Visual Arts Study?

<p>Hi, everyone, </p>

<p>I've been posting here on CC mostly about my oldest son, who is quite interested in mathematics. But I think I should start asking about what a kid does who is strongly interested in visual art (drawing, painting, and sculpture), as that appears to be my second son's strongest interest. (My second son is a good bit younger than my first son, so I'm definitely in plan-ahead mode when it comes to thinking about college for him.) </p>

<p>So far all of my lids like to draw and build Play-Doh or clay models, but my second son is especially into those activities. I am quite clueless about how art ability develops as a child grows up--all I remember for sure from my childhood is that my onetime strong interest in drawing was CRUSHED by an incompetent school art teacher in seventh grade. What advice do you have about encouraging a child's art interest to keep developing? What advice do you have about finding a capable, helpful teacher for a child who is into art? Long-term, what kinds of colleges are most attractive to young people with a strong interest in visual art? </p>

<p>Thanks for any advice you have.</p>

<p>I can tell you what we did with our daughter. She showed strong talent in art. We hired an art tutor who meets with her once a week and attends a class with the tutor once a week. By the end of two years or so, she will have some very strong skills and will have a great portfolio. If your daughter is interested in fine arts (mainly painting and drawing), there are specialized classes she can take at local art schools and junior colleges. Another fine option for those interest in painting is to attend class given by the art renewal center master artists. These are folks that teach the classical style of painting.</p>

<p>Do a web search for Atelier schools and go to:<a href="http://www.artrenewal.org"&gt;http://www.artrenewal.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Here is a list of approved Atelier schools with examples of work done at each school:<a href="http://www.artrenewal.org/asp/database/atelier_list.asp"&gt;http://www.artrenewal.org/asp/database/atelier_list.asp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>If your daughter likes painting vs. sculpture, there are many good college to choose from. Post here when your daughter reaches college age.</p>

<p>My daughter showed an interest and ability in art from a young age. My husband and I are definitely not talented in art, but there are some relatives with this talent (great-aunt, aunt, cousins) so she may have gotten some of the same genes :) We were fortunate that in our town there is a husband-wife pair of professional artists who teach art lessons to children beginning at age 8 through adult. She has taken weekly lessons there since she was old enough until now, her senior year in high school. They teach systematically, from fundamentals on up, but it is not a high pressure environment. In the classes for young children, they do various projects which are at a much higher level than what is done in elementary school art classes. Then at about age 11, there is a series of "fundamentals" classes teaching the basics of drawing, color theory, etc. After that, there are choices for class such as pen and ink, cartooning, pastels, watercolors, illustration, the human body, there are a lot more I can't think of. As far as how art ability develops, I was very clueless too, but now I see that it is part talent and part being taught - just like someone with musical talent won't automatically be able to play an instrument without instruction, someone with artistic talent needs lessons to be able to use their abilities. My daughter has also taken the advanced art curriculum in school for all four years of high school, but feels that she has learned much more from the studio lessons than the school class. She has also done some major work at home on her own (primarily in the summer), but she has many other commitments and interests that take up a lot of her free time, so she has not had as much time to spend on art as she would have liked. My daughter does not plan on attending art school or having art as her primary major in college, but wants to pursue it, possibly as a minor or even a double major. She looked for schools which were strong academically as well as strong in visual arts, and will be attending Kenyon next year. She did not prepare a portfolio, although Kenyon states that this an option to submit as part of the application for students interested in visual arts. If submitted, it is reviewed by the art dept. and they will report back to admissions as to whether the student should be given a boost in admissions for artistic talent. Her private art teachers assist and advise students in preparing art school portfolios, as do the teachers in her high school class, but she felt that she did not have time to put in the time and effort for a "proper" portfolio, as she would have had to start about one year in advance and do a lot of new work, as only certain types of work can be submitted in art school portfolios. I think that for a LAC like Kenyon, her best work would have been fine, and a formal art school portfolio would not be necessary, but she disagreed, she said it would be "all or nothing". I think she was also afraid to have her work judged by a college professor, as it has not been judged in that way before and she is not sure how good she actully is. She was admitted ED with a merit scholarship, so it worked out fine in the end for her after all. Anyway, it sounds like your son is pretty young, so I recommend trying to find a studio like the one my daughter goes to. It will give him a chance to develop his talents and decide if art is something he wants to continue to pursue.</p>

