revival of the classical art tradition; to foster and support a community of artists in pursuit of aesthetic refinement, a high level of skill and beauty.
Prizes and scholarships
The ICA&CA is pleased to offer two bi-annual prizes, The Rieger Graham Prize for architecture and the Alma Schapiro Prize for fine artists. The prizes alternate years and grant the recipient a three-month Fellowship at the American Academy in Rome, the premier overseas center for independent study and research in the fine arts and humanities. The prizes are limited to United States citizens. The purpose of both prizes is to advance the career of the architect or artist recipient and to foster the continuity of knowledge of the classical tradition as a vital aspect of contemporary culture around the globeAlso available, in years when the ICA&CA offers its Rome Drawing Tour, is The Edward Vason Jones Scholarship. Established in 2000 by ICA&CA Fellow William H. Bates III, the scholarship provides support for a qualified applicant to attend the Rome program.
Public programs
In addition to training professionals and students, the Institute also serves the general public audience and professional audience through its public lectures, walking tours, travel programs and special events. Offered throughout the year, activities include a Member Lecture Program, often free of charge to members and often in collaboration with like-minded organizations; and Discover Classical New York, which takes members on walking tours to visit classical or traditional sites in the five boroughs and beyond.Other signature programs include the annual The McKim Lecture with the One West 54th Street Foundation and the Summer Lecture Series. Special events include the Arthur Ross Awards, which celebrate excellence in the classical tradition, and the bi-annual Holiday Benefit Auction, as well as occasional salon-style gatherings.
The ICA&CA Chapters offer a wide range of comparable programs themed and tied geographically to their respective regions.
Publications
Publications play a large role in the mission of the ICA&CA and are overseen by the Publications Committee, an active volunteer group made up of ICA&CA board members, staff, Fellows, and members of the Council of Advisors. The committee regularly reviews re-printing possibilities for texts that are no longer available, as well as proposals for new books to be included in the “Classical America Series in Art and Architecture”. This important series is a legacy from Classical America which the ICA&CA now vigorously maintains today. The budget each year includes grant subsidies for either authors or publishers selected to be part of the series.See also
- Classical architectureClassical architectureClassical architecture is a mode of architecture employing vocabulary derived in part from the Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, enriched by classicizing architectural practice in Europe since the Renaissance...
- Classical orderClassical orderA classical order is one of the ancient styles of classical architecture, each distinguished by its proportions and characteristic profiles and details, and most readily recognizable by the type of column employed. Three ancient orders of architecture—the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian—originated in...
- Neo-classical architecture
- Beaux-Arts architecture