Thread: Fine Art School, need help!

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Hi everyone!

Well I have to confess that I really would like to spent the coming year pursuing my studies in an Art School. Since I met two lovely American girls this week end, I'm seriously foreseeing to travel oversee to find one (school not girl )... I found a website listing the different schools/universities of Art in the USA. Unfortunately I don't know that much these countries to focus on specific region, especially given the fact that the American educative system is very different from the French one I'm asking for your help.

So here what I would like to know:

1) I think the background country is as much important as the teaching
Sell me the region where you live!
Is the Southern country more interesting than the Northern? the West Coast people are cooler than the Eater Coast? Or the Central region is the best of it all? What kind of weather do you have in the year? What places are great to visit? What cultural background is there? I'm interested in everything

2) You may have a relative/close person/friend who's doing is studies in that subject, or perhaps you have a degree in Art? I'm asking about any feedbacks, experiences, etc. Maybe you have heard about a good institution that is worth to integrate?


Canadian people, your contribution is welcome.


Thank you very much!!

It's good to hear you'd like to study in the USA - I'm certain there's something here that will appeal to you.

I think what might help everyone contributing to your thread is:
What area of artistic study are you most interested in?
Visual arts?
Musical arts?
Sculpting, design, fashion, advertising, etc, etc...

For instance, USC (in Los Angeles), has a fantastic program for development in the motion picture arts...screenwriting/directing/set design & construction/prop making/etc...
Weather in Southern California is similar to Spain (if that gives you an idea what it's like), and there are certainly plenty of points of interest covering the entire spectrum...places, people, and activities.

First off....The East coast you'll get a more European feel since that's the oldest area in the US. Midwest, open area, quiet, farms, lots of corn, but Chicago is here if you want a great big city. Going west you'll get amazing scenery and open space. And then of course LA is on the west coast. That's just a summary.

I'm from the midwest, near Chicago. The architecture is some of the best in the US in Chicago. Here's our skyline:
http://theorniphile.info/chicago_sky...go_skyline.jpg

We have the Art Institute of Chicago if you're looking for more Fine Arts The Art Institute of Chicago
There's also the IL Institute of Art which has all sorts of stuff (Graphic Arts, web design, computer animation, even a culinary school) Home: The Illinois Institute of Art - Chicago

I'm actually a graduate of the IL Institute of Art (attended their facility just outside of Chicago). I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Web Design/Multimedia.

Outside of the education part we have great food here, a huge melting pot of people in Chicago, there are even sections of the city dedicated to different backgrounds. Let's also not forget sports. Chicago has great sports fans, very passionate. Sometimes the teams are great and sometimes they are just greatness without winning all that much. Many US land marks are in Chicago as well the Sears tower (once the tallest building in the world) also Wrigley Field of course. There are many other, just not gonna name them all.
City of Chicago

It's also a very haunted city. Just search "haunted chicago".

I've been to each coast of the US, but I love the midwest. You get every possible season here. Fall is amazing here. Winters can get bad here and spring can be crazy. You can have 20 degrees F (-6 C) one day and 80 F (26 C) the next. It can rain for a full week, but then be sunny the next whole week.

Ok, did I sell the midwest enough?

As I said US and French education system are really different. In France the Fine Art Schools have the purpose to train artists and it's very generalist. It's only after the third year you specialize and work on your very own project. When you are graduated you can work in a wide range of fields such as artist on your own of course, in the film industry, advertising, light tech, etc. In fact almost every field involving creativity.
I don't know how it works in America but I have the feeling the studies are very oriented from the first year on. I want to try everything rather than choosing an exclusive field.

Personally I would be interested in video(not film making), painting, sculping, plastic arts in general. Music, design, advertising, theatre, danse aren't what I'm looking for.
I try to focus more on the small schools than the big-well-famous ones (like New York for example) where there are so many student that the teaching method become impersonal - because unfortunately this is how it works here.

Great Mrs Meyer this is exactly the kind of detail I wanted to know!
Chicago a haunted city uh?Perhaps I will reconsider my opinion...

Well, I cant help much with the schools, but we have traveled in the past few years and there is something across this vast country that appeals to everyone.
I live in the midwest also and LOVE it, mostly for the Peace and quiet... much more laid back.
On our trips I have found that the East coast or more specific the Carolinas area is our favorite. Smoky mountain area is espscially great. We found that the people are so nice, a slower way of life. More like the midwest but with the mountain scenery. If my family wasnt here, I would move to North Carolina.
If you come here to study... you can travel a long way in a day and see a lot of the country on weekends. So, that is another reason the midwest is great, your in the middle of everywhere!

A few schools to investigate --

Savannah College of Art & Design -- Savannah, GA -- great school, in a great historic (for the US) area, cultural, polite (at least in my experience) -- haunted as all get out.

Ringling School of Art & Design -- Orlando FL -- another good school, one of the top in the world for animation as I understand it.

Virginia Commonwealth University -- Richmond VA -- very good art school, one of the top for sculpture in the US. Good school in general...and you'd have the added benefit of going to school with some denizens of this board (like me -- although I'm not an art major, sadly).

These selections may show my bias towards the South. I grew up in the midwest, and it is great, but the South just sort of gets in your blood. Great weather, great people, great history, great culture....Atlanta, DC, Charlotte...can't go wrong.

You are getting great advice. The South does get in your blood. I have been falling in love with Atlanta/Savannah area lately.

I grew up in Chicago and Mrs. Meyers nailed it. I echo exactly what she said. The Art Institute in Chicago is well known and I have spent glorious days at the museum looking at the art there. I always wanted to go to school there. The winters in Chicago are the reason I left for Florida but if you get past that, Chicago is great.

Florida is my favorite place in America. I vacation in Tampa as often as I can. To me, the climate is perfect.

I lived in the Northwest (Portland) and that is the most beautiful scenery imaginable. Because of that, I imagine that is why it is also a very artistic city. Here's the best part: If you travel 30 minutes south from Portland you are in the Willamette Valley which is gorgeous farmland surrounded by mountains. If you travel 1 hour east, you are in the Cascade Mountains and you are skiing, hiking, you name it. Travel another hour and you are in the high desert! Travel 1 hour west from Portland and you are at the ocean and the most jaw-dropping clifts ever! The best part of all of this is that it is also mild weather. It generally stays around 50 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter (but stays cloudy and drizzly) but then it is around 75 degrees Fahrenheit and sunny all summer.

I don't know much about the art schools in these places but I lived there so I hope this insight helped

Thank you guys for your help! For the moment the Middle wins... I'm still looking for information, I'll keep you aware of my progress!