<p>You are definitely smart to be thinking ahead about potential colleges/training for your younger son. My son waited until the summer before his senior year in high school to decide that he didn't want to be a mechanical engineer after all but wanted to pursue a career in Industrial Design. He is at a definite disadvantage now because he is competing for college admissions against kids who have lots of formal art training and extensive portfolios to show the adcoms.</p>

<p>Expose your son to all types of visual arts -- visiting museums and art galleries, etc. -- and encourage him to take any art classes available in your hometown -- especially drawing classes as they seem to be the foundation for all other art and design classes. Check with local colleges or art schools for classes geared to his age group. And when he gets to high school, participate in National Portfolio Review Days if you can; they are a great way to get early feedback from college reps.</p>

<p>His most important college decisions will be whether he wants to attend an "art" school where he will get the very best, most intense training for a career in visual arts (such as RISD, Parsons, etc.), or if he wants to attend a university or LAC that has a strong fine arts department (where he can still get good art training) but would also provide opportunities to explore other subjects and interests as well.</p>

<p>My daughter also showed strong interest and potential talent in art from a young age.
We found that our local art museum has an excellent program of classes for children and teenagers. Those classes have given her a chance to supplement a week in-school art program. </p>

<p>But, perhaps the best thing we have done for my daughter over the years is simply keep a closet stocked with all sorts of art supplies - paints, paper, drawing materials, collage materials - and encourage her to use her spare time enjoying making art for its own sake. </p>

<p>Both her high school art teacher and I are disappointed that she's decided that while she wants to continue to take art classes in college, she probably won't end up majoring in art. :(</p>

<p>my little sister hasn't really expressed interest in anything particular that she would like to go to college for. she mentioned business (which is my major), and teaching (which i just can't see her doing).. but i know one thing she really likes to do is art, so i suggested that she take some more art classes in high school (there are a TON at my school, literally....).. and maybe go to school for graphic design.. and all she replies is "well, i'm not THAT good...".. and i know she's full of crap :)</p>

<p>I had one of these kids, too, and agree with everyone's suggestions. Carolyn :) the art supplies really hit home! It started when my daughter was a pre-schooler and I went down to the local newspaper and asked for the end rolls of newsprint, with which I covered her child-sized table. I left abucket of crayons there, so she could draw whenever she wanted -- without drawing on the walls or in books! </p>

<p>The most difficult time to find art classes or experiences for her was in middle and high school, when she didn't want kids classes and was too young for adult classes. She did do a pre-college summer program at a local art school twice (CCAC), and we "exaggerated" her age a little so she could take a painting class at a studio that caters to adults.</p>

<p>When it came to college, she knew she did not want an art school but wanted to do art. As Californians, UCLA represented a good solution. Her portfolio helped her get in, since applications go directly to the art department. But she loved history, Italian, and other classes there as well. She came out of college thinking she'd go on for an MFA, maybe in painting, but now has decided she is not a painter.</p>

<p>Now she's faced with the next question: what does a visually oriented person, with an undergrad art degree, do for a living? She's been working a day-job and doing art and art classes after work for several years. Now, she's decided that she wants a day job that is creative and visually oriented instead. So, that's where the route has taken her. In some ways, having some talent in this area can be curse as well as blessing. So, while it is great to nurture a child's talents in this area as in others, visual arts talent doesn't necessarily lead to an easy young adulthood.</p>

