California Institute of the Arts- #6 Art Schools in Jerry’s Top 10

#6 California Institute of the Arts (Valencia)

Jerry’s Artarama has always supported art education and so this year we wanted to show our support of some of the finest in higher art education available in the United States by honoring some of the best schools in our list of the 10 Best Art Schools in the Country.

At Number 6, we have the California Institute of the Arts.

The California Institute of the Arts, a private university located in Valencia, California was founded in 1961 and currently boasts a student body of 1,454 students. The School has been called one of the best “campuses that offer an exceptional artist atmosphere” by Newsweek in 2011.

The Institute was created by Walt Disney who when designing it had this to say concerning art education:

“The remarkable thing that’s taking place in almost every field of endeavor is an accelerating rate of dynamic growth and change. The arts, which have historically symbolized the advance of human progress, must match this growth if they are going to maintain their value in and influence on society. The talents of musicians, the self-expression of the actor, and the techniques of fine and commercial artist are being used more and more in today’s business-not by themselves but rather, in close association with each other. What we must have, then, is a completely new approach to training in the arts- an entirely new educational concept which will properly prepare artists and give them the vital tools so necessary for working in, and drawing from, every field of creativity and performance…A school should offer a kind of cross-pollination that would develop the best in it’s students.”

The School of Art offers degrees in fine arts, design, photography and media, and art and technology. Students are given the flexibility to plan their own creative development whether thats painting or digital imagery with a growing curriculum in multimedia technology. The school offers a four year BFA and a two year MFA in art which teaches students through both theory and real studio experience.

The Breakdown

Professors- 314 Accredited professors are ready and working to help their students test the boundaries of where art and technology meet.
Notable Alumnus- Animator and illustrator Glen Keane who worked on Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast, Stop Motion director Henry Selick who directed The Nightmare Before Christmas and Coraline, and famed performance artist Guillermo Gomez-Pena.
Local flavor- The Institute is close to Los Angeles, global hub of media and the arts.
Currently on Display- Check out the MFA and BFA art students at CalArts Open Studio