University of the Arts (Philadelphia)

Coordinates: 39°56′46″N 75°9′57″W / 39.94611°N 75.16583°W / 39.94611; -75.16583
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University of the Arts
Dorrance Hamilton Hall in 2024
TypePrivate art university
Established1870, 1876, 1985
Endowment$54.1 million (2020)[1]
PresidentKerry Walk
Academic staff
121 full time, 420 part time
Students1,900
Location
Philadelphia
,
Pennsylvania
,
United States

39°56′46″N 75°9′57″W / 39.94611°N 75.16583°W / 39.94611; -75.16583
CampusUrban
Colors  Red
  White
MascotUnicorn
Websitewww.uarts.edu

University of the Arts (UArts) is a private arts university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its campus made up part of the Avenue of the Arts in Center City, Philadelphia. Dating to the 1870s, it was one of the oldest schools of art or music in the United States. On May 31 it suddenly announced it was closing on June 7, 2024, although its precarious financial situation had been known for some time.[2] It was accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, but its accreditation has been withdrawn effective June 1, 2024, in part due to its "...unplanned, imminent closure." This withdrawal of accreditation is subject to appeal.[3]

The university includes two colleges and two divisions: the College of Art, Media & Design; the College of Performing Arts; the Division of Liberal Arts; and the Division of Continuing Studies. The School of Music is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music.[4]

History[edit]

19th century[edit]

In 1870, the Philadelphia Musical Academy was created. In 1876, the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art was founded as a museum and art school. In 1877, the Philadelphia Conservatory of Music was founded.

20th century[edit]

In 1921, after graduating from South Philadelphia High School, contralto Marian Anderson applied to the Philadelphia Musical Academy but was turned away because she was "colored."[5] In 2024 the University's School of Music had a black dean, Kevin Haden.

In 1938, the museum changed its name to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the school became the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art.[6] In 1964, the school became independent of the museum and renamed itself the Philadelphia Museum College of Art (PMCA).

In 1944, the Children's Dance Theatre, later known as the Philadelphia Dance Academy, was established by Nadia Chilkovsky Nahumck. In 1962, the Conservatory of Music and the Musical Academy merged, then, in 1976, the combined organization acquired the Dance Academy and renamed itself the Philadelphia College of the Performing Arts. 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 later became the College of Performing Arts of the University of the Arts.

In 1985, the Philadelphia Museum College of Art and the Philadelphia College of the Performing Arts merged to become the Philadelphia Colleges of the Arts, and gained university status as the University of the Arts in 1987.

In 1996, the university added a third academic division, the College of Media and Communication.

21st century[edit]

In 2011, the College of Media and Communication merged with the College of Art and Design to become the College of Art, Media & Design.

In the 2020s, the university faced declining enrollment and a poor financial outlook. The freshman class in 2022-23 was 182 students.[7] On May 31, 2024, after several years of declining enrollments and increasing financial challenges, university president Kerry Walk abruptly announced the school would close on June 7. The announcement caught many by surprise, including then-current students and the university's accreditor, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.[8]

Academics[edit]

The University of the Arts' approximately 1,500 students were enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs in six schools: Art, Design, Film, Dance, Music, and the Ira Brind School of Theater Arts. In addition, the university offered a PhD in Creativity. The Division of Continuing Studies offers courses through its Continuing Education, Pre-College, Summer Music Studies, and Professional Institute for Educators programs.[9][10] The university was accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

Facilities and collections[edit]

The university's campus, in the Avenue of the Arts cultural district of Center City Philadelphia, included six academic buildings and four residence halls. There were 10 performance venues and 12 exhibition/gallery spaces on campus.[11]

The Albert M. Greenfield Library housed 152,067 bound volumes, 6,936 CDs, 14,901 periodicals, 16,820 scores and 1965 videos and DVDs. The Music Library collection held about 20,000 scores, 15,000 books, 10,000 LP discs, and 8,000 CDs. The Visual Resources Collection includes 175,000 slides. Additional university collections included the University Archives, the Picture File, the Book Arts and Textile Collections, and the Drawing Resource Center.[citation needed]

UArts' 10 galleries included one curated by students. Exhibitions have included the Quay Brothers, 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, Lenore Tawney and Andy Warhol.[citation needed]

