lfwd Posted March 30, 2012 Posted March 30, 2012 Hi all! Just thought I'd start a new thread for those who have made their final decisions, if anyone would like to share. Or, if you'd like advice or support while making your decision, ask away! I just sent in my deposit to RISD, so am happy to say I'll be attending there this fall. Anyone else out there RISD-bound?
miyamoto81 Posted March 30, 2012 Posted March 30, 2012 Hi all! Just thought I'd start a new thread for those who have made their final decisions, if anyone would like to share. Or, if you'd like advice or support while making your decision, ask away! I just sent in my deposit to RISD, so am happy to say I'll be attending there this fall. Anyone else out there RISD-bound? I myself am undecided still, but I just wanted to say congratulations to you! An awesome program!
lfwd Posted March 30, 2012 Author Posted March 30, 2012 I myself am undecided still, but I just wanted to say congratulations to you! An awesome program! Thanks! I'm really excited. Congrats to you too! It looks you have some amazing options yourself - have you narrowed it down?
miyamoto81 Posted March 30, 2012 Posted March 30, 2012 Thanks! I'm really excited. Congrats to you too! It looks you have some amazing options yourself - have you narrowed it down? Thanks! I'm somewhat narrowed down . . . if I had a spare $100k, I'd go to Cal Arts in a heartbeat . . . but I think it's coming down to the two programs in which I received great funding versus Rutgers . . . I have another few days to deliberate. You know, someone on last year's forum said that everyone thinks that the application process is the hardest part, but in reality it's choosing between programs. I'm finding that statement very accurate.
kodiakkodiak Posted March 30, 2012 Posted March 30, 2012 if youre serious about your mfa being a step towards building an actual art career - you should seriously explore how to get the money for CalArts. LA is currently very much the hotspot for young artists. the Hammer just announced its new Biennial for mostly emerging LA artists - a ton of new galleries. etc. Also, the faculty at CalArts is incredible. All those other programs can just offer you the credentials to teach. CalArts takes care of its own and sets you up in a major art city. = More opportunities to do what you want and pay back those loans! congrats and good luck! (NYC here.)
OutWest Posted March 30, 2012 Posted March 30, 2012 Hi guys, looks like mostly familiar faces here Yeah, as per my Signature, I sent my Letter of Intent off to UCLA about two weeks ago, so I'm done. I'll post on here (and in the Freak Out Forum) a list of programs for people of the future who troll these Forums of all the well-funded programs I found through the whole nation... ...that beign said, I have to disagree with "kodiak...", above, and say go for the best program that ALSO has the best funding you can get. CalArts is insanely expensive and NO program is worth 100+K, period. You have to balance the two things (coolness, and your financial future). I think "miyamoto's" decision to opt for more financially secure programs is wise. Plus, being near NYC will do him fine (though, I wish I would have heard he was going to Alfred!) Point being, as I've harped on before, it's an artist's willingness to make his/her own connections and push their own art that will get them noticed...sure, there's excellent people at the top flight schools, but plenty of people graduate from CalArts (and Yale, and UCLA, and MICA, and...) and go nowhere. Best of luck and much love to you all! It's been a great Forum around here Eboni_Rain 1
testing Posted March 30, 2012 Posted March 30, 2012 if youre serious about your mfa being a step towards building an actual art career - you should seriously explore how to get the money for CalArts. LA is currently very much the hotspot for young artists. the Hammer just announced its new Biennial for mostly emerging LA artists - a ton of new galleries. etc. Also, the faculty at CalArts is incredible. All those other programs can just offer you the credentials to teach. CalArts takes care of its own and sets you up in a major art city. = More opportunities to do what you want and pay back those loans! congrats and good luck! (NYC here.) Hi you seem to be quite knowledgeable about what's hot and where to be... how do you think LA compares to NYC these days though? Similarities/ differences in scene/ opportunities? Anyone? Thanks
OutWest Posted March 30, 2012 Posted March 30, 2012 (edited) Hi you seem to be quite knowledgeable about what's hot and where to be... how do you think LA compares to NYC these days though? Similarities/ differences in scene/ opportunities? Anyone? Thanks Well, quite honestly, I'd say Berlin (for what's hot in the Euro sphere), along with Brazil (Sao Paulo) and China (Shanghai) are the up and coming intellectual centers that I personally would consider "hotter" than even LA and NYC...the overall art scene seems (through the lens of a couple of my friends that are young guns pusing their work in the US and overseas, and professor friends of mine) much more international due to the obvious situation of the internet. And, hot spots in the US, such as LA's "Tiny Creatures" (just one major example), with their flash-in-the-pan explosion and demise, are somewhat fleeting and transitory...so, sure, NYC and LA are the place to be in the US, but if you really want to live in a city that has some parallels to what it might have been like in turn of the century NYC in the 1900's, I'd learn Portuguese and/or Mandarin. Edited March 30, 2012 by OutWest
jldstudio Posted March 30, 2012 Posted March 30, 2012 Visited at usf and Davis. I'm looking at those two for my decision.
