<p>walkerita, I’d suggest that you look at the following schools for a combination of strong art studio department and strong academics.
Williams, Wesleyan, Hamilton, Skidmore, Kenyon, Conn College. Smith if you are female.</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s necessary that the professor/instructor and you share the same style. You’re there to learn from them, not copy them. Their objective would be to encourage and channel your creativity and if that leads you down a representative vs abstract path then it’s not likely that you would be re-routed.</p>
<p>Rather than focusing on the instructors’ own work I would suggest that you investigate the classes that are taught and the teaching style. By definition small liberal arts colleges have limited range in number of faculty and number of classes offered and consequently not all art departments are created equal. Also, some focus more on theory and some on practice. </p>
<p>My son is a graduate of Williams with a degree in art studio and art history. Both are well funded popular departments. The studio facilities are superb and the faculty’s expertise covers a wide range of technical knowhow, with an emphasis on process. His artwork would be considered representational and he never experienced any pushback on his choice of subject matter. In fact, even professors whose personal styles were abstract or political insisted on strong fundamentals.</p>