The Cooper Union

The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art is situated on the edge of Manhattan's East Village, easy walking distance of Washington Square Park and the bookstores, galleries and film houses of Greenwich Village.

Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

The Cooper Union has two main auditoriums and multiple gallery spaces. Several galleries around the campus are used to exhibit the work of students and outside artists in solo or group shows. In 41 Cooper Square, the 41 Cooper Gallery and the Lubalin Center Gallery feature large windows offering views from the building’s entrance and an abundance of natural light. These spaces, often used in conjunction with one another and with the adjacent Rose Auditorium, serve as a highly visible site of artistic activity consisting of exhibitions, programs, and screenings for the Cooper Union community, neighborhood and city at large.

In the Foundation Building, a number of lobby galleries present students’ artwork in the historical heart of the school, near many of the studios and shops where it was created.

Beginning late in each fall semester and carrying through the spring, gallery spaces in both the Foundation Building and 41 Cooper Square showcase work by graduating seniors in The School of Art, with additional exhibitions of exchange student work, class projects and work by fellowship recipients. These exhibitions offer an opportunity for students to contextualize and showcase projects developed throughout the course of the year. The annual student exhibition at the end of the school year— referred to colloquially as the End of the Year Show—is mounted throughout the school’s exhibition, studio and classroom spaces and features the work of art, architecture and engineering students at all levels.