You can major in art at Harvard and Princeton. So no, RISD is not the Harvard of the art world.
You can major in art at Harvard and Princeton. So no, RISD is not the Harvard of the art world.
The "hobby" was worth $67.4 billion just in terms of the "global art market" in 2018.
https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-global-art-market-reached-674-billion-2018-6
Arts and culture are an $800 billion industry in the U.S., >4% of GDP.
Harvard doesn't have Sam Hyde as an alum
Avocado's Number wrote:
say no to art wrote:
If your daughter has half a brain, send her to Brown
But just a half . . .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YF0k18ahjlYhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKo71nYx3uo
Brown offers the following that are quite interesting opportunities:
~ The Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME) is an eight-year continuum that allows students to combine both their undergraduate and medical school education at Brown.
~ The Brown|RISD Dual Degree Program is a five-year program allowing students to earn a bachelor of arts degree from Brown and a bachelor of fine arts degree from Rhode Island School of Design.
https://www.brown.edu/admission/undergraduate/apply/special-programsMy background is a professional commercial artist. I have worked on AAA video games, at tech companies, given workshops at ILM, etc. as a 3D modeler and digital scupture. The field is both technical and artistic, so is 'easier' to make a living at than in the pure fine arts.
I have been able to make a pretty good living over the years, but that is because almost all my schooling was paid for, I was insanely driven/workaholic, and had naturally ability and art training since I was a kid.
I am also a professor at two commercial art colleges on the west coast, and have tons of colleagues who have gone to almost all the colleges you mention. I have seen hundreds of students go through my classes.
Art Schools are a terrible, terrible deal for most students financially. They make sense if you are so poor that you can get Cal Grants or other assistance so it costs you less than 20k when all is said and done. They are also okay if you have buckets of money you can give your kid and can give you a competitive advantage.
However, they are a terrible terrible cost investment for most students, and the high end schools are the worst. The above comments of many others are true. The fields are *extraordinarily* competitive. Of 20 students, 1-3 will be successful in the fields they wanted to get into and even if you are very successful in commercial art you will very very rarely ever make over 80k, and that is working at a west coast game/film/tech/ad company. Starting salary in commercial art is usually 30-50k, and these are the tech and design heavy art jobs, not fine art/illustration.
Art is a lifestyle and passion, and you should do whatever you are passionate about for your life. I don't want to disuade anyone, but you must be smart, or you will ruin your life financially. 18 year olds don't understand money well, and aren't good long-term decision makers. It is your job to give her this guidance.
My recommendation is go to CC, and get GE credits with some basic art classes. There are some amazing CC art teachers, bit they do take research to find. You have to ask around. Most of the amazing teachers as RISD will also be teaching at a local community college - no joke, same classes. Or they will be teaching privately at an Atelier. They have to do this because even the best schools hire very few full-time professors. Most amazing fine artists who do sell have to also teach to make a living.
CC students can be a negative influence.
Another( better) alternative is take a part time job, and go to classes at a reputable fine arts Atelier, like Watts in Southern California. Those classes are much, much, much more affordable, and have amazing instruction. If you don't have the passion to work part time to pay rent, and then bust your butt in all the other hours on your art and taking classes at Atelier's, you don't have the commitment to work as an artist. You will have that answer, and can focus your energy elsewhere.
If you can swing that for a year or two, then she will be older and have a better idea of she wants to do specifically design, or fine art, or commercial art. You can get an AA in those, and get a good job with an amazing portfolio. It will be much cheaper. If she doesn't like it, she can transfer to a higher-success degree without much sunk cost.
RISD, Art Center, etc are amazing, and will give you an advantage (less time as the effort is concentrated) but NEVER will you earn enough to pay of the loans. Artist salaries don't make sense to art school prices, ever, even for the most successful. Anyone who says otherwise went when schools were cheap....cheap art school is 100k...Art Center, etc is 200-250k
Read this:
https://noahbradley.com/blogs/blog/dont-go-to-art-school
Good luck!
