Cranbrook Academy of Art

The architectural master plan conceived by Eliel Saarinen envisioned an Academy where the Artists-in-Residence, their families, and the students would live and work in close proximity. This structure is unique to Cranbrook. Life and work shift seamlessly into one another; dinners with visiting artists become epicenters of critical discussion, critiques extend the studio into the surrounding woods, early morning walks with colleagues become brainstorming sessions. The intimacy of the residential campus cannot be overstated. The dormitories, late-nights in the studios, the homes of each Artist-in-Residence, parties in Cranbrook Art Museum surrounded by fountains and gardens, and hiking trails around Kingswood Lake all create the fabric of a full-time Academy where the physical community matches the intellectual one.

At Cranbrook, each of our ten departments is led by an Artist or Designer-in-Residence: a single full-time artist or designer who is the primary mentor for students and the head of their studio program. The role of the Artist-in-Residence is critical to the Academy. They are full-time artists and designers whose personal studios are located within their departments. Our graduate students work directly alongside their Artist-in-Residence and learn what it means to be a working artist and how a leading practice is built and maintained. At the same time, Artists-in-Residence serve as the studio department head, inviting in colleagues, leading artists and critics to discuss the current state of practice in their field. They shape the rhythms and character of the department and develop close working relationships with every one of their students.

It is also important to note that all Artists-in-Residence (and their partners and families) live on campus – very close to their studios. In this, Cranbrook is not simply a graduate program – it is a unique community of artists and designers living and working together on a campus designed for this kind of exchange. Living and working together in close proximity is the foundation for natural and sustained interaction and true interdisciplinary learning.

Cranbrook Academy of Art sits on a verdant green 319-acre campus just outside of Detroit, Michigan. The Art Academy is part of a total campus community designed by the Finnish architect, Eliel Saarinen. Neighboring the Art Academy and Museum on campus are the Cranbrook Schools and the Cranbrook Institute of Science. Saarinen’s designs can certainly be seen across campus in the buildings and vistas, but design is also present in small details – brickwork patterns, signature chimneys and doorways. The campus is dotted with sculptures by Carl Milles, Marshall Fredericks, Mark di Suvero and Michael Hall, sculptures which are framed by planned gardens, both structured and loose. Recent additions to campus include masterworks by Tod Williams and Billie Tsien, Rafael Moneo and Steven Holl, among others. It’s no surprise that the entire campus has been designated a National Historic Landmark.

And while Cranbrook is a historic campus, it is alive with contemporary art and design. The Cranbrook Art Museum is a center point to the Art Academy campus, where exhibitions of current leading work are on view. Artists-in-Residence and students live and work in our historic buildings and extend the reach of the studios into the woods, paths, fountains and lakes. And while the campus is part of our long-standing legacy, it is always shifting – responsive to changing seasons, patterns of local wildlife and the influence of our creative community.

The Cranbrook Academy of Art Library is an invaluable resource of visual and written materials to support the research needs of students currently enrolled in the Academy, CAA faculty and staff, and the curatorial staff of the Cranbrook Art Museum. Extensive collections are maintained in each of the ten visual arts disciplines studied at the Academy. In addition, materials on art history, criticism, artists’ writings, preformance art, and other related fields are available.

These are supplemented by exhibition catalogs, periodicals, newspapers, student theses and master’s statements, audio-visual equipment, and multimedia materials (videos/DVDs). Extensive alumni files and archived Academy lectures are available at the library. The Academy library also houses George Booth’s collection of rare art folios. A color laser photocopier/scanner is located within the building.

In many ways, the program at the Academy is simple: 150 graduate students work together and are mentored by 10 Artists-in-Residence for a full-time two-year studio-based study. But because Cranbrook Academy of Art is like no other program in the United States, it bears some explaining. At Cranbrook, we believe that graduate school is not separate from life, but is the foundation for life-long practice in art and design. Like real life, graduate study at the Academy is self-directed and relatively unscripted. And yet, students are guided, supported, and challenged by the Academy community.

The Academy offers graduate study for a Master’s Degree in one of 10 departments: 2D Design (MFA), 3D Design (MFA), Architecture (M.Arch), Ceramics (MFA), Fiber (MFA), Metalsmithing (MFA), Painting (MFA), Photography (MFA), Print Media (MFA) and Sculpture (MFA). At Cranbrook, we do not have fixed courses or a set curriculum. Instead, the structure of the program develops from each department outward – not from the top down. Departmental activities provide the central structure for students. Each department follows its own rotation of critiques, reading and discussion groups, student presentations, travel, and visits with guest artists and critics.