It’s that time of year again for art students to bring out their art supplies and head back to school!
New York is known for its artistic diversity and the extensive range of opportunities for students interested in the study of art.
In honor of back-to-school week, here’s a list of some of the best art schools in New York selected by The Bare Square!
If you want to get your art on without the application, check out the bare square’s story on Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School!
(While Columbia, Hunter, and NYU have amazing art programs, this list focuses on schools where art is the institution’s predominant emphasis.)
PRATT INSTITUTE
Programs: visual arts, design, architecture, art education + history, art mangament
Pratt Institute, a private school in Brooklyn, is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the U.S. While located in a more residential neighborhood, its 3,100 undergraduates and 1,600 graduate students students are still close enough to Dumbo, Williamsburg, and Manhattan to seek inspiration in the art neighborhoods around them.
The campus is a piece of artwork itself. The September issue of Architectural Digest announced Pratt as one of the magazine’s top 10 college campuses nationwide with the best architecture.
[Check out a previous Jen Recommends featuring an artist who graduated from Pratt Insitute.]
Pratt Institute, Brooklyn
SCHOOL OF VISUAL ARTS
Programs: animation, cartooning, computer art, film and video, fine arts, graphic design, illustration, interior design, photography
Established in 1947 and first known as the Cartoonists and Illustrators School, the School of Visual Arts is about far more than funky looking cartoon characters. SVA offers many more programs for all type of art students from fine arts to fashion to design to computer art.
SVA students can showcase their work in the school’s own galleries, including a professional gallery in Manhattan’s Chelsea art district. According to the official SVA website, art-world professionals often curate SVA student shows. Check out the two most recent exhibitions – Dames Do Digital at SVA Gallery and Prime Time at Westside Gallery.
[Two nAscent artists, Jason Woodside and Gigi Chen, studied at SVA. View and buy their work at The Bare Square Store.]
PARSONS: THE NEW SCHOOL FOR DESIGN
Programs: architecture, communication design, fashion, fine arts, illustration, interior design, photography, urban design
Parsons is a school with an international perspective. This art and design institution educated artists known nationally and globally. With partnerships between Europe, Asia and Latin America, Parsons became the first art and design school in the U.S. to establish international campuses.
THE COOPER UNION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE AND ART: THE SCHOOL OF ART
Programs: sculpture, painting, video, photography, traditional and computer animation, graphic design, typography, printmaking
Located in the culturally-booming East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, Cooper Union is another art school with a variety of programs for each individual student. The art program is sometimes referred to as “versatile” because incoming students are encouraged to select courses from any of the School of Art’s departments instead of having to choose an academic major within the Fine Arts field.
Best of all: all students at Cooper Union receive full-tuition scholarships! The bad news: Cooper Union’s art school is one of the most selective in the country, with acceptance rates below 5%.
41 Cooper Square, Cooper Union
NEW YORK STUDIO SCHOOL OF DRAWING, PAINTING, AND SCULPTURE
Programs: sculpture, painting, drawing
Although this school has a select number of programs, for those interested in sculpture, painting or drawings, the New York Studio fits like a well-gessoed canvas. With a foundation built on drawing, students focus on the fundamentals of fine art theory and practice, then pursue degrees from certificate to Master of Fine Arts.
Established in 1963 and located in Greenwich Village, the school occupies the home of the former Whitney Museum of American Art. The art community ensured the survival of the school in its early days by donating works to be sold in support of the school.
NEW YORK ACADEMY OF ART
Programs: sculpture, painting, drawing, anatomy, art history
The New York Academy of Art is dedicated to the education of emerging artists from throughout the world with an emphasis on figurative styles. One of the artists most involved with the founding of this school was Andy Warhol.
Students are centrally located near the art of NYC’s downtown art community, and can explore their neighborhood to inspire their creative minds.
Each year, the Academy hosts a busy calendar of public events and exhibitions like TAKE HOME A NUDE® and TRIBECA BALL, which supports funding for fellowships and scholarships.
ART STUDENTS LEAGUE OF NEW YORK
Founded in 1875, more than 2,500 students study at the Art Students League each month. Currently, the League offers more than 130 courses taught by a faculty of approximately 80 artists.
Many prominent artists have studied and taught at the League, including Chinese contemporary artist Ai Weiwei, who was recently released from prison after being detained for over 2 months.
nAscent artists Yuko Ueda and Marshall Jones graduated from ASL, and Marshall teaches at ASL when he’s not producing his own amazing figurative work.
To all the parents, students, and faculty of these and all the great art programs in New York City–welcome back! Join the bare square Facebook group, share with friends, and if you hear about any big art news, drop us a line!
- Kulsoom
