The New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts is a
fine arts
In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwork ...
school in
,
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
.
Overview
The New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts was founded in 1978 by
Auseklis Ozols
Auseklis Ozols (born September 22, 1941) is a Latvian-born American artist and professor based in New Orleans. Ozols has been active in the fields of oil painting, watercolor painting, ink, and photography.
Biography
Auseklis Ozols was born in ...
, inspired by the model of
Thomas Eakins and the
Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. The goal was to gather together artists and aspiring artists and teach
Classical techniques, stressing working from life. Ozols was joined at the academy's inception by Dell Weller. Artist and philanthropist
Dorothy J. Coleman helped establish the academy as a stable institution, and it was incorporated as a
non-profit institution
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
in 1980.
"The ancient disciplines of painting, sculpture and drawing have always attracted unique people with an intense awareness of their sensations through non-verbal media. The ancient academies were collections of such people who sought others like themselves, along with a place to share their ideas. Artists working in guilds or academies have accumulated a vast wealth of information, technical as well as aesthetic, over the centuries. Artists learned from their master and in turn, pass their knowledge to future generations. The New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts strives to continue this legacy by providing the facilities for serious study of the fine arts.
Of paramount importance is the study of the human form in all its attributes and applications of the fine arts. Portraiture, landscape, sculpture and their corresponding technical disciplines are included in the course of study. The Academy believes that a reinvestigation of traditional aesthetic values forms the strongest foundation for eventual creative expression and stylistic development."
[ ]
The academy, located at 5256 Magazine Street in New Orleans, has teaching facilities, a gallery (locally known as the "academy gallery") and a framing shop, on
Magazine Street in
Uptown New Orleans. The main academy building is oriented to the compass points, enabling the painting studios to have exact north light year round.
The academy's teaching year is broken up into fall, spring and summer terms, with the summer term being shorter. Each term, there is typically instruction on:
*Beginning and intermediate drawing
*Beginning, intermediate and advanced still life painting
*Portrait drawing
*Portrait painting
*Life drawing
*Life painting
*Landscape painting
*Figure sculpture
*Portrait sculpture
*Color and design
*Art history
*Watercolor painting
*Abstract acrylic painting
*Gouache painting
There are also life studio sessions, in which anyone may use whatever medium they prefer to draw, paint, or sculpt from a live model.
External links
NOAFA.com website
References
{{coord missing, New Orleans
Educational institutions established in 1978
Culture of New Orleans
Art schools in Louisiana
Schools in New Orleans
Buildings and structures in New Orleans
Tourist attractions in New Orleans
Art museums and galleries in Louisiana Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisian ...
1978 in art
1978 establishments in Louisiana
Private universities and colleges in Louisiana