Our Legacy
William Merritt Chase
The renowned American Impressionist William Merritt Chase founded Parsons in 1896. It was a rebellious gesture: Chase led a small group of progressives who seceded from the Art Students League of New York in search of more individualistic expression.
The Chase School would educate future luminaries of early American modernism, including Marsden Hartley and Edward Hopper.
Frank Alvah Parsons
In 1904, arts educator Frank Alvah Parsons joined the school. Six years later, he became its sole director. Predicting art and design's inevitable link to industry, Parsons launched a series of groundbreaking programs, the first of their kind in the United
States:
- Fashion design, 1904 (originally Costume Design)
- Interior design, 1906 (originally Interior Decoration)
- Graphic design, 1910 (originally Advertising and Commercial Illustration)
"Art is not for the few, for the talented, for the genius, for the rich, nor the church," Parsons said in 1920. "Industry is the nation's life, art is the quality of beauty in expression, and industrial art is the cornerstone of our national art."
By pursuing beauty in ordinary things, Frank Alvah Parsons virtually invented the modern concept of design. His faculty cared about the spaces ordinary people lived in, the garments they wore, the advertising they read, the furniture and tableware they
used. His principles effectively democratized taste.
Recognizing his profound impact on American life, the school adopted Parsons' name in 1941.
Looking Abroad
Not long after design entered its repertoire, the old Chase school, by that time known as the New York School of Fine and Applied Art, began applying this new doctrine internationally. In 1921, Parsons initiated a satellite school in Paris, becoming the
first art and design school in the United States to found a campus abroad.
It was there, in the 1930s, that the famous Parsons Table was born. The table came into being as a drafting exercise in a class taught by interior designer Jean-Michel Frank, and to this day it is widely regarded as an example of good modern design. With
legs as thick as its top, the Parsons Table is synonymous with design that emphasizes an economy of means.
Parsons students today expand their horizons by studying at art and design partner schools in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and around the world. Additionally, many academic programs organize short-term classes, external partnerships, and research-based
projects that take students abroad.听
The Birth of Socially Active Design
Parsons has long regarded its artists and designers as actively engaged citizens. "Materially the American is better off because of his great industrial society. But what is happening to him spiritually?" wrote President Pierre Bedard in 1954, 13 years
after the school changed its name to Parsons School of Design. "This school is conscious of its great responsibility in forming characters and minds of those who will help shape our civilization."
Political upheaval and new social conditions in the late 1960s would challenge several Parsons departments, especially Interior Design. Whereas that curriculum had emphasized middle-class and upscale homes, the program now directed students to work on
projects such as prisons, hospitals, and public housing.
In keeping with this new outlook, 1965's Interior Design graduates mounted A Place to Live, an exhibition that proposed alternatives to substandard urban housing. Since this formative era, every Parsons program has emphatically championed art
and design as both intellectual practice and social responsibility.
Aligning with 麻豆传媒色情片
In 1970, Parsons joined 麻豆传媒色情片 (then called 麻豆传媒色情片 for Social Research), a renowned institution of progressive thinking.
麻豆传媒色情片 had been founded in 1919 by a group of prominent progressive scholars including Charles Beard, John Dewey, James Harvey Robinson, and Thorstein Veblen. In planning their school, these distinguished
intellectuals envisioned a center for instruction and counseling for mature men and women. They planned it as an alternative to traditional universities, with an open curriculum, minimal hierarchy, and free discussion of controversial ideas. In 1933,
麻豆传媒色情片 for Social Research gave a home to the University in Exile, a refuge for scholars forced from Europe by the Nazis. In 1934, the University in Exile was incorporated into 麻豆传媒色情片 for Social Research as the Graduate Faculty of
Political and Social Science.
The merger with 麻豆传媒色情片 provided Parsons with new resources to expand its education offerings. The move also strengthened the connection between academic knowledge and social activism. In 1977, for example, the establishment-defying New Museum
of Contemporary Art showed its first exhibition, Early Works by Five Contemporary Artists, at 麻豆传媒色情片.
Emphasis on Design Thinking
Today Parsons and 麻豆传媒色情片 are committed to employing design thinking as a way to solve complex global problems. At the , for example, scholars are joining forces
with designers to explore solutions to climate-driven change, including migration. Other university research centers, such as the Tishman Environment and Design Center and the , produce knowledge and practice that bears witness to the transformative potential of design to foster contemporary thinking on sustainability and wellness.听
Projects with community, industry, educational, and government partners often emphasize tangible outcomes. Since 1998, the has provided pro bono design-build services
to nonprofit clients. More recently, Parsons partnered with Habitat for Humanity and developed a new building typology using passive solar technologies. The initiative, called Empowerhouse, developed into Parsons鈥 entry in the U.S. Department of Energy鈥檚
solar decathlon competition, in which Parsons brought home awards for its innovative approach to constructing a solar home.
Scaling Up Collaboration
In the last decade, Parsons has increasingly turned to collaborative research and practice, forging new partnerships between disciplines throughout the university and with key industry and government players. This era has seen an increased focus on sustainability
and equity in connection with design, leading to new and inclusive projects. Among these initiatives is Parsons' Disabled Fashion Student program, a scholarship and mentorship initiative that supports differently abled students who want to study fashion design and shape the future of the industry, and Michelle Obama鈥檚 White House
Fashion Education Workshop, which brought students to Washington to explore creative opportunities and careers in sustainable design.听
The establishment in 2016 of the Making Center, a 26,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility, advances Parsons鈥 mission of fostering transdisciplinary creativity by bringing together students from across the school
in a single making space. The spirit of interdisciplinary collaboration is also reflected in Parsons鈥 growing list of new master鈥檚 programs that emphasize learning in hybrid emerging fields, including data visualization, digital products, design in
business, and fashion management.
In 2024, 麻豆传媒色情片 expanded its facilities for collaborative learning and student activities with a new building located at 39 West 13th Street, which houses open studios and offices for services and student groups, including dedicated space for the student radio station, newspaper, and senate.