<p>Does anyone know anything about the studio arts program at Berkeley? I'd want to major in painting, so looking for a school with a really good art department.</p>
<p>One of my hall-mates is a studio arts major. Tell me what you want to know and I'll ask her.</p>
<p>that would be great!</p>
<p>mmm i guess i just want to know how strong the department is in general... the quality of the professors and facilities... if it's challenging, stimulating, competetive... how talented are most of the majoring students... that kind of thing. also, if it's either more fine arts or more commercial based</p>
<p>I'm wondering the same thing. I'm a freshman and one of my intended majors is studio art (the other being mass comm). Sadly, I haven't heard much talk about the art major because it is often overshadowed by programs such as engineering and chemistry.</p>
<p>liz6298,</p>
<p>Though I am not yet a Cal Student (I was admitted to the Spring Semester), I felt inclined to reply to your posting because I too looked for art programs within the UC System not long ago.</p>
<p>Traditionally, UCLA has been known for its arts, and I believe it's the only campus with it's own art school. Applying to the program can be a rigorous procedure involving two separate applications, one for UCLA and a portfolio for its School of the Arts. Admission is contingent on the acceptance of both applications. (Thus, you have to meet the academic standards of UCLA as well as the artistic standards of the highly selective School of the Arts.) The rewards of getting in are great: new facilities (I believe the building itself is less than a year old), prime location (given L.A.'s status as the artistic capital of, arguably, the world), and most of all, faculty and students capable of sheer artistic brilliance.</p>
<p>UCLA's program is more vocationally focused than Cal's, which comes in the form of a liberal arts major. For the career-oriented artist, this may be something to consider; however, I turned down UCLA for Cal. I had second thoughts about pursuing a fine arts degree, unsure if basic things like creativity could be taught. I was also advised by a friend that "in order to be a great artist, you need to know a lot of **** about a lot of ****," reminding me that all great art is a product of an intellect at work. So, in the end, I chose Cal not for its art, but for its academics.</p>
<p>To be fair, UCLA is a great school; many posters in the UCLA forum contend that it's Cal's academic equal, though the posters in this forum know better than that. Other great schools with strong programs include USC and NYU, though both of these are private. If supplementary academic work is of no importance to you, then art school is a great option, RISD and CalArts being among the best.</p>