Expanding Creativity: USC Roski School of Art & Design

USC began offering art classes in 1883 and later founded the university’s art school in 1895. Now the USC Gayle Garner Roski School of Art and Design, the institution is one of the oldest art schools in Southern California and their new facility in the Arts District is announcing a 10,000 square foot expansion.

Roski School’ unique, supportive environment for creativity, boasts a noteworthy history, illustrious alumni, internationally renowned faculty and bright, talented students.

The 15,000-square-foot site, which currently houses the MFA Design program, will increase in size by an additional 10,000 square feet and will house the MFA Art and the MA Curatorial Practices and the Public Sphere graduate programs.

Degrees that are as individual as their students

The school offers courses in all media—painting, drawing, photography, design, sculpture, video, digital media, ceramics, performance, printmaking—and students are encouraged throughout their education to explore, combine, mix, match and move freely among them.

All Roski students major simply in art or design, rather than in a specific medium—such as photography or painting—rejecting the limiting requirement to choose a concentration in a single area.

Rather, students are able to focus on what’s relevant to their needs and interests. For aspiring illustrators, that might mean classes in drawing, video, and digital media; for future sculptors, a total immersion in sculpture. Most importantly, beyond technical proficiency in methods and materials, at the Roski School students learn what it means to be an artist or designer.

They learn to share ideas with fellow artists—and with musicians, actors, architects, journalists, biologists and screenwriters who will be among their classmates. They’ll learn to see images and the world critically, raise difficult and provocative questions and respond to—and create—art and culture in new and meaningful ways.

State of the Art Amenities

This will place the school’s three advanced degree programs in one space with state-of-the-art amenities for the artists, designers and scholars. Bringing the graduate programs together opens up the possibility for cross collaboration.

Coming Out to Play with the Neighbors

The expansion also enables Roski to present arts programming and public events within the Arts District neighborhood, contributing to the existing creative community.

Under the direction of USC Roski Dean Haven Lin-Kirk, who started her tenure just 14 months ago, these expansion plans indicate the continuing growth and solid foundation of the art and design programs at USC Roski.