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Colleges of Art

Page history last edited by barry@artscounselor.com 11 years, 7 months ago

Barry Beach (http://www.artscounselor.com) offered these helpful overall tips:

 

Searching for Colleges of Art

The first place to search for colleges of art is the AICAD website - http://www.aicad.org/

AICAD, the Association of Independent Colleges of Art, is is a non-profit consortium of 41 leading art schools in the US and Canada.

Search colleges by numerous categories - name, size, major, undergrad/grad, location - http://www.aicad.org/choosing-a-school/

 

What is the Association of Independent Colleges of Art?

Membership in AICAD is open to colleges in the U.S. that are: private, nonprofit, free-standing (not a department of a larger college or university), specialized colleges of art and design, BFA and/or MFA degree granting, and accredited by NASAD (the National Association of Schools of Art & Design) and the appropriate regional accrediting agency (see below).

 

Why NASAD accreditation Matters:

NASAD establishes the basic content of BFA and MFA degrees, so they represent the same thing across all art programs, no matter what kind of college is offering the degree. Second, NASAD accreditation is that it establishes the meaning of a "credit." That is, it specifies how much in-class instruction is required for each credit hour a student is registered for in both academic and studio classes. For example, in studio classes in particular, AICAD schools (following the NASAD norm) offer roughly two hours of instruction per week for each credit taken.

 

If you are seriously considering a school that is not accredited by NASAD, then look carefully at the content of the curriculum and the contact-hour to credit-hour ratio.

 

AICAD members also offer "mobility" exchanges with other AICAD schools in the U.S. and Canada, allowing students to spend a semester at another AICAD instutition (on a space-available basis) and pay their home institution tuition. There are additional opportunities to study abroad and in New York City.

 

Portfolios

Most colleges of art require a portfolio to be considered for admission. A portfolio is simply a selection of an artist's artwork done to date in any medium (drawing, painting, ceramics, etc). Think of this as a quality control measure: just as science programs require prior course experience in Biology &/or Physics, most quality college of art programs require students to demonstrate their familiarity with basic art practices via their portfolio.

 

A portfolio helps ensure every applicant is ready for the intense first year of arts foundation courses in drawing and design. Students that are not accepted into a college of art are usually not prepared to successfully enter the program at the time of their application, NOT because the student does not have talent.

 

I discourage students with experience in art from applying to colleges of art without portfolio requirements for admission. They may find themselves bored doing elementary art exercises as they are more advanced than their peers who do not have a background in visual arts.

 

Preparing A Portfolio:

Most colleges requiring a portfolio want applicants to demonstrate their experience drawing from observation rather than drawing from a photograph or the imagination. Drawing from observation shows a student's ability to translate the world around them, observational skills, interest levels and thought processes.

 

Drawing takes practice, so serious art students should purchase a sketchbook and work in it each week. Sketchbooks are often reviewed by colleges of art as part of the application process. A full sketchbook offers numerous pieces to include in a portfolio.

 

Note: Portfolio requirements vary by college and even by program within the same college, so check for each separate application and major.

 

Advanced visual art courses at high school, such as AP Studio Art, IB Visual Art (International Baccalaureate), are excellent for students thinking about studying art in college, whether the apply to a college that requres a portfolio or not. For students that can not take these courses or whose school does not offer them, outside portfolio preparation courses are great options. These are often offered at colleges of art & art centers.

 

Pre-college summer programs (usually before the junior and senior years in high school) and local arts centers often offer such courses (see Summer Study - Visual Arts wiki page) Summer Study - Visual Arts

 

Some independent college counselors / consultants / advisors also offer portfolio preparation services. Here is one website to search for specialized consultants - http://hecaonline.org/DirectoryTOS

 

Portfolio Preparation Resources:

National Portfolio Days - http://portfolioday.net/

These events are specialty visual arts/design/architecture college fairs offered each year around the country by colleges/universities and colleges of art accredited by NASAD (see above).

They offer free portfolio reviews to students, and are invaluable for students thinking of studying art. I highly recommend high school sophomores and juniors attend prior to their senior year, as it ensures students have enough time to prepare their portfolio before applying.

 

NACAC Visual and Performing Arts College Fairs - http://www.nacacnet.org/EventsTraining/CollegeFairs/pva/Pages/default.aspx

A student's high school art instructors are a primary resource for preparing a portfolio. They know firsthand of the student's artistic development.

 

Book Resources for Counseling Visual Artists Toward College:

College Choices in the Performing and Visual Arts” by Kavin Buck and Ed Schoenberg, available in book form or download digital version from www.lulu.com

 

 

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