There are many employment opportunities in Arkansas for people with creative talents, especially with the advent of the internet.
Today, not only can creative people work in such fields as sculpture and painting, but they may also choose to work in such fields as web animation, web design, game development and game design.
The first step to securing one of these exciting careers, however, is to obtain the proper training from one of the many fantastic art schools in the state.
Following are some of the top schools in Arkansas where people can train for the career of their dreams.
Arkansas Schools of Art
Below are some of the best Art Schools in Arkansas for aspiring Artists.
Eureka Springs School of the Arts
Located in Eureka Springs and accredited with the Better Business Bureau, the Eureka Springs School of the Arts offers a vast array of spectacular art classes for adults and children. If people would like to learn about the school’s current class schedule, they can call them at-479-253-5384 or visit their website at-http://www.essa-art.com. They can also write to the school at the following mailing address-Post Office Box 657, 15751 Highway 62 West, Eureka Springs, Arkansas, 72632.
Some of the sensational classes that the school offers are as follows-Wood Turning, Pastels, Civil War Weaving and Clothing, Civil War Blacksmithing, Civil War Woodworking, Beginning Wheel Throwing, Stained Glass, Hot Glass, Build Your Own Workshop, Plein Aire Painting, Silk Painting, Clay Sculpture, Glass Bead Making, Wood Fire Piston Sculpture, Wood Turning and Segmented Wood Turning, Printmaking, Beginning Metalsmithing, Pewter Fabrication, Abstract Watercolor, Complex Cloth, Wood Turning and Carving, Basic Painting in Acrylics, Comic Book Art, Hand-Built Clay Sculptures, Loom Weaving, Life Drawing, Paper Weaving, Digital Photography, Oil Painting, Shamon Doll Making, Timber Framing, Intermediate Metalsmithing, Botanical Watercolor Painting, Block Printing, Abstract Painting, Creative Box Making, Book Making, Fused Glass, Open Metalsmithing, Calligraphy, Mixed Media Jewelry, Beaded Jewelry, Drawing, Building a Successful Career as an Artist, Building Your Own Website, and Designing Your Brochures and Rack Cards.
Arkansas Arts Center
The Arkansas Arts Center, located in Little Rock and approved by the Fine Arts Club of Arkansas, offers a broad range of art classes for people of all ages. If people would like to find out about the current class offerings at the center, they can contact them at-501-372-4000, or they may write to the center at-Post Office Box 2137, Little Rock, Arkansas, 72203. They may also visit the center’s website at-http://www.arkarts.com.
While the class schedule may vary, some of the typical class offerings of the center include the following-Beginning Drawing, Intermediate and Advanced Drawing, Creative Figure Drawing, Beginning Pastel, Drawing and Painting the Figure, Fused Glass for Absolute Beginners, Advanced Pastel, Creating with Colored Pencils, Fused Glass, Introduction to Jewelry, Independent Study, Glass Slumping and Drop Mold Making, Intermediate Jewelry/Fabrication, Die Forming with the Power of the Press, Setting Stones with Cold Connections, Wire and Bead Wrapped Jewelry, Wire Wrap Beads to Make a Pendant, Color it Up, Torch-Fired Enamel Beads, Learn to Saw, Introduction to Resin, Introduction to Printmaking, Mosaics, Oil Painting, Oil and Acrylic, Basic Watercolor, Exploring Water Media, Dynamic Portrait Painting, Fundamentals of Digital Photography, Watercolor Portrait Workshop, Basic Woodworking I, Individual Woodworking, Basic Handbuilding, Intermediate Throwing, Beginning Wheelthrowing, Intermediate/Advanced Hand and Wheel, Intermediate and Advanced Handbuilding, and Introduction to the Wheel.
Northwest Arkansas Community Creative Center
Located in Fayetteville and approved by the Arkansas Arts Council, the Northwest Arkansas Community Creative Center offers several astounding art classes for both children and adults. For people to obtain the current class offerings of the center, they can visit their website at-http://www.nwacommunitycreativecenter.com. They can also obtain information by calling the center at-479-443-5600 or by writing to them at-505 West Spring Street, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 72701.
Although the class offerings at the Walton Art Center may vary, following are some of the classes that they typically offer-Parent/Child Mornings, Kid’s Clay, Charcoal and Pastel, Youth Wheel, Drums/Chimes and Whistles in Clay, Exciting Birdhouses in Clay, Open Mosaic and Clay Studios, Oil Bar Painting, Oil Painting and Oil Bars, Clay Mosaic Workshop, Unique Cement Bowls and Bird Baths, and Collage Gift Boxes.
