Historic Synagogue Welcomes Oberlin, Introducing Premium Arts Programs
Oberlin College's BA+BFA Program to Collaborate with Park Arts in Cleveland Heights
Oberlin College is set to bring its innovative BA+BFA in Integrated Arts dual degree program to Park Arts, a repurposed synagogue in Cleveland Heights. This partnership, known as "Park Arts," is a milestone in one of the most ambitious and historically significant reclamation projects within the nation's Jewish community.
The BA+BFA program, which combines a Bachelor of Arts from the College of Arts & Sciences with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Conservatory, is designed to foster both intellectual and artistic development through immersive, cross-departmental training in arts and liberal arts.
Students enrolled in this program will have 24-hour access to private studios, rehearsal spaces, theaters, and production facilities at Park Arts. They will also interact with the region's cultural institutions as part of their real-world experience. The BA+BFA program at Park Arts will culminate in a substantial, public-facing project-a performance, exhibition, or installation-determined in collaboration with Oberlin faculty mentors.
The collaboration between Oberlin and Park Arts is intended to honor one of Cleveland's historic Jewish synagogues, the Park Synagogue, while Erich Mendelsohn's legacy is being honored in the development of Park Arts.
The partnership between Oberlin and the Park Synagogue is a testament to Oberlin President Carmen Twillie Ambar's excitement about the partnership between Oberlin and the greater Cleveland community. Park Arts is designed to be an intergenerational center for artistic creation and humanities education, bridging Oberlin's close-knit campus with the creative energy of Cleveland and Cleveland Heights.
The first BA+BFA students are scheduled to arrive at Park Arts in June 2027, with the launch of the program scheduled for fall 2025. The program is also designed with collaboration in mind, including working with renowned visiting artists and Cleveland's arts organizations.
Park Arts is developed by Sustainable Community Associates (SCA), a Cleveland-based team of Oberlin alumni, and the nonprofit Friends of Mendelsohn. This collaboration promises to bring up to 50 fifth-year students to Park Arts for an immersive arts year, contributing their talents to a city known for artistic excellence.
For more precise and detailed information, direct sources from Oberlin’s Center for Engaged Liberal Arts or specific announcements about the Park Arts project would be recommended, as the existing documents focus broadly on the program’s structure rather than this external collaboration.
- This collaboration between Oberlin College and Park Arts aims to provide students with a unique lifestyle experience, offering 24-hour access to arts facilities and inter interacting with regional cultural institutions.
- The BA+BFA program at Park Arts, located within the repurposed synagogue in Cleveland Heights, is not just about artistic development, it's also an opportunity for education-and-self-development, culminating in a public-facing project that bridges art and intellectual pursuits.
