Art Schools

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Comment by Darrell Roberts on 8 May 2008 at 6:47am

Hi everyone, feel free to email me anytime with any questions. I am glad I got my MFA and like many of my friends, never would want to do it again. I went to school in Chicago and have friends who went to school in NY and LA so I would be glad to give you my opinion or advice in applying or not applying. :) Darrell

Comment by Pennie Steel on 8 May 2008 at 3:21am

Well I suppose that this is an opportunity for me to look at what my education and art training has done for me personally.
I can remember doing my first landscape painting at the age of 5 after experiencing a cane fire for the first time, in far north Quieensland in Australia. I had experienced the scary but exciting firing of the fields behind my grandfathers house. Afterwards when all had calmed down I found some paints and painted the colour of the hills and sky in the evening light.
That was my first conscious experience of trying to create the 'feeling' of that experience.
I returned to the UK and a new school, where fortunatly my favourite teacher encouraged my 'artistic leaning' as she called it. I was a dreamer and not at all interested in maths but enjoyed the other subjects. I learned from that teacher that it was ok to be different and that I had a greater contributation to make to my world. However that was not echoed by my Father, who when I announced that I wanted to go to Art School, demanded why I should not be a brain surgeon instead, later I told him I had become a brain surgeon, but not the kind he was thinking of. He was less than impressed. But at Art School I found that there were resources open to me that I could explore, such as art history, research, contact with other artists and the most wonderful drawing teacher I could ever wish for. I learned in those early days to not just to look, but actually see. That was a revelation to me. And how hard did I work! I enjoyed every moment in the drawing studio.
The other thing I learned was that you can take selectivly what you need to from lifes' experiences and develop your own way of dealing with the world. To be able to express myself through my art is so valuable. I can turn my hand to any medium without having to learn the techniques as I had learned them at art school. This gave me the freedom to get involved with the ideas without the added burdon of having to learn the techniques. I am grateful for this. So later in life when I came back to this country I decided to teach art in high schools. This was in the 70's and I enjoyed every moment and my students did too. I helped them to develop their creativity, not just exploring technique but how to think abstractly.
Later I moved away from teaching and consulting and paid attention once again to my own work. The need to make a living of course was always there and I managed to do that through various means. But it occured to me that being basically a lazy person, I had to generate some discipline in my life as an artist and went back to university to help me focus once again, which it did. I took what I needed again from that, trying not to get too involved in the politics of university life or to be distracted away from my purpose, which was to make art.
That lesson was the hardest of all. It is so easy to be distracted, influenced or led in another direction. But I grew up.
Now as an artist who has made art all her life I am enjoying the benefits of those experiences. Having said all that, I am aware that art school isn't for everybody and they are all so different. I believe that the people you have contact with in institutions are various and some are valuable. I have seen very fine young artists and thinkers who have been destroyed by art school. But for me the experiences were mostly good.
I am still learning, everyday I learn something new. All I want to do is share it. Enjoy the ride.

Comment by Amy Cohen Banker on 8 May 2008 at 12:41am

Last night someone called me a "late Bloomer". Funny since I
had more work experience and intensive academic experience
and always did art...first show at age 4 at Lever House for a
city wide children's show. I did it for process and exploration and
the teacher recognized it. Graduate of Cornell University with
multiple degrees in Human Ecology School for Human Development and Family Studies and Design and Environmental Analysis and lived in Risley College for Fine and
Performing Arts. Great atmosphere and just artsy and nerdy
and eclectic and inspirational for ever more. But took me over
fifteen more years before I started to call myself an artist or to
show consistently. The Art Student's League of New York City
was good to me. My teachers and the former Director, Rosina
Florio guided me to what I do now, mentoring and awarding
and pushing and critiqueing...Lots of choices and a driving
student body of multinational talents. Lots of other perrigrinations but all roads lead to Rome.

Comment by dawn hilton on 8 May 2008 at 12:31am

Hi Nick, Well I can safely say I have no experience of art school or school in general!

I left school at the age of eight and went exploring the globe with my dad.

I sketched a mountain top in the North Island of New Zealand at the age of twelve and left some scrathes on a few trees in the out back of Oz.

Other than that, well art found me at the age of 29, boy that long ago!

I have had a few years break in between painting, I guess I can safely say in total, I have spent a total of eight years actually painting.

I know I should study art, but at the age of 46 and running my own Art Gallery and caring for my five kids, I just have not got the time!

Hey I'm learning every day in a way, I guess even the Academics in the art world and popular artists are learning too!

I guess my total opinion is, don't worry too much about education, just let it flow from the soul.