Arkansas Craft School
The Arkansas Craft School, located in Mountain View and approved by the Arkansas Arts Council, offers a broad range of art classes for persons of all ages. If people wish to find out how to enroll within the school, they can phone them at-870-269-8397 or visit them online at-http://www.arkansascraftschool.org. They can also request information by writing to the school’s mailing address as follows-Post Office Box 2694, Mountain View, Arkansas, 72560.
While the classes offered by the school may vary, following are some of the classes that they commonly offer-Woodcarving/Birds and other Wildlife, Introduction to Turning Wood, Frame Drum Construction, Building the Stitch and Glue/Flat-Bottomed Canoe, Woodblock Printing, Wood Carving/Dolls and other Figurines, Building an Adirondack Chair, Woodturning, Sculptural Fire-Pistons, To the Grindstone, Stained Glass, Introduction to Glass Bead Making, Introduction to Dichroic Glass Jewelry, Optic Mold Techniques for Glass Blowing, Soft Glass Sculpture, Core Vessels and Miniature Blow Amphorae, Summer Craft Camp, Design for Survival, Basic Metalsmithing, Painting Copper with Fire, Japanese Pottery Techniques, Polymer Clay Jewelry, China Painting, Rag Tapestry, and Creating a Professional Pottery Studio.
Colleges and Universities in Arkansas
Below are some of the most popular Colleges for Art Students in Arkansas.
Arkansas State University
Arkansas State University, located in Jonesboro and accredited with the Higher Learning Commission, offers incredible programs in art education, studio art, graphic design, art history, instrumental music, vocal music and theater. Those students, who would like to study within any of these areas, can contact the university at-870-972-2100 or write to them at-Post Office Box 1860, State University, Arkansas, 72467. They can also learn about the enrollment process online at-http://www.astate.edu.
For students to earn a bachelor of fine arts degree in art education, they must fulfill the following liberal arts requirements-Freshman English I and II, Life Science with Lab, First-Year Making Connections, Introduction to Psychology, The United States to 1876 or The United States Since 1876, Oral Communication, Physical Science, College Mathematics or College Algebra, three Social Science electives, Understanding Global Issues, one Critical Thinking elective, one Fine Arts elective, one Humanities elective, Mass Communications or one Writing elective, Health and Wellness, Foreign Language, Principles of Personal Health, Introduction to US Government, and Introduction to Political Analysis.
They must also fulfill the following program-related requirements-Design I through III, Drawing I through III, Survey of Art History I and II, Painting, Printmaking, Ceramics, Sculpture, Photography, Teaching Arts in the Elementary Grades, Concepts in Art Education, Watercolor, BFA Review, Senior Exhibition, at least one additional Art Studio elective, at least one additional Art History elective, Methods and Materials for Teaching Art, The Exceptional Student in the Regular Classroom, Educational Psychology, Introduction to Secondary Teaching, Instructional Design for Secondary Education, Educational Measurement with Computer Applications, and Teaching Internship in the Secondary School.
Arkansas Tech University
Arkansas Tech University in Russellville has extraordinary programs in art, creative writing, music and theater, accredited with the Higher Learning Commission. If people would like to find out how to apply to Arkansas Tech, they can phone the university at-479-968-0389, or they can write to the following address-1509 North Boulder Avenue, Russellville, Arkansas, 72801. They can also find the application procedures by visiting the university’s website at-http://www.atu.edu.
If students choose to earn a bachelor of fine arts degree in graphic design, they will need to complete the following basic education curriculum-Mathematics, English I and II, four Social Science electives, two Science courses with labs, one Fine Arts elective, two Physical Activity electives, one Humanities elective, and four additional General Education electives.
They will also need to complete the following art-related curriculum-Introduction to Drawing, Two-Dimensional Design, Introduction to Graphic Design, Art History I and II, Digital Skills for the Graphic Designer, Color Design, Three-Dimensional Design, Figure Drawing, Typography and Layout, Three-Dimensional Graphic Design, Production Techniques, Web Design, Computer Illustration, Introduction to Printmaking, Graphic Design Exhibition, Professional Portfolio Preparation for Graphic Designers, Animation Techniques, three additional Art History electives, at least four additional Art-Related or Graphic Design-Related electives, and at least three additional free electives.
