Cooper School of Art
The Cooper School of Art was a private art college located in Cleveland, Ohio. The school emphasized education and career preparation for the commercial art market. It operated from 1924 until 1981.
| Type | Private art school |
|---|---|
| Active | 1924–1981 |
| Founder | Hal Cooper |
| President | Donald H. Wright |
| Address | 2112 Euclid Avenue (1968–1978) , , , United States |
| Campus | Urban |
Overview
The Cooper School of Art featured a two-year, eight-quarter diploma program,[1] with certificates in design, drawing, airbrush, painting, layout, lettering, illustration, greeting card design,[2] animation, architectural illustration, cartooning, production art, photography, and printmaking. Faculty tended to be working professionals in their field.[2]
Comics artist Tom Mandrake, who attended the school for two years in the 1970s, said Cooper was "primarily a commercial art school and it gave me a good grounding in the basics. They also stressed the importance of balancing work and deadlines."[3]
History
The school was founded in 1924[2] as Hal Cooper's School of Advertisement. It later became known as the Hal H. Cooper School of Art.[4] (Hal Cooper moved on to became president of the American Society of Cartoonists in 1948, founded the Aurora School of Art in 1951, and was headmaster of another Hal H. Cooper School of Art in Aurora, Illinois, in 1955.)[5]
The director of the Cleveland Cooper School of Art in 1955 was William Whittset.[6]
Closure
The fall semester of 1980 was a tumultuous period for the Cooper School of Art. The school's president and lone shareholder Donald H. Wright became entangled in a rental dispute with the school's landlord, leading to a court-appointed receiver collecting overdue rent.[7] Cooper students protested at the Cleveland Justice Center and the landlord's attorney's offices.[8]
In the aftermath, Wright and the school faced a barrage of lawsuits from teachers seeking unpaid wages, creditors, and disgruntled students. Faculty members unsuccessfully attempted to purchase the school, resulting in 12 teachers resigning in protest of the administration.[8] The school's dean of education was fired.[9]
At one point, students sought a restraining order against Wright, who faced criticism and televised scrutiny for his actions. Despite these challenges, Wright continued his search for a new facility,[7] and in December 1980, the school relocated to a new facility in Ohio City, housed in a former department store. The challenges persisted, however, with encounters with city inspectors, fire code violations, and ongoing unrest among faculty and students.[8]
By the spring of the next year, Cooper faced a shutdown,[8] with bankruptcy proceeding against the school initiated by three creditors (those charges were later dismissed).[10] The school closed for good in 1981.
Location
For many years, the school was located at 6300 Euclid Avenue, near the intersection of East 65th Street, on the second floor of an industrial building, sharing occupancy with the Cleveland Engineering Institute.
From 1968[11] to 1978,[12] the school was located in the Wolfe Music Building, at 2112 Euclid Avenue. It later moved to a location on Carnegie Avenue, and finally, to a building in Ohio City.
Faculty and administration
The owner and president of the school was Donald H. Wright. Former deans at the school included Charles Bowen and Samuel Evey.[9]
Notable artist/illustrator Elmer Brown taught at the school in the 1960s until his 1971 death.[13] Realist painter Marilyn Szalay also taught at the school. In 1978, musician/artist Mark Jones held a brief professorship at Cooper, where he lectured on philosophy and art history and taught drawing.[14]
Other faculty included Chuck Bowen, John W. Dorsey,[15] Vincent Ferrara, Ken Fritz, Ed Glynn, Joseph Hruby,[16] Terry Johnson, Andrew Russetti, Anthony Schepis, Reed Thomason, and Lois Vance.[17]
Notable former students and alumni
- Hank Berger (1970s), nightclub owner and merchandiser
- Muriel Fahrion[18] (illustration, late 1960s), illustrator and the original designer of the Strawberry Shortcake franchise
- Ray Harm (late 1940s),[19] wildlife painter
- Tom Mandrake (1970s),[20] comics artist
- Mary Beth McKenzie (late 1960s), realist painter
- Scott Miller[21] (1974–1978), postmodern painter
- Stephen Paternite (early 1970s), multimedia artist
- Gloria Plevin[22] (mid-1960s), realist painter and printmaker
- Gerry Shamray (1977–1980),[23] comics artist
- William E. Smith[24] (early 1950s), African American artist recognized for exploring Black experiences in his art
- Jerome Tiger (mid-1960s),[25] Muscogee Nation-Seminole painter
See also
Further reading
- "Art". Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. Case Western Reserve University. Retrieved Oct 1, 2023.
References
- "Back Matter". Art Education. 14 (5). May 1961.
- Richardson, John Adkins (Apr 1962). "Cezanne-Innovator". Art Education. 15 (4): 6–10.
- Contino, Jennifer (2001). "Creepy Concepts". Sequential Tart. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
- Ricca, Brad (Jun 4, 2013). "7: Into the Air". Super Boys: The Amazing Adventures of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster — the Creators of Superman. St. Martin's Publishing Group.
- "Hal Cooper entry". Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999. Retrieved Oct 2, 2023.
- Leaks, Rosemary (Nov 18, 1955). "Bullock Receives Scholarship in Art". John Hay Ledger. Vol. XXIII, no. 3. John Hay High School. p. 1.
- Long, Karen (April 19, 1981). "Cooper Owner Says He Won't Back Down In A Fight". The Plain Dealer. p. 11-A.
- Long, Karen (April 19, 1981). "Cooper Art School Faces Shutdown". The Plain Dealer. p. 1.
- "Cooper Art School Dean Fired Without Warning, He Says". The Plain Dealer. April 28, 1981. p. B-10.
- "Cooper Art School Bankruptcy Dismissed". The Plain Dealer. May 28, 1981. p. 21-A.
- Cleveland City Directory. 1966.
- Cleveland City Directory. 1978.
- "Elmer W. Brown, American Greetings Artist, Dies". Call and Post. Cleveland, Ohio. 1971-06-05.
- Syllabus for course in Jones personal collection.
- "JOHN W. DORSEY". The Plain Dealer. Apr 17, 2018.
- "JOSEPH C. HRUBY: 1940 - 2014". The Plain Dealer. Jun 8, 2014.
- "LOIS MARIE VANCE". The Plain Dealer. Jul 30, 2014.
- Tramel, Jimmie (2019-04-14). "Artist reflects on Strawberry Shortcake's 40-year birthday". Associated Press. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
- Kramer, Elizabeth (Apr 16, 2015). "Popular wildlife artist Ray Harm dies". Courier Journal.
- Bails, Jerry (n.d.). "Mandrake, Tom". Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928-1999. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016.
- Litt, Steven (May 25, 2008). "Noted Cleveland artist Scott Miller dead at 5". The Plain Dealer.
- "Gloria Plevin: Artists Archives of the Western Reserve".
- "Gerry Shamray (b. 1957, USA)". Lambiek's Comiclopedia. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
- "William E. Smith: (American, 1913–1997): Artist Biography". The Cleveland Museum of Art. Retrieved Oct 1, 2023.
- Highwater, Jamake (Jan 1981). "The Life and Art of Jerome Tiger". American Indian Journal. 22.
Tiger got a grant to attend Cooper School of Art in Cleveland. He was Cooper's first student of Native American descent.