Arts Bank Theater

The University of the Arts had seven theaters. The Levitt Auditorium in Gershman Hall is the largest on campus with a seating capacity of 850. Also in Gershman Hall was a black box theater used for student-run productions. The university's Arts Bank Theater seats 230, and the Laurie Beechman Cabaret Theater is located in the same building. The university also utilized the adjacent Drake Theater, primarily for dance productions. The Caplan Center for the Performing Arts, located on the 16 & 17th floor of Terra Hall – which opened in 2007, housed two theaters. Its black box theater seated 100 and a recital hall seated 250.[citation needed]

Polyphone Festival[edit]

The annual Polyphone Festival of New and Emerging Music, launched in 2016, focused on the emerging musical. Composers, librettists, directors, choreographers and music directors were invited to the campus to work with students on developing musicals.[12]

Notable alumni[edit]

Notable faculty[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ As of June 30, 2020. U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2020 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY19 to FY20 (Report). National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. February 19, 2021. Archived from the original on February 21, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  2. ^ Boucher, Brian (June 3, 2024). "Philadelphia's University of the Arts Announces Sudden Closing". New York Times. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  3. ^ "University of the Arts - Statement of Accreditation Status". Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  4. ^ "Accreditation | University of the Arts". www.uarts.edu. Archived from the original on August 17, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  5. ^ Alicia Ault. "How Marian Anderson Became an Iconic Symbol for Equality." Smithsonian Magazine, August 14, 2019. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/how-marian-anderson-became-iconic-symbol-equality-180972898/ Archived January 30, 2022, at the Wayback Machine See also "Marian Anderson." Brooklyn Museum Website. https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascfa/dinner_party/heritage_floor/marian_anderson Archived January 30, 2022, at the Wayback Machine See also "American Experience: Voice of Freedom." Season 33, Episode 2: Marian Anderson
  6. ^ Sixty-second Annual Report of the Philadelphia Museum of Art for the Year Ended May 31, 1938, with the List of Members, 1938
  7. ^ Snyder, Susan. "The University of the Arts is closing June 7, its president says". Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on May 31, 2024. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  8. ^ Snyder, Susan; Harold, Brubaker; Graham, Kristen A. (May 31, 2024). "The University of the Arts is closing June 7, its president says". Inquirer. Archived from the original on June 1, 2024.
  9. ^ "UArts Quick Facts". University of the Arts. 2022. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  10. ^ "Academics". University of the Arts. 2022. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  11. ^ "About". University of the Arts. 2022. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  12. ^ "Polyphone 2021". University of the Arts. 2021. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  13. ^ Dreishpoon, Douglas (1988). Sculpture Inside Outside. Walker Art Center. p. 86. ISBN 978-0-8478-1004-8. Archived from the original on November 13, 2023. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  14. ^ Courtney, Julie (1991). Philadelphia Art Now: Artists Choose Artists. Institute of Contemporary Art. p. 105. ISBN 978-0-88454-075-5. Archived from the original on June 7, 2023. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  15. ^ Adam Blackstone
  16. ^ Blumenthal, Ralph (August 18, 1997). "Radio Documentaries Focus on Overlooked Corners". New York Times – via Proquest.
  17. ^ "Paul Felder". UFC. July 16, 2017. Archived from the original on December 16, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  18. ^ "Sidney Goodman Estate – The official website of the Sidney Goodman Estate". sidneygoodmanestate.com. Archived from the original on May 6, 2019. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  19. ^ "Jared Leto - Biography - Movies & TV - NYTimes.com". www.nytimes.com. Archived from the original on January 12, 2014. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
  20. ^ Roberts, Sam (May 29, 2016). "Frank Modell, Longtime New Yorker Cartoonist, Dies at 98". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 7, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  21. ^ Jason Buchanan (2008). "Elise Neal – Biography". movies.msn. Archived from the original on September 23, 2012. Retrieved May 5, 2011.
  22. ^ "Archives - Philly.com". articles.philly.com. Archived from the original on April 15, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  23. ^ "William Daley". Smithsonian American Art Museum. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved February 11, 2021.

External links[edit]

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