<p>I guess we were lucky in that the studio where my daughter takes art lessons has classes for ages 8 through adult with no gap. I have heard a similar complaint as sac's from my sister in law who is trying to find an art class for her 7th grade daughter. My daughter's art classes are for students in middle school, high school, and adults, mixed together. We are also lucky that her teachers have three kids of their own, currently in 9th grade through first year college, so they have a good understanding of young people in this age group!</p>

<p>My daughter graduated from an art school (RISD) a year ago, with a major in industrial design. We knew she was talented in art from when she was just a few years old. Endless supplies of paper and felt-tip pens stimulated her to fill them with patterns, color variations, and the like -- not the usual representational stuff. In elementary school (4th grade), she loved to make diarramas. But she had no extracurricular art training, and we didn't seek it out then. By 9th grade, however, she had taken a couple of art courses in high school, and a little drawing course offered by an artist in our neighborhood community center, and began to express her interest in doing art, but honestly she wasn't talking about college at that time.</p>

<p>In her sophomore year, however, we suggested that she attend the precollege program of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), and by the time she completed that short summer session she was determined to major in art and, moreover, attend an art school. Those precollege programs are a good way for kids to begin to build a foundaton in drawing (if they haven't already done so), to measure their talent, get good advice about how to build a portfolio -- and, perhaps not least of all, meet other talented kids from very different backgrounds. While in that summer she took life drawing, the summer after her junior year she took a course in sculpture, also at SAIC. In the meantime, her teachers in English and social studies encouraged her whenever she requested to make her "reports" in art form, not just in words. And so she bought a lot of glue, stryrofoam, cardboard, etc., and produced some creative narrative constructions. She did a lot more art for those courses than she did in her "art" courses in high school.</p>

<p>For us, as the parents, the hardest part of this was figuring out the college-level options, in particular the choice between stand-alone art colleges (SAIC, RISD, MICA, etc.), genuine BFA studio programs in larger universities (CMU, BU, Syracuse, etc.), and perhaps less art-intensive art "majors" in liberal arts colleges and large universities. We did a lot of research on the web, talking to local artists, and so on. At the same time, we tried to make sure that our daughter kept her college options open, mainly by keeping up a rigorous academic program beyond art.</p>

<p>I think you have to consider the resources that are available in your community, beyond the school system. If there is a special magnet program in art, then that's definitely worth looking at. We had none available nearby. And the high school's art program was fairly rudimentary. But the willingness of those other teachers to allow my daughter to do art, along with the summer programs, helped her to develop her skills and also to build a portfolio. I admire those of you who sought out tutoring for your artistically inclined kids. As some wise person once said, "Anything worth doing is worth doing any way you can."</p>

<p>After sophomore year or so, it's not a bad idea to go to one of the National Portfolio Days (see <a href="http://www.npda.org%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.npda.org&lt;/a>, and also for information see <a href="http://www.aicad.org%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.aicad.org&lt;/a&gt;). Your son or daughter can get a "free" no-pressure evaluation of some of their work, advice on how to build their portfolio, and sometimes actual encouragement. In fact, attending such portfolio days (which are held all over the country each Fall) allows a student to see again what some of the other aspirants are doing. And it can lead to invitations to apply to some schools -- even, in some cases, to provisional on-the-spot acceptances. When my daughter showed her portfolio at a portfolio day in Grand Rapids, she got excellent advice from a couple of the representatives there, especially from the Cleveland Institute of Art and the Kansas City Art Institute; and when, a month or so later she showed a somewhat more refined set of items at a portfolio day at the Art Institute of Chicago, the RISD representative told her straight off that she had a "strong portfolio." If nothing else, this was great encouragement!</p>

<p>One thing that I recommend strongly to any student interested in art is that they try to get training in the fundamentals, and this means life drawing first of all; but increasingly, working in many different media including computer graphic design is extremely important for most art-related fields. My daughter is now working in NYC doing industrial design and graphic design. She has a strong interest in ecological design, and has become involved in a green-design group in NYC that meets in monthly seminars, and eventually may return to school to study urban design or something akin to that. For now, though, there really are jobs in her field and related fields, but they may not be high paying at the beginning.</p>

