Brooks Institute, a visual arts school whose alumni include Academy Award and Pulitzer Prize winners announced last week the end of their 70-year run.

After years of declining enrolment, tighter federal rules on for-profit schools and efforts to move the school to downtown Ventura, California – representatives announced the doors will permanently close on October 31st, 2016, and that all classes in the fall semester have been cancelled.

I was acting Chairman of the Board for the school up until last week, when myself and the remaining board members made individual and unanimous decisions to resign from the board – following the termination of the school’s president, by the parent company.

In this interview, I sit down with Jeffrey Burke, a former Chairman of the Board at the school to discuss the impact of this closure, what’s next for the students, faculty and the for-profit education industry in general.

Links Mentioned in This Episode

* The Rise & Fall of Brooks Institute

* Brooks Institute shutting down after 70 years

* Brooks Institute closes after 70 years of photography education

* Washington ArtWorks & Washington School of Photography declares bankruptcy

About Jeffrey Burke

JT Burke uses the mad photo skills that he has accumulated throughout his working life to create glimpses of a personal Paradise. His visions are cobbled together using vintage costume jewelry, each piece individually photographed and cataloged and then digitally collaged into ornate compositions that straddle the boundaries between representation and abstraction.

His inspiration is drawn from many sources including Hieronymus Bosch, Dr. Seuss, Byzantine iconography, 20th century modernists and 12 years of Catholic school education. His tightly editioned, digital compositions have been exhibited in Barcelona Spain, Bristol UK, New York City, throughout California, and have been featured in various publications including Juxtapoz and Huff Post Arts.

JT Burke lives and works in South Pasadena, CA.