The focus of our Architectural Stone program is centered on creating the academic environment necessary to produce multidimensional educated artisans. In order to provide this unique educational experience our students complete an intensive, integrated liberal arts curriculum. This curriculum has been developed in such a way that all courses, both academic and artistry, build upon each other and missing any portion of the curriculum provides an incomplete education. This integrated approach creates a highly focused learning environment which students find both challenging and rewarding.

The stone trade has evolved from simple dry stone walling to the intricately detailed carving on cathedrals and monuments throughout the world. The artisans who work stone still use the same methods and tools developed over centuries, although modern techniques and tools have made the process of working stone easier. There is a significant need for artisans who can work and understand stone. Much of the work is in the field of preservation, but there is a great demand for new stone construction. This trade cannot be taught quickly; it requires a knowledgeable practitioner with highly developed skill sets to become proficient at working many types of stone. If you have a disposition towards highly detailed and precise work, good hand and eye coordination, and a strong mathematical background then stone is an ideal trade.

Working stone is a physical and meticulous trade. The work can be divided into two categories: 1) working stone in a yard or workshop, and 2) installing stone into a building on site. Both these areas demand patience and attention to detail, as well as the ability to lift the stone, stand for long periods, and skillfully use a hammer. It is a very satisfying trade which reveals its rewards over time.

All college preparatory courses are desirable (see College Catalog), as well as courses in shop, woodworking, mechanical drawing and mathematics. Manual dexterity, hand-eye coordination and physical fitness are important. Artistic and design skills are a plus.

Architectural stone workers may be employed as a stone carver, stone mason/installer, preservation stone worker, project manager, business owner and stone extractor.

The Architectural Stone Carving curriculum consists of eight semesters that will prepare students for a career as a stone specialist. The course is designed to give a broad overview of the skills required to work in all aspects of the modern American stone industry. The program will specialize in two main fields: 1) the development of architectural stone carving/cutting skills, and 2) conservation/installation techniques.

The course of study is designed with two distinct stages. During the first two years students develop the basic skills required to cut stone and put this material into use as an architectural form on either historic or contemporary buildings. Upon completion they will receive an Associates degree and be able to competently begin working as an apprentice to a master craftsman. Students who choose and are selected to continue into the Bachelors program will complete two more years of intensive training -- honing their practical skills and techniques. They will advance their study into theoretical aspects of the stone industry, conservation work and business management. Students finishing the full four year curriculum will receive the education and skills needed to become a business owner and master artisan.

The student who applies for this course should have a high level of practical skills. Their background should include a portfolio or history that shows a direction which is relevant to this course of study, as well as the determination to succeed as a pioneer in a field that needs to be fostered. Stone is an exciting area of study which will test the boundaries between classical craft and modern architecture.

An emphasis throughout this curriculum will be on workshop and on-site practice, where repetition will lay the foundation for high skill levels. Initially, the courses will focus on hand skills/techniques for carving or working stone and the theoretical knowledge needed to apply them. These skills will lay the foundation for later workshops which extend beyond practice and into accomplished work. In the third year, students will specialize in the craft by concentrating more fully on set disciplines. With repetition of process now engrained within the student, they will be able to concentrate more on the craft than the process. The fourth year will further extend the third year development, but the students will start to lead their own projects. This goes to the very core of this year’s development in theoretical management. This approach will leave students with a solid background, preparing them for the rigors of working as a commercial artisan/practitioner.

Areas of study will be: conservation, craft and architecture history, drawing, design and geometry, English, general masonry, management and professional practice, information technology, letter cutting, math, modern construction, and stone carving. Classes in many of these subjects will be complemented by lectures and instruction from master artisans brought in to teach specific specialties.