The Top Art Schools Offer Many Opportunities
If there is any one thing in the artist’s resume that means more than talent (and their professional portfolio) it is quite likely that it is where they received their art education, preferably at one of the top art schools.
Top Art Schools
In centuries past, artists –like many other craftspeople—apprenticed under master artists of their eras. The greatest artists of all time Da Vinci, Michaelangelo and countless others had students working under them during their most productive years. A few artists, such as Van Gogh were largely self taught. As highly prized as the work of these greats are now—in their own lifetimes they were not necessarily rich men, particularly Van Gogh who sold but one painting during his lifetime and lived a life of poverty and mental illness.
While not a free pass to a life of riches and fame, for the prospective art student, it is important to gain training in their craft at the best possible top art schools they can find.
Nearly every college in the US offers art courses, and a wonderful education may be received in any of them. For the particularly ambitious however, who desire to improve their chances of success, investigation into attending one of the top art schools in the country –and the world—may pay life-long dividends.
It is possible to earn a variety of degrees in art but A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is the standard art education in the US (the title varies a bit from country to country—in the U.K. the same degree is referred to as a Bachelor in Creative Arts for example) for those wishing for a professional education in the fine (painting, sculpture, etc) and performing arts (acting, dancing, music) which differs from a general BA by requiring a substantial studio component to the major field of study (that is, art theory and practical work in the various artistic media). An advanced degree, the Masters of Fine Arts is the standard post graduate degree for art professionals, but is not, unlike in some other disciplines, the only path to greater success.
In the United States, the term “ art school” is more generally applied to smaller, private art or design schools over state funded “public” universities and colleges. There are virtually no state funded art schools in the United States—the one exception being the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. It is not necessary to attend a college that is devoted entirely to art to receive a prestigious degree from a top art school. Ivy League universities such as Harvard, Yale, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia and Temple all offer excellent fine arts programs. There are even more private institutions including the Pratt Institute of New York, The Rhode Island School of Design, the Art Institute of Chicago to name but a few, that have rightfully earned preeminence in the art world for the excellence of their graduates.
In the larger world, there are many top art schools. In the United Kingdom such schools as the Slade School of Fine Art, Goldsmiths, The Royal Academy, and the Camberwell College of Arts are the most highly regarded. Norway’s Oslo national Academy of the Arts is a European alternative, France has its Ecole des Beaux-Arts. Italy—long renowned for its rich art history, has several including the Florence School of Fine Art Accademia Italiana, and the International School of Art in Umbria. Other nations have highly ranked art schools as well.
Committing to a course of study in a foreign country’s top art schools is a substantial investment of time and requires the ability to adapt to life outside the comfortable confines of home and family, but for the serious art student is an option to be carefully considered. It should also be remembered that many of the schools in the United States offer foreign study opportunities for students in their programs to spent one or several semesters studying in these countries as well.
As might be expected, even the domestic prestige schools are beyond the means of the average student heading off to college but there are many scholarships, fellowships, grants, loans and other financial aid that can be applied for to bring into reality the dream of attending a top national –or international art school.
Online Study Has Opened Up A New World
In the past decade, the idea of distance learning via online courses has brought the opportunity to study the subjects of their choice, including art, into closer reality for more students than ever before. There are some difficulties to pursuing an art degree online—art is inherently a visual medium and as such most students will find they need to be in the same room as their professors to learn effectively. And online education while practical does not carry the same prestige as attendance at a brick and mortar school. All factors to be carefully considered when making an top art schools decision.