Art Colleges Around the World

There are many art colleges and schools around the world. In Europe alone, there are at least a hundred of them. Most of them are recognizable because of the word ‘art’ is included in the name of the academies, schools and colleges, as we can observe.

Who doesn’t know Mona Lisa? She is very well known in the world of arts. She is the masterpiece product of Leonardo da Vinci. And it is the most parodied artwork in the entire world today. And Leonardo da Vinci is from Italy. And so, Italy, as considered as the home of many well-known ancient artists (in the Middle Age) and is recognized to be the best in the world since it is one of the oldest civilizations in the world, have only eight (8) art colleges, academies and schools – lesser in number when compared to England and the Netherlands that have a total of 13 schools each.

England and the Netherlands have the most of art schools in Europe thus far. But in the US, there are almost two (2) hundred of the total art schools. Almost every state has its own art college. Therefore, the art enthusiasts have a lot of schools to choose from. And currently, most of these schools have their own websites. It is easier for the students to browse on the net the offered workshops, subjects and other information about the schools. Moreover, they can also check out the different alumni of these schools from their dashboards.

In the modern world, the art colleges play a vital role in the society. The creative minds have more outlets to be able to showcase their creations and masterpieces. And yet, even the media couldn’t give the best price for these – to acclaim their great creations. It seems that these current creations, even though are also great, overlap with the ancient ones. Therefore, many artists pave their way to the top even through the hard way to make their creations known to the world.

Choosing an Art College

Art schools are those educational institutions focusing on the visual arts such as graphic design, painting, illustration, photography or sculpture. The schools can be at any level of education, elementary, secondary, post-secondary, graduate or postgraduate. There are also larger institutions that offer majors or degrees in the visual arts but those are part of a broader range of educational programs such as the sciences and liberal arts.

The art schools accredited as a college may offer an associate degree, a professional diploma, a bachelor of fine arts or a bachelor of arts. The art colleges in the United States can be state supported or private institutions. An example of state-supported independent art school is Massachusetts College of Art and Design.

The programs of the art colleges in US tend to offer a more general degree in art that do not require a major in a specific field. Instead those kind of programs is offered concentrations. Some of the accrediting or professional organizations might not accept a concentration as an adequate preparation in some professional such graphic design, for example. The minimal degree required for a career in graphic design is a Bachelor in Fine Arts with a major in graphic design.

The most highly rated art colleges and design colleges from the United States are part of a consortium called Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. This association was created in the year 1991. The educational institutions part of this consortium is different from the for-profit career schools. They usually require a strong curriculum of liberal arts courses on top of the art and design courses. Other art institutions in US are involved in partnerships between art schools and universities.

Examples of such partnership relation are the Roosevelt University and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Suffolk University and the New England School of Art and Design, the Lesley University and the Art Institute of Boston, the Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design, the John Hopkins University and the Maryland Institute College of Art, the Tufts University and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, the Temple University and the Tyler School of Art, The New School and the the New School for Design, the Indiana University and the Herron School.

Programs in Art Colleges

There are many interesting programs you can choose in art colleges. Some modern careers you can have access after finishing an art school are in demand professions such as interior design, graphic design, advertising design, architectural design, industrial design, fashion design, web design, photography, animation, game design, audio and video production or film.

For example, one of the professions you can prepare for in art colleges is interior design. To be an interior designer is more than choosing wall colors and arranging furniture and elements of decor. There are also architectural elements to plan and you would also need business skills because you will need to sell your ideas to clients.

One part artist, one part business professional, an interior designer needs more than an eye for beauty. You would spend your time sketching, planning and designing interior spaces but also arranging the spaces and shopping for furniture and household accessories. A job as an interior designer can provide opportunities to meet and work with people and also opportunities to travel. Interior designers must have skills in management of people, budgets and client relationships beside their talent for designing attractive and functional interior spaces that also meet building and safety codes.

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