We are quite excited to share the news that we are now the first, and only, holder of the Certificate of Classical Architecture in the State of Arkansas. This is an accomplishment that has been on our radar for years, though somewhat elusive given the serious commitment of time and travel involved, but, well worth it.
The Certificate is issued by Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, an organization based in NYC and mostly active on the east coast, though with active chapters elsewhere in the U.S., that strives to educate professionals and non-professionals alike the basic principals of classical architecture. They offer educational courses, online and in person: drawing classes, workshops, lectures and sketching tours. Obtaining the Certificate requires 100 hours of classroom time and while some of it can be completed online, the majority must be done in person, either in New York or at one of their Summer Intensive Workshops offered in other cities. To earn credit towards the Certificate, I attended their week-long intensive in Denver last summer---and what a joy it was to immerse myself back into a studio-like environment...sketch book, drawing board, lead pointers and watercolor brushes in hand to learn to draw and render the five orders: Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian and Composite.
One doesn't have to travel far to witness the influence of Greek and Roman architecture--especially in the United States---where both well and poorly executed classical architecture is ubiquitous. What Allan Greenberg calls the "Architecture of Democracy", the Greek Revival was specifically chosen as the architectural vocabulary of the young nation to communicate striving for higher ideals.
Of course it is our goal to understand it and to execute it well if that is what our clients desire--and holding the Certificate demonstrates our seriousness to this end.
I would recommend to anyone interested to learn more by visiting https://www.classicist.org