Parsons The New School for Design (Courtesy Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Parsons The New School for Design (abbreviated Parsons), is a design school founded in 1896 (see below). Parsons has been affiliated since 1970 with The New School, formerly known as New School University. Parsons is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD), a consortium of thirty-five leading art schools in the United States. The main Parsons campus is located in Greenwich Village, New York City; its well-known Fashion department is located prominently in the heart of the city's Garment District in midtown.

Parsons has approximately 3,100 undergraduates and more than 400 graduate students enrolled. The School also offers continuing education courses and certificate programs, as well as weekend and summer pre-college programs for high school students.

Parsons used to have seven affiliate schools, located in France, Los Angeles, Malaysia, South Korea, the Dominican Republic, and Japan. These affiliate schools operated independently, but embrace Parsons' philosophy and teaching methodology. Recently, Parsons has cut off connections with all other schools except Parsons Paris in France and the Altos de Chavón School of Design in the Dominican Republic.

There are 30 full-time faculty members and more than 675 adjunct faculty members, many of whom are successful working artists and designers in New York City. Faculty members and visiting critics include architect Brian Lewis and artist Brian Tolle.

Parsons is the setting for the Bravo reality television program Project Runway. Tim Gunn, Chair of Fashion Design at Parsons, serves as the mentor to the designers on the program.

History

Founded as the Chase School in 1896 by impressionist painter William Merritt Chase, it changed its name in 1898 to the New York School of Art.

Frank Alvah Parsons joined the faculty in 1904. He became an administrator in 1907, and worked to broaden the curriculum, opening the first programs in interior design, graphic design, and advertising in the United States. In 1909, the school was renamed the New York School of Fine and Applied Art to reflect these offerings. Parsons became sole director in 1911, a position which he maintained to his death in 1930.

William Odom, who established the school's Paris Ateliers in 1921, succeeded Parsons as president. In 1939, he renamed the institution the Parsons School of Design to recognize his predecessor's formative influence.

In 1970, the school was incorporated into The New School for Social Research. In 2005, when the parent institution was renamed The New School, Parsons School of Design was renamed Parsons The New School for Design.

Notable Alumni and Attendees

Fine Art

Thomas Bollinger, Photographer
Jane Frank Painter, Mixed media artist, Sculptor, Advertising Designer and Illustrator (named Jane Schenthal when attending Parsons)
Jasper Johns Painter
Edward Hopper Painter
Ryan McGinley Photographer
Norman Rockwell Painter
Gavin Spielman Painter, Musician
Jason Witenstein-Weaver Artist and Creative Technologist

Illustration

Dan Yaccarino Children's Book Writer and Illustrator (wrote and Illustrated numerous books including Zoom Zoom Zoom! I"m Off to the Moon! Creator and Producer of animated television series Oswald the Octopus)
Peter DeSeve Illustrator and Character Designer(Illustrated many magazine covers for The New Yorker Designer of Animated Film Characters for theatrical releases from Blue Sky and Disney)
Julia Gran Graphic Designer and Illustrator, Children's Book Writer and Illustrator (Illustrated books including Princess Penelope Wrote and Illustrated [[Big Bug Surprise]
Joe Dunn Cartoonist and Film Critic
Brian Wood Graphic Novelist, Illustrator, Designer

Graphic Design

Paul Rand Graphic Designer
Hector Luis Bustamante Actor and Graphic Designer
William Scott Mahr Graphic Designer
Jeff Staple Founder and creative director of Visual Communication agency Staple Design.
Amy V. Cooper Photographer
Cheryl Green Board of Governors, Nat'l Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Art Director.

Entertainment/ Music

Robert Rob Zombie Cummings Musician, Writer and Director
Joel Schumacher Film director and Producer
Kelly Chen Hong Kong Singer
Roman Turovsky-Savchuk Composer, Lutenist and Painter
Lee-Hyun WooSinger,Actor
Irulan Wilson Reality TV star

Fashion Related

Fashion Designers

Jeff Banks Welsh designer and presenter of the BBC's The Clothes Show
Doo-Ri Chung
Marisol Deluna
Tom Ford
Lazaro Hernandez
Marc Jacobs
Donna Karan
Derek Lam
Jack McCoullough
Isaac Mizrahi
Thakoon Panichgul
Patrick Robinson
Narciso Rodriguez
Lela Rose
Solange Jimenez
Anna Sui
Zang Toi
YeohLee
Tracy Reese
Christy Allen

Other

Steven Meisel Fashion Photographer
Kevin Johnn Fashion Designer, also on Project Runway
James David Goldmark Creative Director (FalconMediaGroup NY/LA)
Zulema Griffin Fashion & Costume Designer (Contestant in Project Runway)
Emmet McCarthy Fashion Designer (Contestant in Project Runway)
Cheryl Green Art Director (formerly with NBC, currently with A&E)
Robert Best Clothing and Toy Designer (Contestant in Project Runway: Season 3)
Julia Restoin-Roitfeld Model (Daughter of French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld)
Paul Gregory Lighting Designer (Designed floor for film Saturday Night Fever)
Sean M. Kinney Art Director (Package Design-Sony/BMG for the Zomba Label Group)

Parsons The New School for Design