Nepedia
Back to Discover
Fluent Reader
🎨

Art school

arts Maturity 7-9 Next article →

An art school is a place where people learn to create and design. These schools focus on practice and the ideas behind making art. Students might study fine arts like painting, sculpture, or illustration. Others might choose graphic design or even filmmaking.

Bashkirtseff - In the Studio
Bashkirtseff - In the Studio

Some schools teach traditional crafts like pottery and metalwork. Newer programs might focus on digital media or video game design. These schools help students turn their creative interests into real skills.

There are many ways to learn art in a school. In the past, students followed an apprentice path. They lived with an artist and learned by copying their teacher's style. To finish, they had to create a special work called a masterpiece.

Parsons David Schwartz Fashion Education Center 560 Seventh Avenue
Parsons David Schwartz Fashion Education Center 560 Seventh Avenue

Later, academic curricula began in Italy during the Renaissance. These schools focused on both talent and intellect. Today, some students even learn through online classes. They can scan or photograph their drawings to show their teachers.

The Cooper Union's Foundation Building - North Side (48072759802)
The Cooper Union's Foundation Building - North Side (48072759802)

History shows that art teaching has changed many times. Nicholas Houghton identified six major ways art has been taught. The formalist curriculum started in the mid-twentieth century. It focused on basics like color, shape, and line. The expressive curriculum also began then, but it focused on feelings. It encouraged students to be spontaneous and show emotions.

Rhode Island Hospital Trust Building, 2021 (cropped)
Rhode Island Hospital Trust Building, 2021 (cropped)

Later, the conceptual curriculum focused on the thoughts behind the art. Finally, professional curricula appeared at the end of the twentieth century. These teach students how to run an art business.

Art schools come in many different sizes and types. Some are independent, while others are part of a large university. In the United States, the VCU School of the Arts is very large. It has over 3,000 students.

Steinberg Hall
Steinberg Hall

Some schools are very hard to get into. For example, Cooper Union in New York City only admits 4% of applicants. In Canada, NSCAD University was the first degree-granting art school. Emily Carr University has a very active research program too.

NSCAD Halifax street
NSCAD Halifax street

Learning art can be good for the mind and body. A study by Bryan Goodwin found that art education helps people of all ages. It can be helpful for people dealing with anxiety or depression.

Baum School of Art, Allentown PA
Baum School of Art, Allentown PA

Some people even find that listening to classical music helps the brain. Art schools connect people to history and culture through their work. Whether through a paintbrush or a computer, they help us see the world differently.

393 words

Where will your curiosity go next?

Keep exploring at your chosen reading level.

🖼️ Images & Media (10)
File:Bashkirtseff - In the Studio.jpg
Bashkirtseff - In the Studio.jpg
File:Parsons David Schwartz Fashion Education Center 560 Seventh Avenue.jpg
Parsons David Schwartz Fashion Education...
File:The Cooper Union's Foundation Building - North Side (48072759802).jpg
The Cooper Union's Foundation Building -...
File:Rhode Island Hospital Trust Building, 2021 (cropped).jpg
Rhode Island Hospital Trust Building,...
File:Baum School of Art, Allentown PA.jpg
Baum School of Art, Allentown PA.jpg
File:Steinberg_Hall.jpg
Steinberg_Hall.jpg
File:NSCAD Halifax street.jpg
NSCAD Halifax street.jpg
File:École supérieure des beaux-arts de Toulouse - Façade - l'Architecture par Abel Fabre.jpg
École supérieure des beaux-arts de...
File:Vantaan kuvataidekoulu - Tikkurila - Vantaa - m.jpg
Vantaan kuvataidekoulu - Tikkurila -...
File:Queensland College of Art Sidon St.JPG
Queensland College of Art Sidon St.JPG
More to explore

🔬 Go deeper

More advanced topics to explore

🪜 Step back

Simpler topics to build understanding

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.