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Art school
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Art school is a colloquial term for any educational institution (whether elementary, secondary, post-secondary/undergraduate, or graduate/postgraduate) with a primary focus on the visual arts, especially graphic design, illustration, painting, photography, and sculpture. They are distinguished from larger institutions which may also offer majors or degrees in the visual arts, but only as one part of a broad-based range of programs (such as the liberal arts and sciences).
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Art school is a colloquial term for any educational institution (whether elementary, secondary, post-secondary/undergraduate, or graduate/postgraduate) with a primary focus on the visual arts, especially graphic design, illustration, painting, photography, and sculpture. They are distinguished from larger institutions which may also offer majors or degrees in the visual arts, but only as one part of a broad-based range of programs (such as the liberal arts and sciences). France's École des Beaux-Arts is perhaps the first model for such organized instruction, breaking with a tradition of master/apprentice instruction. If accredited as a college, most art schools grant a Bachelor of Fine Arts, or a Fine Art B.A. in the United Kingdom, and perhaps other degrees.
Art schools
Art and design schools in the United States
Institutions commonly referred to as art schools in the Unites States are usually specialized, free standing, colleges of art and design. They typically confer BFA and/or MFA degrees but also offer a range of other degrees (the BA, BS, BArch, MA, MArch, MBA and so on). BFA's and BS's differ from BA's in that approximately 60-65% of a student's coursework is focused in art and design while the remainder is focused on liberal arts and art history. In the BA degree those proportions are reversed. The MFA is traditionally referred to as the "terminal" degree in the field of art and design. Doctoral degrees in art and design in the United States are rare.
Art colleges come in all shapes and sizes. Curriculum at these schools varies widely - from the classical to the contemporary, the highly structured to the entirely individual, the extremely focused to the very broad, and the practice-oriented to the more theoretical. They range in enrollment size from just over 100 students (e.g. Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts, Oregon College of Art and Craft, Art Academy of Cincinnati) to mid-size colleges such as the Kansas City Art Institute, with about 600 students, to colleges of more than 4,000 students (e.g. the Academy of Art University, Parsons The New School for Design, Pratt Institute, and Savannah College of Art and Design.
Unlike Europe and abroad, art colleges in the U.S. tend to be private and not-for-profit, that is, not government-funded. Nearly all the art colleges of this variety are members of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design and accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). While there are a number of state-supported (public) university art departments, there is only one state-supported free-standing art college in the United States - Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston. There are also many for-profit colleges of art, namely the Art Institutes, a chain of 41 art colleges located throughout North America.
Some art schools partner or pair with nearby universities for cooperative programs, for example Maryland Institute College of Art with John Hopkins University, Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design with Marquette University, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts with the University of Pennsylvania, Rhode Island School of Design with Brown University, and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts with Tufts University.
Some institutions often referred to as art schools are actually divisions of universities such as Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University, Herron School of Art at Indiana University, at Suffolk University, Parsons The New School for Design at The New School, and Tyler School of Art at Temple University.
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, an indefinite number of such institutions exist, differing in size, number and administration.
Perhaps those generally felt most applicable to the definition of 'art school', however, are the autonomous Colleges or Schools of Art offering courses across both further and higher education boundaries, of which there are approximately eighteen, under the banner of . Others, whose existence ties in indelibly with that of larger, non-discipline-specific universities (such as the Slade School of Art) exist. Most art schools of either orientation are equipped to offer opportunities spanning from post-16 to postgraduate level.
The range of colleges span from predominantly further education establishments to research-led specialist institutes. The University of the Arts London, for example, is a federally structured institution that comprises six previously independent schools situated in London that each grant undergraduate and postgraduate awards under one collegiate arm. The Royal College of Art with its degree-awarding arm and singular focus on postgraduate awards being a most singular exception. University College Falmouth with its degree-awarding arm is another notable exception.
Since the 1970s, degrees have replaced diplomas as the top-tier qualification in the field.
In the case of wholly freestanding institutions, degree validation agreements in liaison with a university have long been the custom for B.A. (Hons) level upwards. There has been a general trend for all-encompassing Universities to offer programs in the visual arts, and formerly independent art schools have merged with polytechnics and universities to offer such degrees. A few art schools have taken on university status themselves; namely the aforementioned Royal College of Art and the University of the Arts London.
Most specialist institutions in the United Kingdom can trace their histories back to the 19th century or beyond, originating usually from government initiatives.
Art school culture
Art school culture has been portrayed in media such as Art School Confidential and Six Feet Under and may have existed in the past. However, this current portrayal could be classified as a stereotype. In contrast to that stereotype, professional art and design education accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design or offered by the members of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design incorporates rigorous liberal arts and general education requirements so that students receive an authentic college or university degree.
See also
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