Hi, I desperately need advice and have been scouring forums for a couple months and still haven't really gotten the info I need. I'm feeling overwhelmed by info that doesn't apply to me, to be honest.
I am currently finishing my undergrad after taking a 4 year break. I would never have done this had my school not been shutdown by a larger art school - in fact, I would've gone to that school had my original scholarship and grants still existed. After some life experience working and grieving the death of my father and grandfather, I decided to return. I am now at Georgia State University in Atlanta. I switched my major from Art (printmaking) to Film and Video. I just didn't feel good about my new school's art department and really wanted to try something new. The Film and Video program at GSU is very theory based and I am using my art credits as my minor.
Now that I a year away from graduation I am considering grad school. I worked in a museum (the High Museum of Art) for 2 years and loved it. I'm will hopefully retrun to do an internship there in the Fall. Eventually, I would love to work in a museum full-time - so, based on some advice from a friend, I've been researching those who are in positions I would love to be in (particularly, employees of PS1). It's obvious that I will need a MA in Art History. So, my first question is:
1) Is it complicated/impossible to get accepted into an Art History program without an Art History BA or minor? I could continue at GSU for 1 more semester to get an Art History minor (since I 3 AH courses already as part of my original Art program). Is it in my favor that my Film program is heavily based on history and theory?
My next concern is that every single staff member at PS1 has either an undergrad of grad degree from an Ivy League school or "almost ivy". I am 26 years old so my parents income no longer counts, my EFC is currently 0. I have a 3.5 gpa that should improve over the next year - if I do well on my GRE, I suppose I have a slight chance of getting in but would have no way of paying for it. So an ivy league is out of the question. So next:
2) What schools have reputable Art History programs? I want to be near NYC (since it seems like people typically end up working close to where they went to school, networking, etc) , but it's not absolutely necessary. And in the city itself would be a near impossibility for me financially. I should also note that I would like a program that would allow me to focus on film/video/digtal/new media (since that is my major), contemporary art, and possibly installation art.
I prefer smaller schools - small class size is very important to me as is a close-knit campus. The first school I attended was a private art college with a total student body of 400. I loved it, and it was very "forward thinking" I guess you would say, very independent and "artsy" but very selective and foundation based.
My boss (I work in a small gallery that shows mainly street-art influenced work) suggested SUNY Purchase. SUNY Stony Brook also seems like a good option. Both have low tuition, but are public so probably give out less aid. CUNY Hunter seems like a good choice but in the city so housing would be pricey.
Another idea would be to scratch the whole Art History thing and look at the Electronic Integrated Art MFA at Alfred University. One of my foundation professors (that absolutely loved me and has written wonderful recommendations for me in the past) graduated from the MFA program at Alfred...
I'm open to ideas.
Thanks!