<p>these are the art courses that are offered where i went to high school. i realize that not all schools have this many courses, or maybe some schools have more.. but we had a very large art department, with nice galleries and everything, and it was very awesome to spend free time in that area on these classes.. i really enjoyed the ones i took.</p>

<p>ANIMATION 1096 (First Semester) 1097 (Second Semester)
ART EXPLORATION 1030 (First Semester) 1031 (Second Semester)
CERAMICS I - INTRODUCTION 1040 (First Semester) 1041 (Second Semester)
CERAMICS II - INTRODUCTION 1042 (First Semester) 1043 (Second Semester)
CERAMICS I - APPLIED 1044 (First Semester) 1045 (Second Semester)
CERAMICS II - APPLIED 1046 (First Semester) 1047 (Second Semester)
CERAMICS I - ADVANCED 1048 (First Semester) 1049 (Second Semester)
CERAMICS II - ADVANCED 1050 (First Semester) 1051 (Second Semester)
COLOR I - INTRODUCTION 1000 (First Semester) 1001 (Second Semester)
COLOR II - INTRODUCTION 1002 (First Semester) 1003 (Second Semester)
COLOR I - APPLIED 1004 (First Semester) 1005 (Second Semester)
COLOR II - APPLIED 1006 (First Semester) 1007 (Second Semester)
COLOR I - ADVANCED 1008 (First Semester) 1009 (Second Semester)
COLOR II - ADVANCED 1010 (First Semester) 1012 ( Second Semester)Work COMMERCIAL ART 1084 (First Semester) 1085 (Second Semester)
COMPUTER GRAPHICS I 1086 (First Semester) 1087 (Second Semester)
COMPUTER GRAPHICS TECHNIQUES - ADVANCED 1094 (First Semester) 1095 (Second Semester)
DESIGN - ELEMENTS (Foundation Course) 1088 (First Semester) 1089 (Second Semester)
DESIGN - PRINCIPLES (Foundation Course) 1090 (First Semester) 1091 (Second Semester)
DRAWING I - INTRODUCTION (Foundation Course) 1013 (First Semester) 1014 (Second Semester)
DRAWING II - INTRODUCTION (Foundation Course) 1015 (First Semester) 1016 (Second Semester)
DRAWING I - APPLIED 1017 (First Semester) 1018 (Second Semester)
DRAWING II - APPLIED 1019 (First Semester) 1020 (Second Semester)
DRAWING I - ADVANCED 1022 (First Semester) 1023 (Second Semester)
DRAWING II - ADVANCED 1024 (First Semester) 1025 (Second Semester)
INDEPENDENT STUDY - ART 1092 (First Semester) 1093 (Second Semester)
PAINTING I - INTRODUCTION 1060 (First Semester) 1061 (Second Semester)
PAINTING II - INTRODUCTION 1062 (First Semester) 1063 (Second Semester)
PAINTING I - APPLIED 1064 (First Semester) 1065 (Second Semester)
PAINTING II - APPLIED 1066 (First Semester) 1067 (Second Semester)
PAINTING I - ADVANCED 1068 (First Semester) 1069 (Second Semester)
PAINTING II - ADVANCED 1070 (First Semester) 1071 (Second Semester)
WATERCOLOR I - INTRODUCTION 1072 (First Semester) 1073 (Second Semester)
WATERCOLOR II - INTRODUCTION 1074 (First Semester) 1075 (Second
WATERCOLOR I - APPLIED 1076 (First Semester) 1077 (Second Semester)
WATERCOLOR II - APPLIED 1078 (First Semester) 1079 (Second Semester)
WATERCOLOR I - ADVANCED 1080 (First Semester) 1081 (Second Semester)
WATERCOLOR II -ADVANCED 1082 (First Semester) 1083 (Second Semester)
WEAVING I 1052 (First Semester) 1053 (Second Semester)
WEAVING II 1054 (First Semester) 1055 (Second Semester)
WEAVING III 1056 (First Semester) 1057 (Second Semester)</p>

