The Art Academy of Cincinnati is a private college of art and design in Cincinnati, Ohio, accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. It was founded as the McMicken School of Design in 1869, and was a department of the University of Cincinnati, and later in 1887, became the Art Academy of Cincinnati, the museum school of the Cincinnati Art Museum. In 1998, the Art Academy of Cincinnati legally separated from the museum and became an independent college of art and design. Degrees granted are the Associate of Science in Graphic Design; the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, Design, Illustration, Painting and Drawing, Photography, Print Media, and Sculpture; and the Master of Arts in Art Education, which is taught during summer semesters. The Art Academy moved into its current facility at 1212 Jackson St. in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood in the fall of 2005. This move has been pivotal in the Over-the-Rhine revitalization and renovation as an arts district. The new facility provides 24-hour access for students with around the clock security. Students are guaranteed studio spaces in Junior and Senior years. The 12th and Jackson St. building also has an open air atrium, connecting two formerly separate buildings, enlarged classroom spaces, computer labs, a student commons area, lecture hall, and Learning Services Center. In 2008, the Art Academy facility received Leadership in Energy and Environment Design Green Building certification by the United States Green Building Council. AAC housing is required for out-of-town Art Academy freshmen at the Academy Housing Facility at the nearby corner of 12th and Vine streets. Spaces are also available to local freshmen. Twelve suites for 28 students are available each with fully equipped kitchens and with washer and dryer. A Resident Advisor is also available and lives on the premises.
Notable alumni and faculty
Wilbur G. Adam divided his career between Cincinnati and Chicago and is best known as a portrait painter and for his landscapes of western United States.
Josef Albers was a German-born American artist and educator whose work, both in Europe and in the United States, formed the basis of modern art education programs of the twentieth century. He taught at the Art Academy of Cincinnati in 1949.
Paul Chidlaw was a modern American painter and long-time instructor at the Academy. Chidlaw Gallery is named after him.
Petah Coyne, is an internationally recognized sculptor and installation artist.
Jenny Eakin Delony, was an American painter and educator. She specialized in portraiture, but her subject matter also included miniatures, landscape, wildlife, still life, and genre.
Frank Duveneck was an American figure and portrait painter who taught at the Art Academy during the 1890s and later became its chairman. He notably fought with the Cincinnati Art Museum administration for students' right to study directly from the live nude model.
Noel Martin was a nationally recognized graphic designer who revolutionized type and publication standards for American museums, and later a professor at The Art Academy of Cincinnati, as well as The University of Cincinnati.
Ruthe Katherine Pearlman, Cincinnati-based artist and educator who was working with Art Beyond Boundaries from its inception in 2005, Pearlman gallery is named after her.
The college features three public galleries that offer changing art exhibitions, the Pearlman Gallery, the Chidlaw Gallery and the Convergys Gallery. Exhibitions include emerging and professional artists, students, faculty and alumni artists.
