In this episode of If Walls Could Talk, W&C Group Publisher Jill Bloom speaks with our Legal Insight columnist Trent Cotney of Adams & Reese. Here, he speaks about taking a trip to one of the premier schools that trains the next wave of classically trained arts in the building trades.

Four Year College for the Creative Minds!

In this episode of If Walls Could Talk, W&C Group Publisher Jill Bloom interviews Legal Insight columnist Trent Cotney, who shares his recent experience visiting the American College of Building Arts in Charleston. Cotney, who has longstanding ties with the National Slate Association, highlights this unique institution as the only U.S. college combining traditional building trades with a liberal arts curriculum. Students at ACBA earn a four-year degree in fields like architectural carpentry and stonework, spending half of each week in apprentice labs honing hands-on skills essential for craftsmanship in preservation and design.

There’s really some interesting things going on that Trent experienced recently at the American College of Building Arts. Cotney has been associated with the National Slate Association for several years, and the group just had its meetings in Charleston, where it visited a very unique school, the American College of Building Arts.

The American College of the Building Arts is the only college in the United States that fully integrates professional training in the traditional building trades with a liberal arts core curriculum.

Students study the humanistic traditions like architecture, history and English; practical skills like math, foreign language and science; and creative skills like drawing and drafting. Taken together, these disciplines develop the creative thinking and problem-solving skills that great artisans need. Students earn a four-year baccalaureate degree, in specializations such as architectural carpentry, classical architecture & design, plaster, architectural stone, timber framing and more.

Classes in the traditional liberal arts are integrated with historic preservation, drawing and drafting, architectural history and design, material science, and construction management. In addition to the liberal arts classes that most traditional colleges have, ACBA's students spend two-and-a-half days each week in apprentice labs learning the artistry and hands-on skills in their craft.

“We had the opportunity to view what students are working on—but here’s the interesting thing: they work on a piece and throughout the whole school that was someone’s project. I had a chance to talk to the kids that are learning this incredible craftsmanship that will get snatched up not only here in the States but maybe across seas.

“I imagine there are other schools like this but this is incredible.”

On the group’s second day, it had the opportunity to tour the facility and speak with the professors. These guys are the cream of the crop, Cotney says. Some of the kids come in not knowing much but in their fourth year, they’re creating something amazing. It’s a relatively small school but the people there are engaged. You can see the excitement on the students’ faces.

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