Teaching with the Institute for Classical Architecture

with Serena Ettelson

Teaching with the Institute for Classical Architecture & Art is a privilege and one of the critical ways that I get to remind myself, through the course of my career, why I am so very passionate about traditional architecture. I first came to learn about the ICAA during my graduate studies and was honored to receive a scholarship to attend the Winter Intensive that year. What a treat it was to be among other students who were interested in studying not only the Beaux Art history of architectural education, but how one goes about designing new Classical buildings. It was such a significant departure from my graduate education, formulated on the theories of the Bauhaus, where form followed function, and contextual sensitivity and precedent were rarely discussed.

The architectural landscapes I loved from home were not those of glass and steel, rather the baroque and ever fascinating campus of Balboa Park, designed by some of the most renowned architects for the Panama California Exposition of 1915. Many of the architects of Balboa Park had studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris and interpreted their Classical education for a Spanish inspired dream-like vision of California’s future. With the renewed voice I found in myself to advocate for timeless architecture, I eagerly got involved with the ICAA’s Southern California chapter and found every opportunity to assist with courses offered, especially those in measured drawing, studying the fabulous architectural details found at UCLA and Caltech. After taking the courses with the ICAA, particularly the Intensive, I was asked to TA various regional intensives in California, and ultimately around the country.

As an instructor, every Intensive is an opportunity to indulge in local architectural styles and history, and to learn from the students who have such unique and wonderful perspectives on architecture, or construction, or furniture making. Each course is a reminder that the very best way to learn is to teach others. I recommend that architects growing in their own careers consider the value that teaching can provide, and advocate for it with their employers. The advantages to a firm are robust- a way to develop knowledge and appreciation for the tradition of Classical Architecture education, to observe the perspectives on traditional architecture around the country, and to build a staff who are fluent in the language of classical design. In my own architectural practice in Santa Barbara, I keenly appreciate how architects at the turn of the century learned the Beaux Arts rules and then successfully broke them. Like a musician or an artist, their classical foundation allowed them to create our most celebrated and timeless landmarks. Inviting my colleagues and clients to be part of this dialogue and investigation, how precedent and Classical theory may be interpreted for contemporary life and our local context, has been one of my greatest passions.

Tags: world of education