Some of our students come with a B.F.A. in fine arts or design and already know the rigors of developing a personal body of work. Others come with undergraduate degrees from universities or colleges, seeking the environment of a professional art school in which to further develop their potential in art. The program is flexible enough to adapt to the different needs of students. For those already well-grounded in studio, the program can be made fairly expeditious. The program can also be expanded to include more advanced studio work for those who have the desire or need.
Many students come already having had some experience with children or youth.
The program is designed to build on such experiences. We offer a strong practicum sequence, which begins with observations in the schools, includes internships in our Young Peoples' Studios a Saturday program that functions as our lab school and in public school settings, and concludes with a full semester of student teaching. Along the way, methods courses are designed to develop an understanding of developmental issues, the role of the arts in the schools, the relationship between media, ideas and visual thinking, and methods for engaging students in both expression through art and response to art. The faculty that guides this process includes both master teachers and those experienced in supervision of the visual arts in the schools. We expect that the teachers we prepare will become leaders.