innavolo

Hi all, I have been going back and forth about my options to go back to school. I'm a self taught painter (went to school for a BS in business and technology) and have been taking atelier classes. I know the basics but I know that I would benefit from some more professional training. My goal is to get an MFA but I feel that I need more schooling and crit before I can confidently apply. Does anyone know if there are funding/scholarship options for post-bacc or certificate in fine arts? The program that I'm interested is king of expensive. I could apply for scholarships but I'm afraid that I will use up any potential aid on a certificate, that could have been applied towards a MFA instead. Any thoughts? Thanks! tl;dr are there funding/scholarship options for students seeking a certificate or post-bacc that won't eat away at scholarships/funding for MFA?

Hi all! I graduated in '16 with a Bachelors in Science in Business and IT. When I was first looking at schools, I was interested in pursuing an art degree but my immigrant parents heavily influenced my decision to pursue a technical/business degree. Long story short, my grades were barely high enough to graduate. After graduation, I miraculously landed a job with a large software company and relocated cities. After some time, I moved to New York ( a city I always wanted to live in) and began painting while still working my job remotely. The experience of being surrounded by like minded indivuduals, galleries, and culture in NY has really changed my life. I have always drawn and written but never had the opportunity to pursue visual arts because I went to an engineering school. I've been painting intensely, teaching myself the technical aspects of drawing and painting, studying art history, going to gallery openings, sketching, trying new mediums, and working on building my portfolio. Since I live in NY, I've been lucky to get opportunities to work for art galleries and to assist painters. I have an evident natural talent (my mom and uncle both used to be a figurative painters in Russia). But, I feel very much an amateur and my natural talent is just not enough. I crave to get a comprehensive arts education, network with other artists, learn how to properly draw & paint, and get on-going critique. There is so much to learn and I want to become a master of my craft. I want to eventually get my MFA and either teach or become an artist (I know it's sounds like a pipe dream but I can't help but dream). I've never felt so passionate about anything as I do about painting, drawing, and expressing myself creatively. I really can't imagine doing anything else and I wanted to dedicate my life to the arts. I've contemplating getting a second BFA degree but then I discovered that there are post baccalaureate certifications in fine arts. And it seems to be perfect for someone like me! So the question is: - What are some notable post bacc art programs? (MICA and SAIC come to mind, but are there others? Preferably in NY?) - Should I consider getting a BFA? - Should I continue doing what I'm doing and just apply to residencies instead? I've also been learning Illustrator and digital arts. I was thinking maybe I can design in Illustrator from home to supplement my income and do some technical writing on the side. Basically, I'm 25 and I really don't want to spend anymore time doing IT work that I have no future in (even though it pays considerably well). Thoughts, opinions, comments, and suggestions extremely welcome!!!! Thank you!