Does anyone know of a college whose art program (visual arts) does not require students to draw from nude models?
I bet Brigham Young and Liberty don’t offer nude figure drawing.
thank you doschicos, but I am looking for my daughter to attend a non-Christian university
Is the opposition to nude figure drawing her concern or yours? If she is a serious art student, I’d say practice drawing the human figure is pretty important to one’s development for a classically trained artist. If it is based on discomfort, that goes away pretty quickly.
Yes, if you’re serious, you get over the fact the model is nude in a nanosecond.
Thank you for your comments. I would say that the concern is both of ours. We understand its importance, but it is something she is not interested in doing. She is very talented and it would be a shame for her not take an opportunity to major in art when there are so many more things to draw than nudes!
On the other hand, I’d say it would be a shame for her to not get over her discomfort with nude drawing in order to take advantage of the best art training she could and develop the skills that come with it. It’s not about nudity but the human form. Is she going to be uncomfortable with the rendered human form in art? Michelangelo’s David?
I’ll be interested to see if anyone can name a school, as even a number of Christian colleges have students draw “the undraped figure.” And it’s often only one course or a few sessions in one, with other assignments being a dressed figure. So much sculpture is nude or nearly so, that I don’t know how you get a classic art education without it, i a reputable program. Good luck.
thanks for your input everyone
I know others have covered this but I’ve had my own kids and students be uncomfortable and nervous about this. Sometimes it helps to have an inside perspective. Generally the models themselves are retired teachers and/or working artists so they understand the ‘why’ of this (ie learning musculature for ex) and their poses are not ‘sexual’ in nature and often what’s needed for the student to learn. Ie quick sketches are dynamic poses trying to emulate some movement or action. For longer sketches the models will position themselves in ways that are comfortable for a long period of time. Obviously the models are comfortable in their nudity, but everyone behaves in a respectful and professional manner.
For many schools it is perfectly fine to basically blur out genitalia. Many of my daughters sketches of men do not include their genitalia. Women’s breasts can’t quite be ignored 
but I’ve seen many portfolios of students that focus on arms, legs, heads, trunk and sort of ignore ‘down there’ on both men and women. And that’s totally ok.
Also students are always allowed to move their easels wherever they are comfortable or interested in catching a certain angle. Both of my kids took classes as high schoolers at local colleges where there was nude models. They very frequently would position themselves where they were comfortable with the view, so to speak.
In particular for my son’s first session they were expecting a male. Instead a young woman sub’d for him. So my son has an amazing, detailed and beautifully shaded drawing…of her foot.
If your chld is serious about art school it may help both of you to attend a local figure drawing session. In my area several art centers, colleges and our local art supply store holds them. At the art center, minors are invited but only with parent permission slips and I know many parents who have sat in the back and read during their kids’ first session for their peace of mind. It doesn’t hurt to ask if this is welcomed ahead of time if you find one in your area.
Hope this helps.
thank you so much for your detailed response, ArtAngst.
I agree with previous comments. My daughter, a HS junior, took a figure drawing precollege program this summer at SAIC for the first time. We didn’t discuss beforehand that there will be nude models, I truly forgot to mention it. After the program, I asked how she felt about it. She replied that they had a male nude model the very first day and it was a bit shocking for the first five seconds. She soon decided that she couldn’t make it an issue of it because she had too much work ahead of her to freak out about it. She added that the nude body wasn’t the real issue, it was the model’s long and dirty toenails that really bothered her! Like @ArtAngst’s son, my daughter’s drawings were amazing. She focused on the various body parts of the models (male and female) that were other than the private areas - the hips of a female model in a reclined position, a male model’s head and chest, etc. She really liked the models who were older because she liked how light played on their aged features.
My D first did nudes at a pre-college class.
The parents on “parent day” could participate in a class also (all parents and not necessarily artists by any means). There is a very strict etiquette for figure classes. It’s business.
I was truly surprised at how fast I went from a fast initial shock to focus on capturing life. I “got” how important and difficult it could be to do figure drawing and why it was taught. An instructor went around with suggestions for art just like a normal class.
So, no I don’t think any good art program will avoid the human figure.
I think perhaps you should observe a class in session if allowed or participate to ease any misgivings you have.
Even Gordon College, a Christian university, requires that their art students draw nude models. Here is their explanation: http://www.gordon.edu/download/pages/ArtPolicy_NudeModels.pdf
Even arts high schools have nude figure drawing, at least in my town they do. Junior year students can take “anatomy drawing” with nude models.
@margarett And it goes beyond just nude models. What will your D do if she has to critique a student’s work that shows nudity? Or if in a gallery show others create art that you may feel should be censored? She will be asked to study and exhibit with others who will probably not share her sensibilities. Serious art students often grapple with difficult topics, subjects and writings.
Check out SCAD. The reason I mention that school is that founder and president Paula Wallace recounted a similar situation In her memoir. The very Christian mother was concerned about her 18-year-old son drawing nude females. Paula assured the mother that something could be worked out. I think she ended the story with the statement that she has no idea whether that young man went through SCAD never seeing a nude woman but at least it wasn’t a deal breaker at first. My second oldest is at SCAD currently and having been through orientation there last year I know there were a lot of very devout Christians - among others - who attend. So this issue can’t be that uncommon for those parents – at least at first. My impression is that SCAD is very respectful of that sentiment, kind of meeting the families where they’re at. This is not to advocate one particular school over another nor one particular viewpoint. It is merely to answer OP’s original question as to whether there is such a program.
My oldest daughter drew her first nude male - some old triathlete - while at a portfolio class at the local art college. She was a high school junior at the time. She was uncomfortable at first. I still think it was one of her better sketches in high school. She captured a particularly grumpy expression on his face and says that’s exactly how he looked. She was way too embarrassed to submit it as part of her art school portfolio so it remains in her private collection unless she trashed it. I really hope she didn’t.
It’s not merely drawing nudes. In my son’s time at SAIC, a number of students chose to do nude or barely clad performance art in their first year classes. Nude models are generally not sexualized - in my drawing nudes they’re very human and just people - and you’re focused on srting out how to draw them to reflect their humanity.
But performance art or time based art could be quite sexualized. And it’s a stock and staple in many art schools - dating back to the 1950’s.
@cag60093 My daughter also took the figure drawing class at SAIC’s precollege program this summer (session 2, I think? She was also there for session 1, but doing a different class!) and basically had the same experience. She’d never taken a figure drawing class (though we did talk beforehand about nude models) but she said there was absolutely nothing uncomfortable about it, everyone was professional, and some of her best art to date has come from that class! A lot of it will be going into her portfolio (she’s a senior) because they used so many different mediums (India ink, collage, etc.) in addition to simply drawing with charcoal, pencil, etc.
FWIW, my daughter goes to a regular (private) non-arts high school, and even they offer a figure drawing class with nude models junior or senior year.
Echo above - my daughter was barely sixteen and very modest/conservative when she took a college class with nude models. She repeated the exact words above “It was weird for about 2 seconds, but then I got over it. It was so amazing to see the muscles lit up, that that was all that I could focus on.” I asked a second question, and she responded “Mom, when the teacher says that she picks them for their variety of bodies, she means it. It’s really interesting to saw the same structure in a wide variety of ages/sexes/physical conditions/etc. They are professionals, and we treat them like such.” By the way, the Director of the program commented that it is really hard to hold a pose for a length of time, and that some do it as a form of exercise and meditation.