TRADITIONAL vs. CONCEPTUAL art schools?

mackinaw
Thu, 29 May 2008 11:10:51 +0000

I think there’s another aspect to this. My daughter had a classmate who earned a BFA in industrial design (ID) at RISD. After working in the industry for a few years she earned an MFA in ID at Art Center (Pasadena). She described the difference between these programs to me this way (and it wasn’t just the BFA vs. MFA aspect).

RISD places far more emphasis on creativity and originality. Art Center places far more emphasis on “finish,” and on the “professional look” and “presentation” of designs. In the latter case, this probably comes from Art Center’s original focus on advertising and promoting an “industry standard” look.

What this means in part is that Art Center grads are often highly employable immediately; they learn how to produce work that’s highly polished and can fit right into many organizations. Their portfolios look like they’re ready to present to an industry client. RISD grads may still have to acquire such polishing skills, but are perhaps more likely to do original designs because that’s the emphasis in their training and where they will devote more of their effort.

This isn’t a “conceptual” vs. “traditional” distinction in the way the OP presented it. It’s to some extent a different dimension. RISD students all have a strong foundation in art/design as well as in their major fields, and have strong practical skills as well. But they emphasize creativity rather than polish in their training.

In the same vein, if you’re interested in close connections to industry, immediate employability in certain types of jobs, you need to check out the internships, placements, and career development of grads. For example, my brother, who works as an illustrator/animator in “Hollywood,” tells me that CalArts (also known as the CIA – in Valencia, CA) has very strong direct links to Hollywood Studios and the CalArts was created and supported by the studios as a training ground.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of room for creativity at all arts schools; and your later employability depends on your ability to create and present great work for clients. But there may be different emphases within the programs (and different reputations) that have practical consequences for your early career development.