Cooper Union

School of Art

Three of the nine arts awardees honored by the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2026 have connections to The Cooper Union School of Art.

Apr 16 Apr 16
New Public Forum: Every photograph is of the sun

Eduardo Cadavao, Philip Mayhew Professor of English at Princeton University, speaks about Derrida’s Athens, Still Remains
Jun 26 Jun 26
Typographics 2026

The annual event is now in its 12th year

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.
“My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”
From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.
Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.