A pioneering independent art college in Memphis that closed in 2020 after 84 years of operation.
Memphis College of Art offered comprehensive visual arts education at undergraduate and graduate levels, including Bachelor of Fine Arts, Master of Fine Arts, Master of Arts in Art Education, and Master of Arts in Teaching degrees. The college expanded its graduate programs beginning in 1987 and established the Nesin Graduate School in 2010. In 1982, the college pioneered the integration of computer technology with art instruction under new president John S. Slorp, positioning itself as an innovator in digital arts education.
The college occupied an 8-acre campus in Overton Park, adjacent to the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. Its main building, Rust Hall, was an award-winning mid-century modern structure designed by Roy Harrover and his firm Harrover & Mann, completed in 1959. The campus also included Metz Hall, funded by a $1,000,000 donation from the Metz family, and student housing added in 1992. The college's distinctive red and white colors reflected its institutional identity.
Originally founded as the James Lee Memorial Academy of Art in 1936, the institution became independent after a dispute with the Memphis Art Association over its acceptance of modernism. It was the only Southern independent college accredited by both the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACSCOC). Notably, the college hired eleven African American teachers in 1961, a progressive stance during the era of widespread racial discrimination.
After 84 years of operation, Memphis College of Art closed in May 2020 following mounting financial pressures and declining enrollment. The Board of Directors voted to cease operations in October 2017, and the college held its final Commencement Ceremony on May 9, 2020. In May 2022, the Metal Museum signed a lease for the Rust Hall site, preserving the historic building's use for cultural purposes.