Thank you all! This was some great feedback. I had no idea that the Talking Heads were from RISD. My daughter loves painting (oils) and graphic design. I keep telling her that she is on the path to poverty - but she looks and listens to me like I'm from a different planet. Anyhow - I really appreciate the many well expressed comments. In the meantime, she is in a summer art program now working toward her 'porfolio' that will get her into RISD. On one hand, I'm upset about this focus on art (which I thought was just a hobby all these years), but on the other hand I'm grateful that she is focused and pursuing goals. She also joins me about once/week for a lazy 3 mile run - and no Dad can ask for anything better than that.
Is RISD all that great? wrote:
Thank you all! This was some great feedback. I had no idea that the Talking Heads were from RISD. My daughter loves painting (oils) and graphic design. I keep telling her that she is on the path to poverty - but she looks and listens to me like I'm from a different planet. Anyhow - I really appreciate the many well expressed comments. In the meantime, she is in a summer art program now working toward her 'porfolio' that will get her into RISD. On one hand, I'm upset about this focus on art (which I thought was just a hobby all these years), but on the other hand I'm grateful that she is focused and pursuing goals. She also joins me about once/week for a lazy 3 mile run - and no Dad can ask for anything better than that.
Tell her you'll pay for her to live in Providence for a year and you'll pay for the RISD continuing ed classes, but that's it:
RISD Continuing Education educates students of all ages in art and design with high quality, accessible programs, courses, lectures and workshops.
https://ce.risd.eduIs RISD all that great? wrote:
Thank you all! This was some great feedback. I had no idea that the Talking Heads were from RISD. My daughter loves painting (oils) and graphic design. I keep telling her that she is on the path to poverty - but she looks and listens to me like I'm from a different planet. Anyhow - I really appreciate the many well expressed comments. In the meantime, she is in a summer art program now working toward her 'porfolio' that will get her into RISD. On one hand, I'm upset about this focus on art (which I thought was just a hobby all these years), but on the other hand I'm grateful that she is focused and pursuing goals. She also joins me about once/week for a lazy 3 mile run - and no Dad can ask for anything better than that.
Assuming you are trolling because I've never actually met a parent that would be 'upset on this focus on art'.
After immediate families and close friends, art is perhaps the most rewarding pursuit there is. Unless you are curing cancer or launching rockets for space exploration, a job will almost never give one the satisfaction that pursuing art will.
You shouldn't focus on earning $$$ as the measuring stick, but overall life satisfaction. It is highly likely that $250k in debt will impact that severely. That should be your only hesitation about RISD if your daughter is accepted. If it's not life-ruining financially for you and her, then why would you not back that plan?
For most people, 250k is not a realistic number though and it is entirely reasonable to not want to assume that much debt personally or have your daughter. Just decide how much you can afford, how much she can realistically repay and lay it out clearly. Help guide her toward the second best options, apply for scholarships etc. Just doing the work to get accepted to RISD is going to be really rewarding and should be backed without hesitation, but also make it very clear if you can't afford the bill so that you don't built up false expectations. I think getting accepted to RISD would actually carry at least a little weight even if she doesn't go, at least compared to nothing, and also be a sign that she has some talent to make it in the field.
Sit down with an expected earnings with that degree and expected life costs and how long it would take your daughter to pay it off. If she realizes that her dream schools means she is going to live in a van for the next 40 years she's going more likely listen to your logic. But don't discourage her from trying to get in. You should be excited that she is aiming that high and working toward a goal.
I'm not sure what the next most affordable option would be , but there seems to be some solid advice in this thread. Any real life work experience related to art and designwould be highly valuable as well, even if it's just applying to jobs and realizing how tough it is to get one in that field.
I doubt transfers into Art school work like normal undergrad otherwise I would say go somewhere cheap for 2 years and then transfer. I would be much more willing to supprt two years of insane school price after my daughter has done some hard work toward her goal rather than piling on debt to support her dream at 18.
does she know what job she actually wants to get? Is a degree required for that job or just a portfolio?
