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Cranbrook Academy of Art

George Booth formally established Cranbrook Academy of Art in 1932, with Eliel Saarinen as its first President. At the heart of the Art Academy’s educational philosophy was the company of master artists and designers who maintained residences and studios at Cranbrook, encouraging a model of “self-education under good leadership” for the Academy students. Eliel Saarinen described it as “not an art school in the ordinary meaning. It is a working place for creative art….Creative art cannot be taught by others. Each one has to be his own teacher. But [contact] with other artists and discussions with them provide sources for inspiration.” In addition to Saarinen’s architecture department, artists-in-residence included Swedish-born sculptor Carl Milles and Hungarian-born painter Zoltan Sepeshy.