If you are a recent high school grad or returning to school and are thinking about going onto college to work on a BA in art, fine art or sculpture, there are many opportunities to study art in both the traditional college setting and at small colleges, institutes or art centers.
What to study in school and what to major in are important questions to thoroughly explore. It’s not uncommon for some students to major in art and not give much thought to selecting a minor in a field that they could eventually end up working in. With hard work and gut determination anyone can be successful as an artist and even make a living creating art. But why be so hard on yourself with that kind of pressure? I advise students to complete a minor in a field that they would equally enjoy.
My mother used to say to me when I was growing up to make sure I had a specific skill, like typing (ha) so that I would be employable. Well, I found learning how to type so absurd that I never did learn how to type. I still type using 2-3 fingers in a hunt and peck fashion. While my modest and rebellious typing skills or lack of grew to be ever so important, the basic message my mother gave me is a true and solid one: Be an artist, and have another skill that will pay the rent!
I have a nephew who majored in theater and is a fine actor. He’d really like to be acting full time, yet fortunately he majored in business and now is working in the banking industry. Did he give up his dream of acting? Not a chance. He regularly appears in local community theater and has blended two careers into one solid living.
My own career has been as an educator and my profession is as a sculptor. If I could turn back the clock, I would have gone straight for obtaining a degree in Fine Arts and a Masters in Education. We all take the paths that we do for reasons sometimes unknown to ourselves. But knowing how to accelerate fulfilling your dreams in order to work in a career of your choosing, starts with knowing what schools offer. So, the following list of art schools is a partial list of institutes that offer classes in fine art and sculpture.
In addition to the following listings, most major Universities and Colleges have comprehensive art programs. Of course, the University of Hawaii, Manoa offers BA and MFA degrees in Fine Arts with an emphasis in sculpture.
Academy of Art College – dedicated to educating professional artists and designers.
Adelaide Central School of Art – specializing in the training and education of practicing visual artists. This focus is reflected in the three-part structure of School, Gallery, and Studios.
Ah Haa School for the Arts – Telluride, CO – comprehensive nonprofit community arts and education center where children and adults discover, experiment, and create.
Alberta College of Art & Design
Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts – offering art and craft classes for everyone from the novice to the professional for undergraduate and graduate credits, affiliated with the University of Tennessee.
Art Institute of Atlanta – provides postsecondary career-oriented education in commercial arts.
Art Institute of Boston – info on curriculum, students, admissions and events.
Art Institute of California – San Diego – offers career-oriented programs in advertising, culinary arts, graphic design, media arts, and other areas.