It might make more sense to do what the above poster said and support her living there and taking classes at a (I assume) much reduced rate.
I know in some of the arts you can take workshops and classes from some of the best people in the business if you are willing to do the leg work and track them all down. Some would be in person, some online. But for a fraction of the cost of RISD you could actually get a pretty quality education, just no degree, Plus the skill of in effect designing your own course is skill building in itself.
Personally, I could do this now, but at 18 I doubt I would have had the discipline, drive or foresight to know what I should really be studying and follow through though. Your daughter sounds pretty motivated though.
define exactly what it is she wants to learn and see if there is a way to design a more affordable route to learning those skills. However, be aware that not all courses are the same......paying top dollar to learn from the best is often a better deal than paying less for people barely able to support themselves in the industry.
I mean, would you pay money to learn about running from your local elementary PE teacher? One course with a real pro coach would be way more valuable than 2 years with semi-professionals
hope you are trolling, but it's fairly solid wrote:
Is RISD all that great? wrote:
Thank you all! This was some great feedback. I had no idea that the Talking Heads were from RISD. My daughter loves painting (oils) and graphic design. I keep telling her that she is on the path to poverty - but she looks and listens to me like I'm from a different planet. Anyhow - I really appreciate the many well expressed comments. In the meantime, she is in a summer art program now working toward her 'porfolio' that will get her into RISD. On one hand, I'm upset about this focus on art (which I thought was just a hobby all these years), but on the other hand I'm grateful that she is focused and pursuing goals. She also joins me about once/week for a lazy 3 mile run - and no Dad can ask for anything better than that.
Assuming you are trolling because I've never actually met a parent that would be 'upset on this focus on art'.
After immediate families and close friends, art is perhaps the most rewarding pursuit there is. Unless you are curing cancer or launching rockets for space exploration, a job will almost never give one the satisfaction that pursuing art will.
You shouldn't focus on earning $$$ as the measuring stick, but overall life satisfaction. It is highly likely that $250k in debt will impact that severely. That should be your only hesitation about RISD if your daughter is accepted. If it's not life-ruining financially for you and her, then why would you not back that plan?
For most people, 250k is not a realistic number though and it is entirely reasonable to not want to assume that much debt personally or have your daughter. Just decide how much you can afford, how much she can realistically repay and lay it out clearly. Help guide her toward the second best options, apply for scholarships etc. Just doing the work to get accepted to RISD is going to be really rewarding and should be backed without hesitation, but also make it very clear if you can't afford the bill so that you don't built up false expectations. I think getting accepted to RISD would actually carry at least a little weight even if she doesn't go, at least compared to nothing, and also be a sign that she has some talent to make it in the field.
Sit down with an expected earnings with that degree and expected life costs and how long it would take your daughter to pay it off. If she realizes that her dream schools means she is going to live in a van for the next 40 years she's going more likely listen to your logic. But don't discourage her from trying to get in. You should be excited that she is aiming that high and working toward a goal.
I'm not sure what the next most affordable option would be , but there seems to be some solid advice in this thread. Any real life work experience related to art and designwould be highly valuable as well, even if it's just applying to jobs and realizing how tough it is to get one in that field.
I doubt transfers into Art school work like normal undergrad otherwise I would say go somewhere cheap for 2 years and then transfer. I would be much more willing to supprt two years of insane school price after my daughter has done some hard work toward her goal rather than piling on debt to support her dream at 18.
He's probably from Asia. Do not put an over emphasis on prestige, titles, and status symbols to the point of losing perspective on what is important.
My daughter got into RISD but decided to go to Ringling for computer animation. It’s depends on what you are looking to do because even though RISD offered the same major they had fewer contacts with Pixar, and other companies.
