Evening star., 1928-10-07
BY LEILA MECHLIN.

BY LEILA MECHLIN.
TIME new season of 192s-29 has
been inaugurated in Washing
ton by the opening or reopen
L ing of art schools. One does
not have to qualify as a men,
ber Of the Association OF Oldest In
habitants to recall the establishment of
the Corcoran School of Art under aus
p!ces of the Corcoran Gallery Of Art
and on a modest basis. Furthermore,
from the time the Art Students League
of this city went out of existence until
comparatively recently the Corcoran
School has been practically the only
important local art school. No longer.
however, does it occupy this solitary
position Washington has today not
cne but several well equipped schools of
art-schools in which the ambitious
student may fit him or herself for a
professional career as painter, sculptor
illustrator or designer
The Corcoran School still devotes Its
attention chiefly to the so-called fine
arts-drawing. painting, sculpture, etc.
Leaving to the private schools, notably
the National School of Fine and APP
piled Art, of which Felix Mahony is
director: the Abbott School of Fine and
Commercial Art. the Critcher School of
Painting and Applied Art, the Master
School of Interior Decoration, of whi"h
Rudolph de zapp is director; the new
Dcniphan Academy. and the equally
new Livingston Academy, the field of
decorative arts or the so-called COM
mercial arts--commercial illustration,
the designing of costumes. or articles
OF utility, objects dart and interior
decoration.
Perhaps nothing could signify more
patiently the development of interest
in art here at the National Capital
than this multiplication of art schools
for, after all, as Granville Baker once
pointed out with regard to music, we
cannot be regarded as art loving until
we are art producing To visit exhibi-
tions, to listen to symphony concerts,
Is not SUFFICIENT.
The Corcoran School of Art reopens
with its same faculty, comprising Rich
ard S. Meryman, Burtis Baker, Eugen
Weisz Carl Nose and Mathilde M. Lei
senring. with Miss Mayo as secretary
and shows on its books an uncommonly
large enrolment. The sculpture class,
organized last year under direction Of
Carl Nose, with dorado Taft as visit
ing instructor, proved great success,
and the enrolment of this class alone
this year approximateS so. Mr.. Nose
spent the Summer abroad studying
Gothic sculpture in the interest of the
work which he has been commissioned
to do for our Washington Cathedral.
The Abbott School, which includes
classes In portrait painting. water color
and etching, as we'll as the decorative
and industrial arts, has been fortunate
in securing for the coming season an
advisory council, consisting of Clifford
K. Bergman, cartooniSt of The Star;
Royal Bailey Farnum, principal of the
Massachusetts and president of the
Federated Council on Art Education; !;
Francis c. Jones, national academician
treasurer of the National Academy of
Design and a member of the purchaS-
ing committee of the Metropolitan Mu-
scum of Art; G.. A. Lewis of the Lewis
Advertising Agency and William Part
ridge, architectural conSultant of the
National Capital Park Planning Com
mission. Besides which the school has
fortunately been able to continue an
arrangement with Henry B. Smell for q
monthly criticism for those who wish
to submit to his consideration paintings
in oil and water color. The first of
these criticisms will be given next Tues
day. A class in etching has been or
ganized under charge of Louis Wolcho-
nok, and announcement is made of
children'S classes, Saturday classes,
courses in the history of art, etc.
The Critcher School lays special stress
on painting Glasses in portrait study
and still life are under the instruction
of Miss Critcher and Miss Alma Bos-
tick. while Miss Margaret L. Comegys
conducts classes in design, interior
decoration. costume design and poster
advertising. Miss Critcher, 1t will be
remembered, is the only woman men,
Der of the Taos Society of Artists of
New Mexico. She Is represented in the
permanent collection of the Corcoran
Gallery of Art. and her paintings are
invariably welcome in the leading ex-