<p>fendergirl, not very many <strong>colleges</strong> offer that many art courses. You were very lucky to have so many options. I think our local high school offered maybe 8 courses.</p>

<p>that's why i told my sister to take some of them in high school, that way she can test out different things and see if she likes it.. before sending herself off to college and being unsure. :)</p>

<p>A lot of artistic kids and a lot of good advice!</p>

<p>My son is a talented artist (now a college sophomore). From Kindergarten onward he has grappled with art teachers who did their best to "beat the creativity out of him." Of course there were inspired and inspiring teachers along the way -- to whom I am eternally grateful -- but the instance of the art teacher who not only can't teach but actually strays into the doing harm category is all too common. They are either non-involved to the point of coma or over involved so that the student is paralyzed with a superfluity of direction. </p>

<p>The other issue that I've noticed is that many art teachers have little or no technical knowledge, except maybe drawing and painting (and even then they couldn't stretch a canvas if their lives depended on it). Emphasis on theory is fine after process is mastered and sculpture, print making, computer design, photography are highly process driven. Too often students give up in frustration because they don't know how to handle the tools or media.</p>

<p>My advice would be to try to find a summer or after school program that emphasizes process. The outcome isn't as important as the making. I would also encourage as much exposure to art as possible -- either museums or galleries. Are you in Minneapolis? The Walker offers great programs. Building a personal "reference library" of world art is very important as a foundation.</p>

<p>"Long-term, what kinds of colleges are most attractive to young people with a strong interest in visual art? "</p>

<p>I have many friends and family members who are artists, art teachers, architects, film makers, designers. They've gone so many different routes that it's difficult to generalize. Some have started with liberal arts degrees and gone on to get supplementary degrees at art schools, some have gone all the way through art school and some have only studied art at universities or LACs. My son chose the LAC route and has been really pleased with the balance between studio art and academics, especially art history.</p>

<p>All good advice and insight above. Enthusiastically fostering your son's natural inclinations while making sure the intrinsic motivation is there (he'll need plenty of it at RISD, at least) are the two most important things you can do.</p>

<p>I grew up with absolutely no doubt that I would become an artist and in retrospect it's a little alarming to consider how early that decision was made. I can't remember ever wanting to be anything else. I think a great deal of that commitment came from my parents' enthusiasm over my intense interest in drawing, and if there was anything in life I felt right about it was making pictures.</p>

<p>I can't speak for every institution, but RISD considers drawing from observation integral to almost all areas of study and the Foundation year is definitely centered on drawing, 2D and 3D design. So give him 10 bucks to buy some supplies from time to time and then stand back and smile. I really think that's the best way to see how things will evolve.</p>

<p>Best of luck to you! You sound like a great parent, as do all of the people so eagerly engaged here.</p>

<p>My mother put me into an amazing studio painting course the summer I turned 12. On a nun's advice. To keep me out of trouble. :) That studio was the first time I felt like I 'belonged' somewhere. (The second time was when I flew over Manhattan for the first time...).</p>

<p>I pursued art through high school, thought I loved it and was headed for art school until, as a hs junior, I did a summer painting course at a top 20 university. </p>

<p>Uh oh. Turns out I have the talent but not the mental toughness to do painting. Face that blank canvass. Every day.</p>

<p>Whew. The prozac bills would have been frightening.</p>

<p>I went for the next best thing. Art with plumbing, aka architecture. Some blank canvass but plenty of carpenters to 'help' me fill it....:)</p>

<p>Wow! Thanks for all the great information. </p>

<p>taxguy wrote, among other interesting suggestions, "Do a web search for Atelier schools and go to:<a href="http://www.artrenewal.org"&gt;http://www.artrenewal.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Here is a list of approved Atelier schools with examples of work done at each school:<a href="http://www.artrenewal.org/asp/database/atelier_list.asp"&gt;http://www.artrenewal.org/asp/database/atelier_list.asp&lt;/a&gt;" </p>

