<p>this may be a little late, but i just sent in my art supplement to NYU for the steinheart program. I've heard really good things from people who go there, and a TA for a class I took at RISD went there for her BFA and loved it. I think like any school, you should read about it on the website, then check out the faculty and google them to see if you like their work. The pictures of the student shows that I found on the NYU website looked really neat. I have really similar goals as you--I also want to take creative writing. MICA offers a creative writing minor, and the school of the art institute of chicago has a BFA program with an emphasis in writing, which is a new program that sounds really interesting.</p>
<p>I have had several students attend the NYU art program and have been extremely unimpressed with the quality and caliber of the work and educational experience. If you are looking for strong art program in a liberal arts college in New York, you might want to look at Columbia. They are in the process of expanding their undergraduate art program. Columbia's graduate program has a tremendous reputation. They are in the process of building new facilities for the art dept. Wash U. in St. Louis and Carnegie Mellon also have strong art depts. I went to Wash U. for my MFA. It is particularly strong in painting and printmaking. Otherwise you might want to look at several university art programs, including: U of Texas Austin, UCLA, UC San Diego, U of Iowa, U of Michigan, Virginia Commonwealth U. good luck</p>