<p>I'm applying to Smith ED II and I'm planning on majoring in Art and minoring in Music. I wanted to gain some insight on whether the Art department is any good? Particularly studio art.</p>
<p>Jujubean, I asked my sophomore daughter, a Gold Key Guide, over Parents Weekend about your question so I’ll try my best to recall what she said. First of all, she said that the majors are pretty evenly divided–one third social sciences/humanities, one third performing and fine arts, and one third sciences–so art as a major is not underrepresented (the Art Department has 30 faculty members!). The studio facilities are excellent and the printing department in particular apparently rivals RISD (Rhode Island School of Design), one of the best art schools in the country. I’ve included the link to the Department of Art which has lots of information: </p>
<p>[Smith</a> College: Brown Fine Arts Center](<a href=“http://www.smith.edu/bfac/artdept.php]Smith”>Smith College: Brown Fine Arts Center)</p>
<p>From personal experience, I have found the Smith College Museum of Art as a college museum to be fabulous, with a large collection of 19th century French Impressionists and 20th century artists (e.g., Picasso) and influential American painters such as Thomas Eakins, along with an extensive print collection and other works. There are also nine other significant museums (some historical) in the Pioneer Valley, and a little farther afield, the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown and the Museum of Contemporary Art (MassMOCA) in North Adams. So there’s a lot to look at and learn from.</p>
<p>My daughter was in the first-year chorus last year, the Smith College Chorus, and this year she’s singing in the Glee Club. She has chosen not to play violin in the orchestra because of time constraints. The whole Music Department is phenomenal. This past weekend for Parents Weekend, the Music Department put on Montage, a lively concert showcasing the different music ensembles on campus, and as last year, it was spirited and well-done. I’m looking forward to Autumn Serenade, the glorious choral concert in November and maybe we’ll attend the orchestra concert later on as well. It’s a good thing we only live 1-1/2 hours away!</p>
<p>I was not a studio art major, but I had close friends that were. The studio art department is great, the facilities are some of the best and the newest on campus, plus you have access to the Smith College Museum of Art (number 2 collegiate art museum in the country) and several other good museums in the area. The printing department is awesome, they have fantastic equipment and it can be good to work in areas other than drawing/painting/photography. The Art department also houses our small but proud architecture students. </p>
<p>I would say that Art and Art History are two of the toughest majors on campus. I had friends that were engineering majors and friends that were Art majors. I saw the engineering majors more often. It’s a VERY challenging and time consuming major. You will spend a lot of time in the art building, working on projects until well into the wee hours of the morning. In fact, they keep the art building open 24 hours a day because the art students use it 24 hours a day. I knew people who slept there regularly. Mostly because you can’t develop film or fire a clay sculpture or make a print in your dorm room. You have to be there, and it takes as long as it takes. </p>
<p>Also, it’s a very sequential major, which i think some people find frustrating. You have to go through Painting I, Drawing I, Photo I, before you can move up to the higher level classes, and the major doesn’t allow for skipping around. </p>
<p>So yes, the department is good. It’s very good in fact. And they’ve recently started a concentration in Museum Studies, if that’s something that interests you. But it’s also really challenging, so be prepared to work.</p>
<p>During Parents Weekend, I met one of my daughter’s friends, an art history major, who’s chosen a career path of assisting corporations make good investments in purchasing major pieces of art as a way to diversify their investments other than through the stock market. After graduation she plans to attend an art program at NYU and subsequently Yale for an MBA. I found this a fascinating way to combine fine arts and business!</p>
<p>I feel so much better about my choice after seeing what you guys have to say about the Art Department at Smith College. Thank you CarolynB and SmithieandProud for replying back to my question. At first I was unsure about whether Smith College was the right choice for me, but now that I have some insight on their art program and see that it’s not totally ignored, I feel like I’m making the right choice for me. I understand that being a studio art major is going to be tough, but I’m prepared to work!</p>
<p>One of the Art professors made a presentation at the local Smith Club a few years back and it was so engaging that a jaded as I am, <em>I</em> wanted to start taking Art classes at Smith. I’ve heard lots of good things second-hand via students, too.</p>
<p>CarolynB – I love the career path of your daughter’s friend. I graduated from Smith in '84 and double majored in Econ and Art History. First job out of school was at Sotheby’s, which appealed to me for some of the same reasons – using the art degree to help investors make choices about what to buy. I guess what I’m saying is yes, Smith has a strong Art Department, but once you’re there, you may find interesting ways to combine a love of art with other careers. I think Smith’s motto should be: “I went to Smith. I can do anything!”</p>
<p>I recently had an interview over the phone with an alumnae (since I live incredibly far from Mass.) and she also answered my question about the Art department at Smith. She was a graduate of '98 so she believed her responses were a little bit out-dated, but she related the same information that you guys offered to me! So, thanks again. I really hope I get accepted when I apply ED II.</p>
<p>Good luck! I was re-reading my post and i just wanted to point out that the architecture department is small, but its students are not necessarily diminutive.</p>