There are many ways to approach a problem. I tend to approach problems directly based on what is stated, the equivalent of approaching the the bull and grabbing it by the horns. I do this even though I know that it is usually smarter and more effective to wave a red banner at the bull and dance with him. Ah habits. I'm learning, slowly.
An example of this, I spoke to a student about ratings in reference to picking which schools to apply to today. These conversations bug the shit out of me. I think ratings are absolutely useless when picking an art school, and for the most part, a school in general. When you are talking about a wide spectrum of schools, ratings can be helpful in distinguishing quality and reputation. When you are talking about schools of relatively equivalent distinction, I think ratings are misleading at best and a gross disservice to students at worst. The right school is about fit, about what it represents, about how and what you can gain from that environment. Ratings will never tell you that. Ratings just look good. They are more style than substance. Ratings are a Facebook alternative to actual decision-making. They are why great schools are ignored and a handful of also great but maybe not great for that particular person schools are flooded with applications. I spoke to someone who was all about ratings today and I'm sure I came off as defensive, cocky, and whiny. I should have waved the red flag and talked about why the hell he's looking at schools in the first place, because he's starting in a place with his research that won't serve his actual education. Ah well, another day to learn that lesson I suppose.
Doing school research is hard. You have to decide where to begin, and when to end. How much is too much? What are the priorities? What angle are you approaching your research from? So many questions that it's easy to get overwhelmed and walk away. I am writing this for that very reason. Don't. This part is important.
I got an email tonight, "...my roommate has a friend in town who is looking at art schools, and wanted to hear my thoughts. He's into illustration and has done some murals, and is interested in learning how to work more digitally, like photoshop, in part to be able to work commercially. I was thinking to myself: "hm, where do I start with this?" Maybe with the question: "who in contemporary art are you interested in?" I imagine your mind is blown regularly by the number of people who are interested in art but aren't really interested in art."
Yes and no. I got into this because I was just as confused as this muralist was when I started out, and the more questions I asked, the more I learned that the answers I was getting were more determined by the biases of the people I asked than about what would actually be right for me.
I love being able to talk to people about what they really want and where to look to find it. Many people don't really know. They just know that they love art. I get that, and part of me still feels that way. Some people have some talent and they love the praise they receive when people like what they do. This fundamentally changes what they decide to make. Some people are fascinated by certain areas of art but not others. Some are surrounded by people that care about one type of art but not others, this affects what they know, and what they ask about.
I love this process of helping people figure out what they really want, and helping them figure out how to get there in the world of art. Some days I'm better at it than others. It is a nuanced and careful process. People are very sensitive, and have walls they don't know about. I'm sometimes better with objects than people, so this task is also a good exercise for me in listening and seeing. For instance, in the question above, this person isn't a contemporary artist. They probably don't know about the vast majority of artists I care about. They probably don't know about muralists in art history, or how many different approaches to graffiti murals there are. Or maybe they do. I am constantly surprised. As I ask them questions I can make educated guesses that usually go somewhere. I think the most important thing is to start by asking questions rather than immediately giving advice. Sometimes I ask wrong questions first, and the conversation goes afield (see ratings paragraph above), but other times we figure out what direction makes the most sense to this person. I'm lucky to have worked with students and at schools that address every realized form of art and design, from contemporary painting, to furniture design, to architecture, low-fi to manufactured. It's exciting feeling like I can help.
In a case you are in this position, I have a few tips that can be helpful.
Ask why they are interested in going to school.
Sometimes it's specifically to gain skills. Other times they want to begin at the beginning.
2. Ask what they wake up wanting to make.
This is often slightly different from what they talked about to start with. There are a lot of terms out there like "illustration" and "Graphic design" and people have no idea what they actually mean, they just sound good, but aren't actually related to what they want to do.
3. Ask what they look at.
Tumblr and Flickr and DeviantArt are great and all, but they often are the work of peers, and this is only one facet of the art world. It is difficult to know what direction to go if this is all you've looked at. And a lot of it is pretty good, but not great, and there is a lot of great out there if you know where to look for it.
The closer one looks at the art world, the clearer it becomes that there are many separate worlds and languages within the creative world, and where you fit depends on what you like and what values you hold dear. This is why research is important. And it always pays off.
Fine art references I share frequently include:
Artforum
The Vitamin books, especially Vitamin P: Painting and Vitamin Ph: Photography
Cabinet
Frieze
Contemporary Art Daily
Daily Serving
Hyperallergic
Illustration references:
Society of Illustrators
Juxtapoz
Hi-Fructose
Communication Arts
Other references:
I tend to share the names of artists and designers I think the artist will be interested in based on they work they show me. Words are often useless, and we all fumble trying to describe ourselves. It's all about what our work says, that's the glory and challenge of it.
All of this is just somewhere to start. Approach each link as as a beginning. If you like an artist on Contemporary Art Daily, go from that article to the artists website or go to the gallery that represents them, then go to the work of other artists from that gallery, then go to the fairs and community of that gallery. After you're done going down that rabbit hole, you'll see more. The internet! If only it existed when I was in high school. It's all right there. Go get it.
4. Only then do I start with schools. I emphasize accreditation and philosophy.
If you're interested in going to art schools there are three forms of accreditation that are important to know; Regional, NASAD, and AICAD.
Regional accreditation is the same type that schools like Stanford and Cal have. This ensures the educational quality of the program, and that your degree is recognized if you want to go to grad school later.
NASAD is the National Association for Schools of Art and Design. It is a collective of schools that have set specific parameters for excellence in arts education. The strongest art schools in the country tend to have this accreditation.
AICAD is the Association for Independent Colleges of Art and Design. These schools are not connected to any larger liberal arts school and include the first art colleges in the nation. They also tend to be non-profits. That is a whole other ball of wax I may discuss later.
These are not absolutes by any means in a search for an art school, but this is a way to narrow your frame of research and to begin to understand the nuanced distinctions between art programs.
Also, when I say philosophy, I mean, what does this school focus on? How do they talk about their classes and the way they fit together? What does the student work look like? What does the faculty work look like? Does what they do look like what you do, or what you seek to do? The answers to those questions are far more important than how a school is nationally ranked. I might talk about my opinions on schools later. I have a lot of opinions.
In the meantime, happy hunting!
