Art careers are a popular choice among many people in New Mexico today, especially with the advent of the internet.
Today, not only can people choose to work within such traditional fields as studio art, music and dance, but they can now choose to work within such fields as web design, web animation and game design, as well.
Following are some of the top schools in New Mexico where students can train for any of these careers.
Schools of Art and Design in New Mexico
Below are some of the best Art Schools for Art Classes, Courses, Degrees and Programs for aspiring Artists.
Southwest University of Visual Arts
Accredited with the Higher Learning Commission, the Southwest University of Visual Arts in Albuquerque offers many different terrific art programs including graphic design, illustration, animation, photography, studio arts, advertising and interior design. Those people, who would like complete details pertaining to any of these programs, can call the school at-505-254-7575 or write to the campus at-5000 Marble Northeast, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87110. They can also find information online at-http://suva.edu/.
Applicants, who wish to attend the university, will need to attend an interview with a school official to discuss their talents and career goals. They will also need to provide the school with a short essay describing the same. They may also need to submit a portfolio of their art work depending upon the program that they choose. Portfolios must contain at least three pieces of recent art work and can be in the form of sketches, slides, drawings, CDs or DVDs.
Students, who choose to pursue a bachelor of fine arts degree in animation, will need to fulfill a variety of general education and art-related requirements. The general education requirements are as follows-Business Communications, Business elective, Popular Culture, Composition I and II, Principles of Communication, Creative Thinking, Critical Thinking, two Social and Behavioral Science electives, three Fine Arts or Humanities electives, two Mathematics or Science courses, and Diversity and Global Studies.
The art-related requirements within the program are as follows-Introduction to Drawing, 2D Design Principles, 3D Form and Space, Adobe Photoshop, History of Animation, Digital Filmmaking, Intermediate Drawing, Basic Animation Skills, Vector Graphics, Figure Drawing, Character Development, Character Movement, Pre-Production Techniques, Animation Timing, Animation 3D I and II, On-Screen Presentation Techniques, Motion Graphics, Flash Animation, Animation 2D I and II, 3D Character Animation, Digital Environments, Animation Portfolio, Senior Animation Studio, 20th Century Art and Cinema, Philosophy and Theory of Art, Independent Research, and at least two additional Art-Related electives.
Santa Fe University of Art and Design
Accredited with the Higher Learning Commission, the Santa Fe University of Art and Design offers many top-notch art programs including art, art management, graphic design, creative writing and literature, film and video, photography, performing arts and contemporary music. Those people, who have a talent in any of these areas, and would like to apply to the school, can call them at-505-473-6011 or write to them at-1600 Saint Michaels Drive, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87505. They can also read all about the programs at the school’s website-www.santafeuniversity.edu.
For students to gain entry to the university, they will need to supply the school with a goal statement describing what the student’s strengths are and what their educational goals are. They may also need to audition or submit a portfolio depending upon the program that they choose. Finally, they will need to supply the university with any relevant work or volunteer experience that they possess.
If students choose to earn a bachelor of fine arts degree in graphic design, they will need to complete an array of general education and program-related courses. Following are the general education courses that they must take-Liberal Arts Seminar, Writing Roundtable I and II, Sophomore Roundtable Seminar, Cultural Diversity elective, Ethical Responsibility elective, two Humanities elective, Science course, and Social Science.
The program-related courses that they must take are as follows-History of World Art I and II, Freshman Studio I and II, Digital Image-Making, Graphic Design I through IV, Typography I and II, History of Graphic Design, Business Practices and Portfolio Preparation for Designers, Senior Design Studio/BFA Thesis, Graphic Design Internship, Web Design I and II or Motion Graphics I and II, at least two Studio Art electives, at least one additional Art History elective, and at least one additional Free elective.
Taos Art School
Located in Taos and accredited with the Higher Learning Commission, Taos Art School offers spectacular art classes for people who have a talent for art. If people would like to learn about the school, they can call them at-575-758-0350, or they may choose to write to them at the following address-Post Office Box 2588, Taos, New Mexico, 87571. They can also obtain valuable information online at-http://taosartschool.org.
Some of the sensational classes that Taos Art School offers are as follows-Beginning Oil Painting, Beginning Horse Drawing, Photograph the Rio Grande, The Calligraphic Line, Photograph the Birds of the Rio Grande, O’Keefe Country Tour, Family time, Classic Basics of Equine Painting, Creating Your Creative Life, Making Traditional Crafts, Navajo Weaving and Culture, Beginning Plein Air Painting, Frida Kahlo, Right Brain on the Left Bank, Traditional Cherokee Basketry, Plein Air Painting, The Horse as Muse, Classic Trucks in the Landscape, Cooking, Photographing Northern New Mexico, Art in the Fields and on the River, Painting the Missions of New Mexico, Portrait Painting, Traditional Pottery Making, Horses/Stay and Ride, Traditional Hopi Pottery Workshop, Equine Clay Sculpture, Living Water, Illustrating Children’s Horse Books, Visit a Winery, Painting the Rio Grande, The Artist in the Kitchen, Photograph Wild Horses, Equine Photography, Fall Harvest Festival, Autumn Colors, and Canyon De Chelley.
