Which boarding schools are the best for visual art?

Swiss Chard · 07-25-2008, 12:06 AM

My daughter is very interested in visual art. She is at Idyllwild for a summer program this year. I am looking at Idyllwild and Interlochen as well as Choate and Andover for her high school. Which boarding schools are the best for visual arts, besides the schools that identify as "art schools?"

wickedcrazy · 07-25-2008, 12:24 AM

Well yes, Interlochen and Choate are definitely top arts ones, and I think SPS is a really artsy one as well.

Swiss Chard · 07-25-2008, 12:31 AM

Oh, yes, I had looked at that as well. Thanks.

Grejuni · 07-25-2008, 08:33 AM

I know people have posted answers to this question before. A good place to start would be to use the "Search this Forum" tool in the upper right hand corner. You'll get lots of info that way.

Swiss Chard · 07-25-2008, 12:10 PM

Okay, let me be more specific. Are there any opinions about Interlochen/Idyllwild versus Choate/Andover for art. Is it better to go to an academic school that has good arts or an art school that has good academics? My daughter does diving as well, which might be a consideration.....

wickedcrazy · 07-25-2008, 12:41 PM

I think that it would most likely be more longterm-ly good if she went to an academic school with stellar arts. you can certainly find one, Choate and Andover are certianly along those lines. She will find plenty of opportunities for the arts at either of these schools, but will receive an education that could take her to an Ivy League, should she choose not to pursue the arts in the future. It might not be best to confine her to a specific field at such a young age, and she could always transfer later on- maybe it would be good for her to do her prep and lower years at Choate or of the like, and then transfer to Interlochen for her junior or senior years.

BRbway · 07-27-2008, 10:04 PM

It really depends on what she wants to do with her life!

If she's truly planning on pursuing a career in visual arts and on attending an art school for college, then by far Interlochen/ arts schools would be the way to go.
If you are looking at it from an academic perspective...the academics at interlochen are stellar, and this graduating class alone (of around 150) has students attending all the ivy leagues along with all of the top conservatories/ art schools.
Wickedcrazy did have a good idea of attending an academic boarding school for freshman/sophomore year and Interlochen for junior/senior.
If you have any questions about Interlochen, feel free to PM me.

tuesdayair · 07-27-2008, 10:57 PM

I agree with BRbway. If she's more arts focused, arts schools, if she's more academic focused, Choate/Andover.

I find that at an academically focused school, it's really easy to push the arts away because academics are so rigorous...
however I know that Choate as an arts concentration so it could be different