Seattle’s Iconic Cornish College Launches New Slate of Online Courses:

Making the Cornish College experience accessible to learners at all stages of their academic lives, anywhere in the world.

Seattle– This fall, Seattle’s 106-year-old Cornish College of the Arts announces new Continuing Education classes in the visual and performing arts for adult learners. The expanded course offerings–marking the first time Cornish has opened its (virtual) doors to non-matriculated students over the age of 18–will provide access to the College’s world-class roster of working-artist faculty, regardless of students’ geographic location.

“For some time now, Cornish has sought to expand the definition of who we serve, beyond the traditional matriculated student,” said William Seigh, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs. “Our pivot to remote learning last spring, in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, sped up our conversations and planning. Broadening our online offerings, and opening our courses to adult learners everywhere, is an important step towards a more accessible future and will bring with it a greater diversity of voices and perspectives.”

Cornish Continuing Education courses will take place online, in 6-8 week sessions, meeting once per week for 2-3 hours. The Fall catalog is available now for viewing and registration on the Cornish College website. Additional courses may be added and a refreshed slate of offerings will be announced later this year for start dates in January, 2021. 

Highlights from the Fall 2020 catalog include, but are not limited to: 

POLITICAL CAMPAIGN DESIGN

Instructor: Seattle Sims | 6-sessions | Starts Thursday, September 24

An introduction design course revolving around political campaigns and how design can be used to secure a vote, buy into an idea, or create propaganda. During this 6-week course, students will learn the theories of creating political campaigns, how imagery and type work together to create a persona for the idea, and how campaign design varies by region. Once students have learned the basics of political campaign design, we will use the elements studied to design an effective fictional campaign.

MUSIC LICENSING AND PUBLISHING

Instructor: Andrew Joslyn | 8-sessions | Starts Tuesday, September 22

Designed for songwriters, artists, and students interested in the invaluable business side of the music industry. The course examines the power of licensing every facet of a piece of music: from digital downloads, to live performances, to music across mixed media. We’ll shed light on the behind-the-scenes of music monetization and licensing as a tool to generate revenue for artists, songwriters, labels and music publishers. Students will learn to set up a performance rights organization, register their copyrights, and properly complete the label copy necessary to a piece of music into the world. For the final project, students will work towards an artist plan (incorporating publishing, copyrights, and master recordings). All students will be encouraged to share their works-in-progress for feedback and networking opportunities.

HISTORIC PHOTOGRAPHIC PROCESS: WET PLATE COLLODION

Instructor: Winifred Westergard | 6-sessions | Starts Thursday, September 24

Participants of this 6-week course will learn the skills necessary to create successful Tintypes and Ambrotypes. This includes basic large format camera operations, simple studio lighting setups, black and white film processing and beginning darkroom technique. We will focus on the history of the Tintype/Ambrotype Portrait and how it evolved along with the fascinating beginnings of photography.

THE BIG SMALL HOUSE

Instructor: Javier Gomez Alvarez-Tosdado | 8-sessions | Starts Thursday, September 24

The increasing cost of housing, and the need for dwellings for low- and mid-income populations, is a major concern in Seattle’s metropolitan areas. The Seattle City Council recently approved codes and regulations for facilitating the construction of attached dwelling units (ADUs), and detached dwelling units (DADUs). This course will focus on how to design an ADU-DADU, including a breakdown of the codes, regulations and construction process. Classes will include lectures, slide presentations, a workshop, and guest lecturers.

“Artists are connecting with one another more than ever online. And in doing so we have new opportunities to leverage art and design toward examining and addressing the most pressing issues of our time,” said Seigh. “We are so excited to invite adults at various stages of their academic lives--from working professionals to retirees–to learn, connect, network with one another, and experience what Cornish is all about.”

Continuing Education classes are offered through Cornish Extension. The mission of Cornish Extension programs is to provide community members of all ages with instruction and access to the arts at the highest level, in an inclusive environment that nurtures creativity, intellectual curiosity, and lifelong learning. Review the entire catalog of Continuing Education classes > 

Images are available upon request.

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