Harding University
Located in Searcy and accredited with the Higher Learning Commission, Harding University offers exceptional programs in art education, fine arts, graphic design, advertising, interior design, music, music education, web design and theater. Prospective students can learn the enrollment procedures by calling Harding at-501-279-4000 or by visiting them online at-http://www.harding.edu. They can also choose to request information through the mail by writing to-915 East Market Avenue, Searcy, Arkansas, 72143.
Those students, who wish to pursue a bachelor of arts degree in art education, must complete a curriculum comprised of several liberal arts, art-related and education-related courses. The liberal arts courses that they will need to take are the following classes-Life and Teachings of Jesus, Faith and Mission of the Church, Creation and Kingdom, Wisdom and Prophets, English Composition I and II, Speech Communication, Wellness, Recreation Activity elective, General Psychology, Macroeconomics or American National Government or General Sociology, General Biology or Human Structure and Function, College Algebra or Elementary Statistics, one additional Science elective, one Fine Arts elective, World Literature I or II, and two Global Literacy electives.
The art-related and education-related courses that they must complete are as follows-Drawing and Composition, Multi-Media Drawing and Rendering, Human Anatomy and Design, Two-D Design, Ancient to Medieval Art Survey, Renaissance to Present Art Survey, Color Theory, Painting I, Teaching Art/P-8, Visual Aesthetics, Senior Seminar, at least four additional Art-Related electives, at least one additional Studio Art elective, at least two additional Art History electives, Chalk/Wire e-Portfolio, The Teaching Profession and Technology/Field Experience I, Child and Adolescent Development, and Principles of Learning and Teaching.
Henderson State University
Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, accredited with the Higher Learning Commission, has remarkable programs in music, theater arts, digital art and design, studio art, and art education. Those individuals, who would like to study within any of these areas, can contact Henderson at-870-230-5000, or they can request information by writing to their mailing address-1100 Henderson Street, Arkadelphia, Arkansas, 71999. If they choose, they may also visit the Henderson State website at-http://www.hsu.edu.
If people want to earn a bachelor of fine arts degree in digital art and design, they must complete an eight semester-long curriculum consisting of a variety of basic skills and program-related course work. The basic skills portion of the curriculum includes the following classes-Henderson Seminar, English A and B, Lifetime Fitness or Physical Education elective, Mathematics, US History or American Government, Civics elective, Oral Communication, Western Literature, Physical Science and lab, Social Science elective, Humanities elective, Biology and lab, University Writing, and one additional Basic Skills elective.
The program-related portion of the curriculum consists of the following classes-Design I and II, Drawing I and II, Technical Skills, Digital Skills, Photography I, Digital Imaging, Painting I, four Art Seminars, The Digital Plan, Printmaking, 3-D Design, Interactive Design, three Art History electives, Sculpture, Design and Production, Illustration and Design, Concept and Layout, Field Experience, Digital Media Studio, Advanced Studio Media, and Senior Exhibition.
Exploring Additional Art Schools in Arkansas
- Arkansas Career Training Institute-Hot Springs
- Hendrix College-Conway
- Williams Baptist College-Walnut Ridge
- John Brown University-Siloam Springs
- University of Central Arkansas-Conway
- Lyon College-Batesville
- University of Arkansas-Fayetteville
- National Park Community College-Hot Springs
Three Steps to an Exciting Career in Art
1. The first thing that people must do to begin a career in the field of art is to earn a degree from an accredited art school. With that said, they must fill out and submit a standard application and pay any applicable application fees. They must also submit their high-school and/or other transcripts, as well as, their ACT/SAT scores. In some cases, they may need to audition or submit such things as a portfolio, an essay and a letter of recommendation. They may also need to attend an interview with an admissions officer.
2. After admission, and before beginning their program, students will need to undergo various placement tests in such key areas as mathematics, writing and English. They will also need to attend an orientation or schedule a tour of the institution. With all of the prerequisites out of the way, they will then need to purchase any supplies they may need for their training. Common supplies necessary for many art programs include basic drawing and painting supplies, a digital camera, a laptop, a staple gun, measuring and cutting tools, glue sticks, and masking tape.
3. After students complete the course work necessary for their chosen program, they will then need to complete one or more of the following-an internship or apprenticeship, an art capstone, a junior or senior thesis, and a junior or senior project. If they need to complete an art capstone, they can accomplish it in various ways such as research projects, art projects, art portfolios, exhibitions, presentations and essays.