Cal Arts
 |
|
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Established | 1961 |
| Endowment | $115 million (2014) |
| President | Ravi Rajan |
| Provost | Jeannene Przyblyski |
|
Academic staff
|
331 |
| Students | 1,489 |
| Undergraduates | 985 |
| Postgraduates | 494 |
| Location |
Los Angeles, California, United States 34°23′35″N 118°34′00″W / 34.39306°N 118.56667°WCoordinates: 34°23′35″N 118°34′00″W / 34.39306°N 118.56667°W |
| Campus | Suburban, 60 acres (24 ha) |
| Nickname | CalArts |
| Mascot | none |
| Website | Official website |
The California Institute of the Arts, known by its nickname CalArts, is a private university located in Valencia, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the United States created specifically for students of both the visual and performing arts. It offers Bachelor of Fine Arts, Master of Fine Arts, Master of Arts, and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees among six schools: Art; Critical Studies; Dance; Film/Video; Music; and Theater.
The school was first envisioned by many benefactors in the early 1960s, staffed by a diverse array of professionals (including Nelbert Murphy Chouinard, a founder of Chouinard Art Institute, Walt Disney, Lulu Von Hagen, Thornton Ladd and others). CalArts provides a collaborative environment for a diversity of artists. Students are free to develop their own work (over which they retain control and copyright) in a workshop atmosphere.
As of 2017, the school has a 28% acceptance rate. U.S. News & World Report ranked CalArts as tied with New York State College of Ceramics for the 9th best fine arts program in the United States. It is among the most prestigious art schools in the world.
CalArts was originally formed in 1961, as a merger of the Chouinard Art Institute (founded 1921) and the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music (founded 1883). Both of the formerly existing institutions were going through financial difficulties around the same time, and the founder of the Art Institute, Nelbert Chouinard, was also fatally ill. The professional relationship between Madame Chouinard and Walt Disney began in 1929 when Disney had no money and Madame Chouinard agreed to train Disney's first animators on a pay-later basis. It was through the vision of Disney, who discovered and trained many of his studio artists at Chouinard (including Mary Blair, Maurice Noble and some of the Nine Old Men, among others), that the merger of the two institutions was coordinated; the process continued after his death in 1966. Joining him were his brother Roy O. Disney, Lulu Von Hagen and Thornton Ladd (Ladd & Kelsey, Architects), of the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music. In 1965, the Alumni Association was founded as a nonprofit organization and was governed by a 12-member board of directors to serve the best interests of the institute and its programs. Members included leading professional artists and musicians, who contributed their knowledge, experience and skill to strengthen the institute. The 12 founding board of directors members were Mary Costa, Edith Head, Gale Storm, Marc Davis, Tony Duquette, Harold Grieve, John Hench, Chuck Jones, Henry Mancini, Marty Paich, Nelson Riddle and Millard Sheets.
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