New agreement between the Accademia di Belle Arti and the UC Education Abroad Program

"I feel like I enrolled in a class from the Renaissance," said a recent University of California Education Abroad Program student about a lithography class he took at the Accademia di Belle Arti of Bologna, Italy.

Indeed, some of the classes offered at this school, which dates to the late 16th century, give students the opportunity to study techniques that date from historical times, while others represent the cutting edge of modernity: Theory of Perception and Psychology of Form, History of Cartoon Cinema, Digital Video.

Regardless of the era, current UC Education Abroad Program art students will benefit from the program's new agreement with the Accademia.

Starting in 2006-07, University of California students may enroll for an academic year of study in Bologna, and take courses at both the University of Bologna and the Accademia.

This unique structure will benefit students in many ways.

"Allowing study at both an art academy and a regular Italian university will enable students to take a mixture of classes in various disciplines," said Rodney B. Sangster, Education Abroad Program regional director for programming in Italy. "The two combined constitute a well balanced and intellectually rewarding experience for EAP students in Italy."

Accademia courses are available in the fine arts, including painting, foundry (metal sculpture), marble sculpture, drawing (anatomy), decorative arts, etching, engraving, and lithography, and in the allied fields of art theory and art history.

The University of Bologna itself offers a full range of courses in virtually every field.

"The program will combine the independence of the Accademia studio courses with the more structured pedagogy of the University of Bologna," Sangster said.

With an enrollment of some 1400 students and a faculty of over 150 professors (full and part-time), the Accademia is fully integrated into the cultural and artistic life of the city. One of northern Italy's major cultural and intellectual centers, Bologna has a rich history dating back to 189 B.C., and a university that is the oldest in Europe, founded in 1088.

According to Margaret Brose, Education Abroad Program study center director in Italy and director of the Italian Studies Program at the University of California, Santa Cruz, the Accademia di Belle Arti is among the most important art academies in Italy.

It was founded in the late 16th century under the guidance of the famous Bolognese artists of the Carracci family. The Accademia was originally devoted to the study of drawing and anatomy, and over the centuries expanded into architecture and geometric perspective, painting, sculpture, decorative elements, and etching.

During its history, the Accademia has had among its professors some of the leading 20th century Italian artists including Paolo Manaresi and Giorgio Morandi.

UC students who have in the past informally taken courses at the Accademia have waxed positive about the artistic freedom that they are allowed in their classes, the open structure of the academy, its basis in independent experimentation and self-motivation, the collaborative environment among students, and the supportive faculty. Education Abroad Program students will be able to take courses in painting, sculpture, anatomy, marble sculpture, metal sculpture, figure drawing, decorative arts, design, print making, and photography.

The program is year-long. Eligibility requirements include a minimum two years of university-level Italian with a 3.0 GPA, and an overall 3.0 cumulative GPA. Students with only a year of Italian may also qualify for admission by taking second-year Italian during the summer in EAP's pre-ILP in Rome. Students wishing to take courses at the Accademia will also be required to submit a portfolio of their work to gain admission to specific classes.

For more information about the UC Education Abroad Program:
http://eap.ucop.edu/

Media contact:
Rodney B. Sangster, Education Abroad Program regional director (805) 893-4024
sangster@eap.ucop.edu