For many college students, being at a university is associated with things like football, Greek organizations and keg stands before calculus. It’s the time to discover who you are while sitting in a lecture hall with 300 other students. It’s the time to explore your “bi-curious” bent or live with a Rastafarian named Zion. A time to fail calculus and reaffirm that you are not meant to be an engineer.
The college experience differs, however, for students at SCAD. Going to an art school allows students to think on creative levels in nearly all aspects of the curriculum. And along with this creative nurturing, students are also prepared for successful professional careers.
On the first day of spring quarter 2011, color theory professor Marcia Cohen explained to her class the importance of being conservative with art supplies — using them carefully and not wasting scraps. The idea is to cost future employers less money, by making efficient use of your materials.
For all its imaginative preoccupation, art school is full of practical advice and training like this. For instance, throughout their program, SCAD students work to build portfolios in various artistic avenues, from 3-D design to photography.
“The hands-on experience we get here helps to build professional artists. When I gradate, I won’t be leaving with just a diploma, but a live, current portfolio,” second-year motion media student Dylan Fagan said.
Aside from academics, students benefit from being a part of a community of like-minded artists. With SCAD’s wide range of artistic majors, students from all different walks of life are able to connect with each other, over a shared passion for making art. Chic fashion students, dressed in their own creations, can be seen mingling with animation students clothed in “furry” attire, from animal-ear headbands to full animal costumes.
“I really like how there’s a diverse group of people at SCAD. We have printmaking kids, fashion kids, animation kids. It’s a great mix, and it’s opened me up to other art forms,” third-year writing student Alana Adams said.
It’s not hard to see what students love about going to art school. While students at SCAD often spend more time in the studio, working on projects, than at keg stands or frat parties, this diverse, creative atmosphere provides them with an enriched college experience and an alternative way to look at life, as well as art.
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