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<p>The best thing do to is to visit. Youll be able to get a good feeling just walking around the art school facility: What type of studio space is available? Good light? Well maintained? What about equipment? Does the school offer the opportunity to acquire advanced skills in complicated processes like sculpture or printmaking? </p>
<p>Does the department appear to be well funded? Do you relate to the students work? Does the school encourage experimentation? Offer an opportunity to show?</p>
<p>How large are the classes? Are they taught by faculty members or by teaching assistants? </p>
<p>Try to meet with a faculty member to discuss the studio arts program. Some are more process oriented; some more theory. </p>
<p>Peruse the biographies of the faculty. Where did they study? What type of work do they do? Are they practicing artists as well as teachers? Do they show?</p>
<p>Is there a local arts scene? Galleries, museums? Lectures, visiting artists? If the school is in a remote area do they go to urban centers (e.g. museums, artists studios) on study trips? Take a look at the art history offerings as well.</p>
<p>Does the college career placement service cover opportunities in arts related fields?</p>
<p>As far as choosing between a big University and an LAC, again, the best approach is to visit and see which feels right. They each have strengths and weaknesses, but the atmosphere and teaching style is quite different, so I would think that choosing one or the other would be the best starting point. For sure you can get a good studio art education at either one, but some kids are better suited to one, some to the other. Once your son decides whether he wants big or small he can better concentrate on developing a list with range of selectivity within the category. </p>
<p>For LACs especially there are other factors besides the strength of the art department that would need to be considered as small colleges have distinctive personalities. Your son should think about whether he wants in the way of location and ambience and work backward to schools that fit his ideal. My son has been pleased with the studio art department at Williams (though in the end he decided to major in art history) but most importantly hes been pleased with the whole Williams experience and I think the colleges overall academic and social ambience has been more persuasive than the strength of any individual course or instructor.</p>