jjr8888 Posted March 30, 2012 Posted March 30, 2012 I'm going to University of Wisconsin Madison. Also for the sake of future applicants I will say that my undergrad I finished at an Ivy League one year ago and I majored in philosophy. My choices in colleges depended on a desire to find a major university with great philosophy reputation so that I coud take a class if I wanted. I did apply to art schools just in case though. I am very happy overall. Full ride is hard to beat. Oh yeah, I spent five years in NYC so I'm glad/willing to leave for awhile and come back later. It was very difficult to decline Rutgers but overall I'm ok with it. Anyone going to Wisc should PM me. Wee!!!
ebihal Posted March 30, 2012 Posted March 30, 2012 I also majored in philosophy. I've felt somewhat at a disadvantage not having a BFA, but even more so not having a solid background in studio art at all, really. Did you take many studio art courses in college? Or elsewhere? Or are you self-taught? I'm going to University of Wisconsin Madison. Also for the sake of future applicants I will say that my undergrad I finished at an Ivy League one year ago and I majored in philosophy. My choices in colleges depended on a desire to find a major university with great philosophy reputation so that I coud take a class if I wanted. I did apply to art schools just in case though. I am very happy overall. Full ride is hard to beat. Oh yeah, I spent five years in NYC so I'm glad/willing to leave for awhile and come back later. It was very difficult to decline Rutgers but overall I'm ok with it. Anyone going to Wisc should PM me. Wee!!!
jjr8888 Posted March 30, 2012 Posted March 30, 2012 I also majored in philosophy. I've felt somewhat at a disadvantage not having a BFA, but even more so not having a solid background in studio art at all, really. Did you take many studio art courses in college? Or elsewhere? Or are you self-taught? I took a year off to go to community college for art and only art. But the courses I took at my university that were art courses were Drawing 1, Painting 1 and I audited Figure Painting. I only took one art history course. Haha.
zecchi Posted March 30, 2012 Posted March 30, 2012 I have been Mason Grossed. Going to Rutgers!! miyamoto81 1
kazoo Posted March 30, 2012 Posted March 30, 2012 I have been Mason Grossed. Going to Rutgers!! congrats on the decision zecchi!
shmo264 Posted March 30, 2012 Posted March 30, 2012 I'm heading to UCONN this fall. It's a very small program, but they offered me a full ride and a well paid assistantship! I went to a private art school for undergrad so I'm excited to experience a university setting. I have been living in NYC and making art for a couple years and am very much looking forward to taking a break from it and focusing on my own studio practice with a positive and supportive group of faculty and students . Congrats to everyone and good luck to those still deciding.
