Glassell School of Art teaches aspiring artist from around the world

After several years of construction, the new Glassell School of Art opened its doors to students a year ago this week.

Patrick Palmer has been dean of the school for 28 years, and when it was time to move back in, he says, it was pretty special.

"It was fantastic," Dean Palmer says. "An art school moving into a $70 million building is not that common."

The new building stands on the same spot where the old Glassell School had been teaching artists since 1979. Today, the new, ultra-modern facility is ready to turn out the artists of tomorrow.

"We have probably around 1,000 to 1,100 students each semester. We have 40 faculty, and we offer about 110 different courses," Dean Palmer says.

The school is under the umbrella of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and is one of the top learning institutions of its kind in the world. Aspiring artist come from around the United States and beyond.

"We have international students, and we have an international core program which is a post-graduate program, a residency that is world-famous," Dean Palmer says.

From painting to sculpture, digital to film, the school offers a wide range of disciplines taught by an incredibly talented and veteran staff. Dean Palmer has been the dean here for nearly 30 years, and he says that there is one thing that keeps him coming back to the institution every fall.

"The students are so amazing. They're the nicest people in the world," Dean Palmer says.
In addition to nurturing young artists and helping them hone their craft, the Glassell also provides critical instruction on how to transition from the classroom to the real world.

"What makes a professional artist? After you learn to draw and paint, there's another whole career there," Dean Palmer.

The famous French painter Edgar Degas once said, "art is not what you see, but what you make others see." At the Glassell school, seeing, really is believing.