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S E P T E M B E R 2 01 2
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EDITORIAL
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Michael Gormley
MANAGING EDITOR

Brian F. Riley
SENIOR EDITOR

Allison Malafronte
ASSOCIATE EDITORS

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ONLINE EDITOR

Art Education,
From Classical to
Experimental
he lazy days of summer are
not the best time to attempt
the heavy lifting one associates
with serious art study or ambitious studio projects. But as the summer season
ebbs, our minds begin to wander off the
beaches and long for home and work.
This pull is instinctualby nature, we
artists are not an idle lot. Our desire to
return to our studio work and to our
teaching and studying engagements is a
sure sign that autumn nears.
Art education has historically
been the primary focus of American
Artist. Over the years, the aims and
methods of art education have evolved
through risk and experimentation. In
this issue we present some of these
advances in art education by focusing
on the schools, teaching artists, and
allied professionals who have led the
way. We begin with a directory of art
schools to guide your return to study
and practice (page 18). Next, we review
two schools that have achieved an
almost mythic status in the art world:
Black Mountain College and Ox-Bow
(pages 30 and 34, respectively). Both are
famous for their avant-garde approach
and experiments with cross-disciplinary

Courtney Jordan

study. Sometimes experimentation

means looking back, and on page 38 we
review the New York Academy of Art,
whose founding helped revive the study
of figurative art.
Self-portraiture has long been
recognized as an ideal and economical method for advancing practice
through self-teaching, and on page 44
we present the winners of our recent
Self-Portrait Cover Competition.
Our reporting on traditional education methods continues with the first
installment of a lesson in classical
painting by Gregory Mortenson (page
52). On page 56, we are introduced to
the Beaux-Arts Atelier, which teaches
classical architecture. We also talk with
Dr. George Smith, whose Institute of
Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts
seeks to reclaim artists leadership
role in society (page 62). We end with
words of advice from artists and allied
professionals describing the perfect art
school (page 66).
We hope this issue inspires
your return to study and practice.
Have a great start to fall.
Cheers,

MICH A EL GORMLEY

Editorial Director
mail@ArtistDaily.com

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Coming Next Month

In the October issue of American Artist, we take a look at the contemporary renaissance in realist art by exploring the working methods of
emerging artists and examining the historical artists they reference in
their efforts to create a compelling view of real life.

A M ERICA N ART IST

S e p t e m b e r 2 01 2

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