The Otis Campus-Los Angeles, California
In 1917 General Harrison Gray Otis, founder
of the Los Angeles Times, deeded his house,
the Bivouac, and the property on which it
stood to the County of Los Angeles, with the
provision that it be used in the furtherance of
education in the arts. In keeping with the
provision, the County established the Otis Art
Institute as a professional school of art in
1918. The County purchased the adjacent
Earl property in 1939 as an addition to the
school's facilities.
The Otis Art Institute underwent many
changes between the time of its founding
and its merger in 1979, with Parsons School
of Design. Until 1954, the two dwellings and
their adjacent service buildings housed
school activities and, from time to time, the
activities of various community cultural and
civic groups. At various times the school
offered varying numbers of non-degree
courses, ranging through the fields of the
commercial, applied and fine arts.
Otis had functioned as part of the Art Division of the Los Angeles County Museum of
History, Science, and Art until 1947, when it
became a separate Department of the
County. It existed under another name, the
Los Angeles County Art Institute, from 1947
to 1960.
In 1954, under the direction of California's
distinguished artist/administrator Millard
Sheets, a complete reorganization was
begun. The old buildings were replaced by
those that now house the college's classrooms and gallery, and a program leading to
an upper division offering the Master of Fine
Arts degree was initiated. In 1965, an upper
division Bachelor of Fine Arts was added
and these two programs continued until
-1979. Following the Otis-Parsons merger, a
full four-year undergraduate curriculum has
been instituted and candidates for the BFA
degree may now be admitted as freshmen,
sophomores and juniors.
The Otis-Parsons Merger
On November 28,1978, the Board of Supervisors of Los Angeles County voted to merge
the Otis Art Institute with Parsons School of
Design. This historic event was prompted by
a decision of the Supervisors, made some
two years earlier, that Otis should become
self-supporting or merge with another institution. Under the terms of the merger, the
County retains ownership, direction and
control of the property constituting the
original Otis bequest, while it delegates the
responsibility for the development and
implementation of educational programs to
Parsons School of Design.
The merger with Parsons provided extraordinary and unique opportunities. First, it
bridged America's two most vital centers of
the arts, making possible an unexpected
exchange of faculty, students and visiting
artists. This possibility was seen as a great
advantage for both Los Angeles and New
York City. Second, this merger provided Otis
with a broader institutional framework in
which growth and diversity were possible
without altering the college's essential character as an independent art school.
A third and extremely significant factor was
Parsons' ability to recognize and meet Los
Angeles' emerging needs in the area of
design. For, by 1979, the Otis Art Institute
was not offering design curriula, even though
it had done so in previous years. The merger
with Parsons thus brought about a curricular
depth that not only encompassed extensive
graduate and undergraduate study in the
fine arts, but included one of this country's
most distinguished design programs as well.
Physical Facilities
The Otis Campus of Parsons School of
Design is located in the heart of metropolitan Los Angeles, on Wilshire Boulevard at
MacArthur Park. It is easily accessible by car
and bus. Within a few minutes, by bus or on
foot, are the major cultural institutions of Los
Angeles: The Los Angeles County Art
Museum, the City Library, Philharmonic
Auditorium, the Los Angeles Music Center,
and the Civic Center.
Large, well-lighted and modern studios are
characteristic of the three main buildings
that comprise this facility. Sculpture workshops and foundry make use of the Southern
California climate so that both indoor and
outdoor work can take place throughout the
school year. The ceramics department is
housed in its own building, complete with a
multi-kiln firing installation, and a modern
technical support system.
