OLD LYME, CONN.- The Lyme Academy of Fine Arts has officially reopened with a renewed dedication to the mission first articulated by its Founder, sculptor Elisabeth Gordon Chandler. The Academy was created in 1976 as an institution dedicated to the traditional, skills-based art education, first taught in the Renaissance academies of Europe and, later, at Paris’s École des Beaux-Arts.
Returning to the roots of the organization, the Academy begins the academic year with the launch of a new Core Program of study for full-time students, which will commence in late September. Led by the husband and wife team of Jordan Sokol and Amaya Gurpide who serve as Co-Artistic Directors, a dynamic new faculty of internationally acclaimed instructors will teach students the foundational skills on which they can build a career in the fine arts. Enrollment for the 2021-2022 academic year is now open; applications will be accepted on a rolling basis throughout the academic year.
The Academy’s Core Program is comprehensive and intense: Classes are conducted five days a week, from 9 am until 9 pm, with weekly supplementary instruction in anatomy, sculpture, and the history of art. Landscape, still life, and portraiture are included in the program, as are dedicated explorations of the properties of light and form. Students work in custom north-lit studios, honing their technical skills through the direct observation of imported European plaster casts and live models. Intimate class sizes allow for in-studio demonstrations and individualized critiques, as well as guided museum and gallery visits. Faculty and guest lectures are regularly scheduled, many of which are open to the public. The Core Program will run on a trimester schedule with the first (Fall) trimester beginning on September 27, 2021. The cost per trimester is $3650, with scholarship opportunities available.
“We’re looking for students who want to apply themselves and work hard to grow and develop” said Sokol, himself an accomplished painter, “you’ve got to be willing to put in the thousands of hours required if you are serious about developing your talent. There are no short-cuts.” It is expected that most students will study for three years, although some will pursue a shorter course of study and others longer, depending on their individual objectives and the progress they make developing their skills.
“As Lyme Academy has returned to its roots, it will no longer confer Bachelor’s degrees. In the place of seat-time requirements for credit accumulation, students will instead focus on skill-building with an eye towards mastery, fully preparing our students for the twenty-first century art world “, the Academy’s Executive Director, Mora Rowe, said. “In addition to our Core Program, we are planning a full spectrum of public programming which will include gallery openings, exhibitions, part-time classes, workshops, lectures, cultural events, and more. Our partnership with the community and the accessibility and openness of our campus are of the highest priority.”
Two additional educational programs are currently under development. The Academy will offer a Continuing Education program focused on students of all ages and abilities to benefit from a skills-based curriculum, with a choice of year-round study or individual classes. A Portfolio Preparation program is also under development, which will be designed to provide a solid, skills-based visual education to develop one’s portfolio and abilities under the leadership of professional artists.
The Lyme Academy of Fine Art will host quarterly Gallery Openings beginning with the first exhibition, Memento Vivere, on October 16, 2021. This invitational group exhibition will be curated by Sokol & Gurpide, the Co-Artistic Directors and will have the additional role of Inaugural Fundraiser for the Academy. The Memento Vivere exhibition, located in the Chauncey Stillman Gallery, will be open to the public October 17, 2021 through December 10, 2021.
