The Institute of Classical Architecture and Art
The Institute of Classical Architecture and Art (ICAA), founded as two separate nonprofit organizations - The Institute of Classical Architecture and Classical America in 1991 and 1968, respectively - merged in 2002 as a national organization dedicated to advancing the classical tradition in architecture, urbanism, and their allied arts. It does so through education, publication, awards, and advocacy. Today there are fifteen regional Institute chapters and an international UK affiliate that together extend this unique public service.
The organization is a valued educational resource for students of art, planning, and architecture; for design professionals; and for the general public. It offers a wide array of programs including continuing education classes, travel programs, lectures, salons, and conferences. It publishes an academic journal called The Classicist as well as the acclaimed book series, the Classical America Series in Art and Architecture. The Grand Central Academy of Art flourishes as the Institute’s division of fine arts pedagogy, while the Beaux-Arts Atelier welcomes students of classical architecture and design.
Partnerships with non-architect, building, and residential designers via the American Institute of Building Design as well as Habitat for Humanity International bring the traditional design skills sustained and disseminated by the Institute to bear in diverse communities across America. An official Institute blog offers a further voice for advocacy.
Awarded annually, the Arthur Ross Awards are an increasingly recognized awards program administered by the Institute that honors excellence in the classical tradition, be it in practice, scholarship, or patronage. The first awards were presented by Brooke Astor in 1982. The Institute additionally offers two affiliated fellowships at the American Academy in Rome to advance the career of the architect or artist recipient and to foster a continuity of knowledge of the classical tradition as a vital aspect of contemporary culture around the globe.
Academic programs
The Institute of Classical Architecture and Art (ICAA) is the leading national nonprofit educational organization dedicated to advancing the practice and appreciation of the classical tradition in architecture, urbanism, and the allied arts. Under the heading “Academic Programs” the ICAA has developed a wide variety of course offerings, including studio-based seminars, lectures and travel tours. By adapting course content and crafting delivery methods to meet the educational needs of a diverse body of learners, the ICAA has pioneered an ecumenical curriculum model aimed to educate all individuals interested in mastering the language of classical design.
Prizes and scholarships
The ICAA is pleased to offer two bi-annual prizes, The Rieger Graham Prize for architecture and the Alma Schapiro Prize for fine artists. The prizes alternate years and grant the recipient a three-month Fellowship at the American Academy in Rome, the premier overseas center for independent study and research in the fine arts and humanities. The prizes are limited to United States citizens. The purpose of both prizes is to advance the career of the architect or artist recipient, and to foster the continuity of knowledge of the classical tradition, as a vital aspect of contemporary culture around the globe.
Also available, in years when the ICAA offers its Rome Drawing Tour, is The Edward Vason Jones Scholarship. Established in 2000 by ICAA Fellow William H. Bates III, the scholarship provides support for a qualified applicant to attend the Rome program.
Since 2012, the ICAA also awards the Stanford White Awards for "excellence in classical and traditional design".[1]
Other awards and prizes of the ICAA include:[2]
- Acanthus Awards (since 2013, for Chicago-Midwest ICAA Chapter members)
- Addison Mizner Medal (since 2012, for Florida Chapter members)
- Arthur Ross Awards (since 2003)
- Bulfinch Awards (since 2010, for New England Chapter members)
- John Staub Awards (since 2011, for Texas Chapter members)
- Newman Awards (since 2013, for Rocky Mountain Chapter members)
- Shutze Awards (since 2007, for Southeast Chapter members)
Public programs
In addition to training professionals and students, the Institute also serves the general public audience and professional audience through its public lectures, walking tours, travel programs and special events. Offered throughout the year, activities include a Member Lecture Program, often free of charge to members and often in collaboration with like-minded organizations; and Discover Classical New York, which takes members on walking tours to visit classical or traditional sites in the five boroughs and beyond.
Other signature programs include the annual The McKim Lecture with the One West 54th Street Foundation and the Summer Lecture Series. Special events include the Arthur Ross Awards, which celebrate excellence in the classical tradition, and the bi-annual Holiday Benefit Auction, as well as occasional salon-style gatherings.
The ICAA Chapters offer a wide range of comparable programs themed and tied geographically to their respective regions.
Publications
Publications play a large role in the mission of the ICAA and are overseen by the Publications Committee, an active volunteer group made up of ICAA board members, staff, Fellows, and members of the Council of Advisors. The committee regularly reviews re-printing possibilities for texts that are no longer available, as well as proposals for new books to be included in the “Classical America Series in Art and Architecture”. This important series is a legacy from Classical America which the ICAA now vigorously maintains today. The budget each year includes grant subsidies for either authors or publishers selected to be part of the series.
See also
- Classical architecture
- Classical order
- Neo-classical architecture
- Beaux-Arts architecture
- New Classical architecture