What to look for in an Art School or Art Program?

Forums > Art Related > General

~axdreamximagination Jul 6, 2012 Student General Artist

Hey, thanks for anyone that replies to this some sort of help

. Honestly, I am lost on what art schools I should apply to, which schools or programs have a good reputation besides RISD, Cal Arts and SAIC, which are the dually noted ones. College board doesn't really help much with the endeavors of finding an art school, because it's more of a general college/university website. Anyways, what are qualities I should look for in an art school or art program? Also, what type of pieces do they look for in portfolio's and what type of candidates do they look for in art schools?

You can no longer comment on this thread as it was closed due to no activity for a month.

Devious Comments

~theman99808 Jul 17, 2012

Im currently studying art at Otterbein University, Its a small school with about 4,000 students or so and the art program is wonderful. Also CCAD (columbus collage of art and design.) is a good art school also.

~axdreamximagination Jul 20, 2012 Student General Artist

Thanks so much for answering and I will look up both schools online

~FOOLY-COOLY Jul 12, 2012 Student

California College of the Arts, MCAD, MICA, SVA, SCAD, Savannah, and any State University should have a decent art program for a more reasonable price.

It really depends on what you want. What type of artist do you want to be? What kind of classes do you want to take? What kind of academic philosophy? The only art school I know a lot about is SAIC (I love SAIC but it's not for everyone with every career path).

Portfolios: they look for foundational pieces (figure, observational, examples of knowledge of color/composition/line/shadow). They also look for pieces that flow conceptually and have a theme that is explored to some degree. Many also ask for specific examples.

If you're good enough you can get a nice scholarship at some art schools, but it depends how selective the art school is. I should note that SAIC is not very selective, despite the fact that it is top ranked. I am not saying that it's easy to get a merit scholarship though. There is some amount of financial aid. SAIC also has really good staff because Chicago is a stellar location that attracts a lot of artists.

My biggest recommendation for you is to spend a summer taking an observational art class at a summer program at an art school to get an understanding of what art school is like and to get advice, as well as pick up technical skills.

~FOOLY-COOLY Jul 12, 2012 Student

However, art school programs like that are undoubtedly expensive. An alternative is to do a figure drawing class in your local neighborhood. OP needs to work on foundation drawing skills a lot.

~kit-kat-ari Jul 11, 2012 Student General Artist

Look into the faculty and professors there. Talk to alumni and current students, and take a good look at their portfolios. Visit the campus, if you can, check out the environment and see if it suits you.

Academy of Art and Art Center are also great schools. u__u

`saintartaud Jul 11, 2012 Professional General Artist

Look at the faculty, look who's come out of the school, look at the specific programs each school offers and compare. Looking at rankings is also helpful, but you also want to think about what you're looking for specifically and what that particular school offers. Most schools should have a career services office, but you should also look at whether each particular department offers some professional practices component (commercial arts programs usually do; if you're looking at fine art, it can be hit or miss; some schools require professional practices courses for all students). Part of why campus visits are so important is that you can actually get a feel for what the campus and facilities are like, the overall culture and atmosphere. Rankings are great and not unimportant, but they're not going to tell you everything about the school. Narrow yourself down to a few choices and then visit each school (if possible).

The school I went to was not in the Top 5, but it did have a well ranked first year foundation program, was within 200 miles of my hometown (but still in a decently sized metro area), and had some particularly well regarded programs taught by artists noted in their respective fields.

Also, don't dismiss studying art at a university or private liberal arts college. There are some decent programs out there, and you'll still get the same degree and possibly the same opportunities/connections. It's often cheaper, too.

~axdreamximagination Jul 11, 2012 Student General Artist

Wow, thanks for the useful info! Also, about the cost of going to an art school do you know whether or not it's easier to qualify for a loan or grant?

`saintartaud Jul 11, 2012 Professional General Artist

As far as loans/grants, it depends on your situation. The FAFSA should determine your eligibility for most of that. Definitely look into scholarships as well. Most private art schools offer them based on merit.

~miasmic-mind Jul 10, 2012

if the school has an open house or something i would try to talk to a student there. the school itself will always paint itself in a positive light.

~axdreamximagination Jul 11, 2012 Student General Artist

Yeah, schools want cash and such, thank you so much!

Details

Statistics

What to look for in an Art School or Art Program?

Devious Comments

The Journal Portal

Polls

What is your preferred drawing software?

deviantART [dee·vee·un'nt·ART]

Keep in Touch!

Deviousness

Add Media

Style