<p>My d (current junior) is interested in studying studio art at an LAC or university, in the midwest/northeast/parts between. I’d love to have any information or impressions about where we might expect LAC and University art departments to fall on the continuum. Some schools she’s considering are: Carleton, Macalester, Oberlin, WashU, University of Rochester, CMU, Cornell, BU.</p>
<p>My son looked at quite a few colleges and universities for studio art and Art History, but oddly enough none of the names on your daughter’s list. </p>
<p>He did eventually get a Masters in Architecture at Cornell so I could comment indirectly on Cornell’s art program which is in the same school as architecture and planning. The facilities are very good and the student body smart, talented and close knit. However, the architecture program dominates the AAP school in size and funding.</p>
<p>The other schools that my son liked were Williams (from which he graduated in Art+Art History), Wesleyan, Hamilton, Kenyon, Skidmore, Conn College. Among the Ivy League, Yale and Brown. I would also add Smith for your daughter.</p>
<p>In answer to your question, I think you’d have to spend some time looking at the courses on offer in the art department. Some schools like Brown are strongly focused on theory. Others, like Skidmore, are more process based. </p>
<p>What my son liked about Williams was the emphasis on process – specifically learning how to handle different media – in collaboration with the strong art history foundation plus the excellent museum on or near campus.</p>
<p>Thanks! Her thought right now is that she doesn’t want a school that’s very small or rural, which knocks out Williams, which would be a serious reach anyway. But it does sound like a great place for art, and also for math, the other half of her double-major/dual-degree plan. And it’s also strong in music, her other big interest. I’m going to suggest that she at least visit and see what she thinks then.</p>
<p>We visited RISD this summer and were blown away by it, and d is planning to apply to Brown/RISD. realizing that it’s the longest of long shots, and maybe Yale in that same spirit. She’s not interested in a women’s college (picky, picky) but Wesleyan and Skidmore sound like potential good additions to her list.</p>
<p>You’re right Williams has terrific art/art history, math and music. Double and even triple majoring is common and there are lots of performance and exhibition opportunities on campus. But . . . it’s not for everyone. </p>
<p>Williamstown is a small mountain village in the Berkshires. The surrounding area is more sophisticated than you might expect, but rural it is, and that’s either a strong positive or a strong negative. It helps to have something you like to do in the snow!</p>
<p>My son, who had only ever lived in mega-cities, always thought that he would study in an urban environment, but something about the serenity and natural beauty of Williams spoke to him. He ended up doing his masters in another mostly rural environment.</p>
<p>Bear in mind that Brown has a very good art department of its own, separate from RISD. As I mentioned, though, it is on the far end of the conceptual/theoretical continuum.</p>
<p>Also in Boston, I’d look at Boston College. I’m not familiar with its math or music departments, but I’d give it an edge over BU for art.</p>
<p>We’ve visited friends in the Berkshires in the summer and my daughter loved it - the beauty, the cultural opportunities, the shopping Interesting to hear that your son thought he wanted to be in the city but then changed his mind when he went there. We definitely need to visit.</p>
<p>She’s looking for the more traditional/representational end of the spectrum. We were at CMU last week, where their BXA (combined BFA/BS program) is of interest. Math was a home run, but while the art people were lovely, they’re definitely out on the conceptual/theoretical end of the continuum.</p>
<p>My son was also focused on drawing (with a subset in painting) and ended up going into architecture. At Williams he discovered printmaking (lithography) which is a process driven media. The level of instruction on both drawing and printmaking was excellent.</p>
Interesting to hear that your son thought he wanted to be in the city but then changed his mind when he went there. We definitely need to visit.</p>