I went to a top D3 liberal arts school, majored in art and ran on a competitive track and XC program. I later went to graduate school and received and MFA as well. I assistant coached at the same D3 institution while getting my MFA as well.
A lot of pretty accurate information listed here. RISD is a top notch program. As mentioned it is expensive and difficult to get into. The most talented artist I have ever met was a RISD alumni (amongst other schools, he had a couple of MAs), and is a prof in Florida right now.
If a kid is smart, has good thinking and inquiry skills, and is disciplined, it really doesn't matter major. Plenty of my art peers are successful, but not necessarily in an career art any more, or more accurately, the one they imagined.
More than 3 decades later I still continue to pursue my art, have gallery representation, sell some work, but won't make a "living" at it.
I work as a public school teacher where I make a pretty good living (all of those college credits come into play in terms of salary), and it allows time for coaching and art pursuits.
Art is the thing that not all of us can do and also not all masking understand. While starting painting or singing or dancing you have two understand that it requires a lot of inspiration and dedication. Without them you won’t be able to create something beautiful. Because of this I started to buy some paintings by numbers from https://paintingbynumbersshop.com/products/custom-picture-paint-by-numbers.
Native Rhode Islander, not in any art or design career. Concur with the person that says RISD is the premier art school, its the Harvard of art schools. BUT realistically, in art only the top 1-5% make a serious living out of it. I'm mid 20s, at the stage in my life where I can say to myself "wow I'm so glad my mom encouraged me to pursue an engineering degree as opposed to the liberal arts degree I imagined myself" Dreams are awesome, but I think people also have to be realistic. Im3 now in the position where I have a solid engineering job and going back to school for law...pretty unrelated but guess what! Its a lot easier to pay for law school in cash when you have no student loans and had a full time job for a few years. If she really wants to give art all she's got, awesome! But just remind her she's going to have to be ready to make sacrifices. RISD is expensive, so unless she gets a full ride she's gotta accept that she's going to be working her butt off while in school, maybe not getting to live exactly where she wants, can't spend all her money on "fun" things, etc.
Stuart from The Big Bang Theory went to,RISD.
It depends on what she wants to do with her life. I work in a museum and my wife is an art teacher at at a university(not yet a professor) but we have both been through graduate programs.
Your daughter would be best served to find the program and teachers that best fit her end goals. Most A-list artists I’ve met are really good at the business end of the art world. Most people with fancy degrees work for them. (The people I work with at the museum went to schools like Yale, Risd, and Chicago art institute)
I love my job and I could never hack it as an artist. I’m not a salesman. The biggest price of advise I have is don’t let her go into debt to got to a school like RISD.
RISD has a hockey team, the nickname is 'The Nads' and their mascot is a skating penis.
And the Talking Heads went there.
Who the hell is questioning whether this is an awesome school JFC.
Believe it or not, if you're good you can strike out on your own and make a great living in the art world.
LRC denizen Jason Borbet aka Borbay:
https://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=3386702&page=1#3388535
My daughter's best friend majored in art at University of Michigan, and received a scholarship to do so (she also was admitted to RISD). She recognized the limited employment prospects, and transferred to nursing school at Michigan, one of the best in the nation. But she still pursues her art on the side as she is very talented. She later obtained a NP and is a psychiatric nurse at a leading university research hospital, and has developed an art package for use in her practice. She to my mind made a number of smart decisions, has no debt, is making a good living, has flexible shifts to work around with her newly arrived baby, and still has a productive art practice which is more than just a hobby. Her husband is a Michigan Biochemistry PhD working in industry, and if his ship sails in financially, she would have a platform to go full time with art. I am no expert on this subject but admire the way this woman created a balance between several competing concerns.
risd is a joke wrote:
RISD is a joke. The top 1% of graduates are something really special. The rest end up basically unemployable. Providence is filled with coffee shop works with RISD degrees.
My sister-in-law went to RISD and always spoke highly of the school. She is an Architectural professor at a smaller college and on the board of some national architectural group, so RISD seems to have worked for her.