<p>Thank for that helpful suggestion. I hardly know brand names of art instruction resources at all, and that's what I need to learn as my son grows up. We had one private tutorial for him a year or so ago, an art teacher who gave my first son and my second son lessons in her studio. (My older son had had her as a teacher in joint classes for homeschoolers.) That teacher has now moved out of state, so we have to find another teacher. </p>

<p>MotherOfTwo wrote, "As far as how art ability develops, I was very clueless too, but now I see that it is part talent and part being taught - just like someone with musical talent won't automatically be able to play an instrument without instruction, someone with artistic talent needs lessons to be able to use their abilities." </p>

<p>This is our impression too. By the way, my wife is a piano teacher, so she appreciates analogies like this. What I see as my second son's potential now is his willingness to do a lot of drawing without anyone pushing him to do it. I figure he will continue to get better as long as he continues that habit, IF he additionally gains some new ideas from time to time on how to do art. </p>

<p>worried_mom wrote, "My son waited until the summer before his senior year in high school to decide that he didn't want to be a mechanical engineer after all but wanted to pursue a career in Industrial Design." </p>

<p>My best friend from college days--in fact my second son is named after him--is an industrial designer. It has been interesting learning from him over more than two decades how that occupation works as a career. This old friend of mine started out as a student of architecture, and then switched schools and his major subject when he learned about industrial design. He does have strong visual art ability, mostly developed in his college program, and he thinks like an engineer in many ways, which makes for an interesting combination. </p>

<p>carolyn wrote, "But, perhaps the best thing we have done for my daughter over the years is simply keep a closet stocked with all sorts of art supplies - paints, paper, drawing materials, collage materials - and encourage her to use her spare time enjoying making art for its own sake." </p>

<p>I think that is a key thing to do. Every piece of paper in our house with a blank side is drawing paper. We also get our children, especially our second son, some of the better quality art materials to supplement their endless supply of pencils and office paper. Besides building with Legos, drawing with pencil and paper is my second son's favorite activity. </p>

<p>fendergirl wrote, about her younger sister, "i know one thing she really likes to do is art, so i suggested that she take some more art classes in high school" </p>

<p>Here in Minnesota, we have a governor's school (it is literally named after the late governor who proposed founding it) with two years of specialized programs in fine arts (visual art, performing arts, and music). That school is fairly near to where I live, so we could commute there. It would also be possible for my son to do two years of a college art program at high school age as a PSEO student here. We'll have to figure out which kind of program would be a good fit for him when he gets to be that age. </p>

<p>sac wrote, about her daughter, "The most difficult time to find art classes or experiences for her was in middle and high school, when she didn't want kids classes and was too young for adult classes." </p>

<p>I suspect this is generally true of kids who strongly develop an ability from early childhood by home practice. If they are grouped with age mates, the class is too easy. To find classes at their ability level, they have to work with much older classmates. It has been that way for my oldest son in math, mostly. I think it will be that way for my second son in art. </p>

<p>sac further wrote, "So, while it is great to nurture a child's talents in this area as in others, visual arts talent doesn't necessarily lead to an easy young adulthood." </p>

<p>I do worry a bit that visual art ability is rather disparaged in modern culture. A few centuries ago, in most cultures around the world, visual art ability was highly prized. Photography seems to have ruined much of the market for visual artists, and I have heard photographers say, in turn, that digital photo editing is ruining much of the market for live photography. My son has sufficient interest in building things and science that he might fit well in industrial design as a career. Sometimes he has described his career goal as becoming an artist with pictures hanging in a museum, but sometimes he wants to be a professional soccer player. :) He still has some time to think about career paths. My wife the piano teacher notices that he has musical talent to burn, but little patience for taking lessons from his mom. I think his true-blue passion is visual art, and I believe in letting kids overdo their passions, whatever the job market is like. </p>

