The newest president of the 150-year-old Art Academy of Cincinnati comes from the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP).

Joseph Girandola took over as president on August 1, 2019, according to the Art Academy’s website. 

The Art Academy is a private college of art and design in Over-the-Rhine that describes itself in its 150th anniversary page as “a community of radiant, radical, forward-thinking artists and designers.”

Girandola left a job as interim associate dean of graduate studies and research at DAAP. He is credited with securing new outside funding sources for creative research while at UC, according to the article. 

He is a seasoned higher education administrator who is still a practicing artist. Girandola, who grew up in Maryland, started his career in art as an apprentice stone carver. 

“When my kids go to sleep, I go down and work in the studio,” he said in the Q&A. “And whether that’s not making anything in the studio and just looking at what I’ve done the day before or the week before, I still consider that an idea-generation act of being in the studio.”

Girandola promised collaboration to give students the skills needed in the global creative economy.

Location: Hall of Mirrors
Menu: Field greens with pepitas, raisins, goat cheese & raspberry vinaigrette and pumpkin mousse – salad appetizer and dessert for all entrees.

Regular Entrée – Slow roasted turkey with whipped potatoes, green beans & gravy.
Vegetarian Entrée – Baked tofu with whipped potatoes & green beans.
Salad Entrée – Grilled shrimp over mixed greens, dried cherries, ricotta salata & maple vinaigrette.