miyamoto81 Posted March 30, 2012 Posted March 30, 2012 (edited) Congrats to everyone who has made deicions - and just to jump in on the reputation debate, it's interesting that a thread from last year was (assumedly by accident) commented on and therefore brought up to date. If you look at it, the person outlines artists showing at major galleries and which schools they went to. A lot of them come from top schools. However, Cal Arts graduates 524 people each year in all of their programs. How many of those people become stars in their chosen field? I'm not convinced that going to a name school ensures anything other than a lot of debt. Name schools have the luxury of being able to choose people with talent, and those talented people may have become well known regardless. LaToya Ruby Fraizer, who is in this years Whitney Biennial, went to Syracuse - and coincidentally, teaches at Rutgers. Tam Tran, a 2010 biennial artist, graduated from Tennessee. Furthermore, I agree with OutWest, that we all should be learning Portuguese and Mandarin - though I would also add Arabic to that list. The Middle Eastern Art Market is set to boom. New York and L.A. will always be staples in contemporary art. But the notion of the outsider is continuing to establish itself from a movement into a mainstay. My point/rant being: that yes, going to a name school can help you. But when everything is said and done, it will be up to you to make your own career happen. And it's arguable that it might be easier to do so without $100,000 worth of debt. Edited March 30, 2012 by miyamoto81 NFP, Eboni_Rain and OutWest 3
anataylor Posted March 30, 2012 Posted March 30, 2012 Congrats everyone! I have some offers on the table, but MCAD has given me the best financial aid package. Does anyone know about the school/opportunities/art scene in minneapolis?
cxxxxxx Posted March 30, 2012 Posted March 30, 2012 Congrats everyone! I have some offers on the table, but MCAD has given me the best financial aid package. Does anyone know about the school/opportunities/art scene in minneapolis? did you get a financial offer from sfai? if you did do you mind if I ask what it was? thanks!
jldstudio Posted March 30, 2012 Posted March 30, 2012 I'm almost there.. Feeling pretty decided on USF over Davis. Any thoughts from anyone? Location difference maybe would be the only thing, but my visit to Florida helped a lot. Anyone else has questions about usf feel free to message me about my visit there!
OutWest Posted March 31, 2012 Posted March 31, 2012 I'm almost there.. Feeling pretty decided on USF over Davis. Any thoughts from anyone? Location difference maybe would be the only thing, but my visit to Florida helped a lot. Anyone else has questions about usf feel free to message me about my visit there! caus, what did you think of Davis??? It seems like an excellent program and I believe it has good funding (70%+), but Davis is out in the sticks...although...San Fran is only about an hour away Good luck with your decision!
anataylor Posted March 31, 2012 Posted March 31, 2012 did you get a financial offer from sfai? if you did do you mind if I ask what it was? thanks! I got some financial aid, but not nearly enough to cover tuition. Unfortunately a big factor to attend any program is financial aid. As is the case with many of us, I want to stay relatively debt free throughout school. What about you?
lamouchemorte Posted March 31, 2012 Posted March 31, 2012 Everybody mentions New York and Los Angeles. Does anybody know how helpful (career-wise) a city like Chicago is?
OutWest Posted March 31, 2012 Posted March 31, 2012 (edited) Everybody mentions New York and Los Angeles. Does anybody know how helpful (career-wise) a city like Chicago is? Chicago seems fantastic! I interviewed at Univ of Chicago and the Prof's loved the city and were consistantly showing in galleries there (the city has a very vibrant scene)...I think it's right behind LA and NYC and arguably on par with San Fran, etc. Plus, there's a number of unviersities around for teaching opportunities, along with the hopes of showing work around town. Edited March 31, 2012 by OutWest lamouchemorte 1
sculptor Posted March 31, 2012 Posted March 31, 2012 Sorry if this is the wrong thread to post this in, but I'm hoping you guys can help me out. I'm trying to decide here... Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Art (Washington University in St. Louis): good funding (not 100%) + TA (but their grad's don't teach as the instructor of record) ranked 13th two year interdisciplinary program in a mid-sized city (St. Louis) versus LSU: 100% funding +TA (instructor of record for two of the three years) ranked 62nd three year sculpture program in a college town (Baton Rouge) but only an hour from a great art city (NOLA) My studio practice and exhibition activity is a career priority to me, but I am also very enthusiastic about teaching at a university (not just to make a buck... I really care about teaching). I want a happy grad school experience and of course I want my graduate education to help set me up for a successful career. I know that my work is the most important contributor to my success, but my grad school choice is important, too. What do you guys think I should do? This is a really tough choice. (I also got accepted to CCA with minute funding... they're ranked for sculpture but I just can't afford it.)
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