<p>mackinaw wrote, about a daughter who has recently graduated from an art school, "In her sophomore year, however, we suggested that she attend the precollege program of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), and by the time she completed that short summer session she was determined to major in art and, moreover, attend an art school." </p>

<p>I'll have to be on the lookout for programs like that in my town. On the whole, my second son is less eager to attend outside-the-home programs than my oldest son was at about the same age. Maybe he will become more used to that sort of thing as he gets older. </p>

<p>The great majority of his drawing output has always been representational, sometimes with striking accuracy. My older son and third son do more of making colorful patterns and the like, although my second son used the Geometer's Sketchpad computer program a couple months ago to generate some interesting designs. </p>

<p>mackinaw further wrote, "For us, as the parents, the hardest part of this was figuring out the college-level options, in particular the choice between stand-alone art colleges (SAIC, RISD, MICA, etc.), genuine BFA studio programs in larger universities (CMU, BU, Syracuse, etc.), and perhaps less art-intensive art "majors" in liberal arts colleges and large universities." </p>

<p>Yep, that's a complete puzzler to me. I think it will take years of research to get some sense of what is distinctive about each kind of program, and years of observing my son as he grows up to get a sense of whether any of those programs would be a good fit for him. I was a liberal arts major at a state flagship university, and I know that there was an art department over across the river on the other side of campus, but I didn't know any art majors at the university, and hardly knew any art students at my high school. </p>

<p>"After sophomore year or so, it's not a bad idea to go to one of the National Portfolio Days (see <a href="http://www.npda.org"&gt;http://www.npda.org&lt;/a>, and also for information see <a href="http://www.aicad.org"&gt;www.aicad.org&lt;/a&gt;). Your son or daughter can get a "free" no-pressure evaluation of some of their work, advice on how to build their portfolio, and sometimes actual encouragement." </p>

<p>Specific recommendations like that make this thread invaluable for clueless parents like me. Thanks very much. </p>

<p>momrath wrote, among interesting comments about what can go wrong in art classes, "My advice would be to try to find a summer or after school program that emphasizes process. The outcome isn't as important as the making." </p>

<p>I think that is sound advice. You also asked if we have access to programs at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. We are close enough to the city to attend programs there. We have sent our second son to one program at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, which he thought was okay but hasn't been eager to repeat. (He'd rather stay at home to do his art, on the whole. I'm wondering if he attended a class with a few preexisting friends if that would be more fun and inviting for him.) </p>

<p>RISDprof wrote, "Enthusiastically fostering your son's natural inclinations while making sure the intrinsic motivation is there (he'll need plenty of it at RISD, at least) are the two most important things you can do." </p>

<p>Yes, some day when my children go off to college I intend to write a homeschooling parent's statement in lieu of a counselor's school profile, and the way I will describe our "school" is that our philosophy is that we encourage our children to get a well-rounded general education while also maintaining lots of intrinsic motivation, especially in pursuing their major subject-matter passions. </p>

<p>RISDprof further wrote, "I can't speak for every institution, but RISD considers drawing from observation integral to almost all areas of study and the Foundation year is definitely centered on drawing, 2D and 3D design." </p>

<p>That's my impression too, that even "abstract" artists really can't do without being able to draw on paper (or computer screen) what they see with their eyes (or mind's eyes). I was pretty heavily influenced by Mona Brooks's and Betty Edwards's books on art instruction when my oldest son was a baby, "If a child is having trouble drawing something, have him look at it again." My second son seems spontaneously to draw most interesting objects he sees during the course of a day, and he also has certain imaginary themes (Japanese castles are one) that he revisits over and over.</p>

<p>If You live in Minnesota, you have the Minnesota College of Art and Design there.They definitely do have a pre-college program for high school students. You can reach them by calling 612-874-3700 or 1-800-874-MCAD. Also seriously consider specialized teachers. Ask around for names or enroll your child in one of the atlier schools. I am amazed at the portfilios kids come out with when working with specialized art professionals. In addition, the tutor can work on what might be weak areas such as portraits, sketching, etc. I don't know what areas need work for your child,but whatever the problem, it can be worked on.</p>

