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Ashland Academy of Art

1081 East Main Street
541-482-3567

Mission :

Philosophy : 

Art is essential to the culture, because art is the soul of the culture. Disillusioned by meaningless modernism, people are looking back in history to find solutions for the future of our art and culture. Today there is a strong movement in the Western World towards a return to representational art.

Our culture, however, lost the basic understanding of what art is, what art education is, and what it takes to become an artist. Students attempting to learn drawing, painting or sculpture are facing a multitude of classes without proven methodology, or a serious academic curriculum. This creates confusion and dissatisfaction and ultimately generates poor art.

Somehow, our culture understands that doctors, lawyers, musicians and ballet dancers have to study long and hard, but believe that in art, all you have to have is talent. The general consensus, "You ether have it, or you don’t", seems to eliminate the need for art education entirely. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

The Academy’s philosophy is "fundamentalist". It is based on the principle that a solid foundation is the key to successful learning. Art requires methodical, objective based education, hard work and total dedication. The Academy’s mission is to pass on a tremendous body of knowledge, skills and appreciation of art, accumulated through the centuries, thus encouraging a revival of art in the 21st century.