What can I gain from going to an Art College?

All excellent questions. Many artists will insist that one can do excellent art without any formal schooling and this is very true I think. I have done my own , unschooled art for all of my 50 years, and now go to a state university to obtain a degree in art education so I can teach kindergarden through high school. I taught my kids and many other children informally for years. i have thoroughly enjoyed everything i have kerned at school here...i have especially loved the drawing lessons. You sound like an excellent candidate based on your desire to talk art in galleries. There really is a language to learn (and knowledge) to discuss why art is considered valued. I especially loved my art appreciation class that is not even required for my degree. It is one thing to say...this artist is considered good, and being able to discuss exactly what mediums they use(d), or even what else they did in their lives, like activism. Now, as to which college, there are many advantages to each. Some are quite expensive and really have you work in depth, more so than other colleges and schools. My daughter attend the expensive art institute, and she does a lot more than i do at my much cheaper university. They seem to cram a lot more in. If you have the money, do it! if you need to economize (like me) this seems to me also wonderful; after all, it is a lifetime of learning no matter how intense your schooling experience. All the schools will prepare you for a career...are you going the fine arts or the graphic artist route? That makes a difference. Each presents its challenges and rewards...generally, it is said it is harder to make a living doing fine art. I am choosing to become an art teacher and do my fine art on the side. My relative parlayed a graphic art degree into a government job that put her through more schooling until she also had a masters degree in defense intelligence that included lots of writing. Lots. Keep asking questions...and hope to see your art someday!

There are many ways to earn a living with art- just look around you and see everything that involves art or graphics in one way or another. Every package and what's on it, has to be designed. Now, there are web sites...and there are new fields with computers! I went to learn graphic art and was Art director for a silk-screen company in Nevada. We designed and printed slot machine glasses for Casinos around the world. When the computer came around, it made the layouts and designing so much faster and easier...I had to cut it film for the screens, the hard way and do everything by hand. It was really the best way to learn, as I can be even more creative...now. You can build your own business, do free lance work-logo design, business products on a free lance basis...and build a clientele. People know how to do some things on the computer, but a professional touch makes the difference. You can go into illustration, do or design murals for private company's and or homes..it is really limitless, and the education you can get, will open your eyes to even more possibilities.

There are a lot of fields you can get into out of an art program. It really depends on what you focus your studies on, and what internships you do. But some ideas: art teacher, art professor (would need an MFA), scenic designer for theater or film, animator, storyboard artist for advertising or film/tv, graphic arts, tattoo artist (you'd also need an apprenticeship), art therapy, photographer, landscape design, illustrator, architect, textile design... There are a lot of potential options, some of which require a major in a field of art, others which require a more technical major (architecture, for example). Some of the pure art schools are really good. Avoid the AI chain of schools, because they do not have a good rep and they are very expensive. Know that you can often find amazing art programs within broad universities, so you aren't necessarily required to go to a pure art school. And even look at the good public unis in your home state. Some of them have great art programs, and you'd get the lower, in-state rate on tuition, saving you a lot of money. Examples of good art schools, and schools with great art programs: Syracuse, U North Carolina School of the Arts, Parsons, Pratt, Mass Art, Cal Arts, Herron, Maryland Institute, UCLA, Virginia Commonwealth, Ohio State, RISD, SAIC Chicago (not part of the AI chain), Temple, SVA, Hunter College, RIT, UC Davis, U Iowa, Arizona State, Rutgers New Brunswick, and tons more. These are just some examples to get you thinking.

There are many ways to earn a living with art- just look around you and see everything that involves art or graphics in one way or another. Every package and what's on it, has to be designed. Now, there are web sites...and there are new fields with computers! I went to learn graphic art and was Art director for a silk-screen company in Nevada. We designed and printed slot machine glasses for Casinos around the world. When the computer came around, it made the layouts and designing so much faster and easier...I had to cut it film for the screens, the hard way and do everything by hand. It was really the best way to learn, as I can be even more creative...now. You can build your own business, do free lance work-logo design, business products on a free lance basis...and build a clientele. People know how to do some things on the computer, but a professional touch makes the difference. You can go into illustration, do or design murals for private company's and or homes..it is really limitless, and the education you can get, will open your eyes to even more possibilities.