<p>Some of the better art pre-college programs that you might want to look at that have a great reputation are: RISD, Pratt, Carnegie Melon, MICA, SAIC ( School of Art Institute in Chicago), your local junior college, as well as checking out Minneapolis College of Art and Design. These pre-college programs are normally given during the summer,but you can usually take courses at the local junior college during the year or on weekends. They are usually 7 hour studio courses per day.</p>

<p>As you can see, there are lots of options.</p>

<p>Good luck. I am glad you have decided to nurtture your child's art talent instead of stifling it. Having a child with a strong drive and talent is a rare commodity. You seem to be a good, caring parent.</p>

<p>For a very young artist (still into playdoh), in my opinion it's mostly about time and materials: lots of paint, paper, markers, watercolors, clay, etc etc --and enough unscheduled time to experiment with the materials. Proudly display masterpieces, and I don't mean everything, just things that you look at and say, "wow this is good" or "it really makes me smile to see this," and maybe even frame some drawings or paintings. Even a young artist loves to know his work is appreciated! I heartily agree with whomever said that it's about process at a young age. There is nothing worse than telling an artist what his style should be! Many young kids draw from their imagination, but even so they are keen observers. Take walks and notice cloud formations or tree bark or skyscrapers, or note ice patterns on a window or the way the water leaves the sand on a beach. For art classes, I'd avoid the "how to draw" type classes for young kids As people have suggested, museums often have classes and some places also have summer art classes, community-based or YMCA. The classes can be great for exposing him to different materials or processes like clay or weaving or various types of painting, and it is fun for kids to hang out with other artists. And since you have such an artsy kid, let him decorate cakes, make cards for the relatives, and other applied-art sorts of things as they come up! Try large sheets of paper, or even a roll for murals, or an easel in the back yard. If you travel a lot, have the artist bring along a small sketch pad. If he's into building, try to find a place where he can work and where the structures can survive for a while, sort of a building area for him. Also, you can get piles of books from the library on any interest. He can look at color plates of famous artists' works, or of photos if he's interested in the ocean, or dogs, or whatever; give him lots to look at. And don't hover when he's creating unless he's calling you every minute to look at his creation.
Well, these things helped at our house anyway. It's wonderful that you are nurturing your children's talents. Not sure of your son's age, but I guess I'd hold off on colleges for him until I knew in what direction he was heading. Architecture, packaging design, medical illustration, ceramics, teaching, interior design, computer graphics... It will be fun to watch his talents develop.</p>

<p>S showed a strong talent in the visual arts starting at age 3 when he was copying a paper skeleton that was hanging in the front door at Halloween. We took him to the Museum of Fine Arts for drop-in art classes after school and then encouraged him to take art classes at places like the Art Institute of Boston (weekend classes and pre-college program) as well as Ringling (pre-college program).</p>

<p>One question you'll encounter when college application time comes around is whether your S will want to go for a BFA or a BA. My S chose the latter because he wasn't sure that doing art (graphic design) 24/7 was for him; he also loved to do creative writing and enjoyed social studies.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

<p>tokenadult,
How old is your son? Another resource in Minneapolis would be the Minnetonka Art Center. ( I think that is the name) There is a school in St. Paul that used to be called the School of Associated Arts but I don't know if it is still around. My son took art classes there about 10 or 12 years ago. </p>

<p>My husband and I were both art majors and both ended up in advertising design as art directors. He went to MCAD and I went to Iowa State so we have some perspective on the difference between the two types of school. (I say" some" because things have changed quite a bit in 30 years and I'm not familiar with what schools are best ) It sounds like it may be a bit early for that discussion though. Even if children have the talent they may develop other interests in time. My son did. I suggested he take an art class all through high school (he never listened) and now I'm nagging him to at least take an art history class. This time I think he's listening.</p>