New Mexico Colleges and Universities
Below are some of the most popular Colleges for Art Students.
Eastern New Mexico University
Eastern New Mexico University, located in Portales and accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, has incredible programs in animation, visual arts, graphic design, media arts and design, digital filmmaking, music and theater. If people would like to begin a career in any of these fields, they can find out how to apply to Eastern New Mexico by calling them at-575-562-1011 or by writing to them at-1500 South Avenue K, Portales, New Mexico, 88130. They can also choose to visit the university online at-http://www.enmu.edu.
Those persons, who wish to earn a bachelor of fine arts degree in animation/media arts and design, must complete a curriculum comprised of both general education and program-related course work. The general education requirements are as follows-English I and II, Communications course, Understanding and Applying Mathematical Principles, two Science courses with labs, two Social Science electives, three Fine Arts or Humanities electives, Physical Education, and one Diversity/Global Issues elective.
The program-related requirements consist of the following classes-Beginning Drawing, Design I and II, Drawing II, Digital Media I and II, Art History I and II, Photography, Figure Drawing, Graphic Design I and II, Animation I through III, History of Design, Animation Portfolio, Beginning Television Production, Intermediate Television Production, Documentary Writing and Production, and at least seven Art-Related electives.
New Mexico Junior College
Located in Hobbs and accredited with the Higher Learning Commission, New Mexico Junior College has excellent associate’s degree programs in both music and art for those students who want to train at the school. Prospective students can find the application requirements online at-http://www.nmjc.edu/. They may also request information by calling the school at-575-392-4510 or by writing to them at-1 Thunderbird Circle, Hobbs, New Mexico, 88240.
For students to earn an associate of arts degree in art, they will need to fulfill many different liberal arts and art-related requirements. The liberal arts requirements that they will need to fulfill are the following classes-College Orientation or Freshman Seminar, Composition and Rhetoric, Composition and Literature, one additional English elective, three Social Science electives, two Lab Science courses, Behavioral Science elective, Humanities elective, Communications elective, Fitness for Life, and one additional Physical Education elective.
Students must choose at least eight of the following classes to fulfill the art-related requirements of the program-Art Appreciation, Drawing I and II, Art History I, Digital Photography, Airbrushing Techniques I, Computer Graphics, Advanced Digital Photography, Advanced Airbrushing Techniques II, Customizing Airbrushing, Handbuilding Ceramics, Perspective and 3D Line Drawing, Landscape Painting, Photoshop, Historical Masterpieces of Western Europe, Historical Masterpieces/Italian Art, Travel Photography in Western Europe, Mixed Media, Two-Dimensional Design, Painting I and II, Watercolor, Jewelry and Metalcrafts I and II, Photography I and II, Three-Dimensional Design, Creating Southwestern Art, Sculpture I and II, Advanced Photography, Ceramics I and II, and Creative Photography.
New Mexico State University
New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, which holds accreditation with the Higher Learning Commission, offers a variety of extraordinary art-related programs including dance, music, music education, theater arts and studio arts. Those students, who are interested in studying within any of these areas, can contact the school at-575-646-0111, or they can write to them at the following address-Post Office Box 30001, Las Cruces, New Mexico, 88003. There are also complete details about the programs at the university’s website-http://www.nmsu.edu/.
Those individuals, who wish to pursue a bachelor of fine arts degree with a concentration in painting, will need to take the following basic education classes to earn their degrees-two English Composition electives, Oral Communication elective, Mathematics course, two Laboratory Science courses, three Social and Behavioral Science electives, and three Humanities and Fine Arts electives.
They must also take the following art-specific classes-Drawing I through IV, 2D Fundamentals, 3D Fundamentals, Introduction to Art History I through III, Introduction to Painting, Painting Methods/Techniques and Applications, at least two Two-Dimensional 200-Level Studio Art electives outside of Painting, Innovation and Creativity in Painting, Painting IIIB, three Drawing Workshops, two 300-Level Art History electives, two 400-Level Art History electives, at least one 300 or 400-Level Two-Dimensional Studio Art elective outside of Painting, Painting Workshop, Painting Workshop II, at least one additional 300 or 400-Level Studio Art elective in any concentration, and Senior Thesis Exhibition.
Northern New Mexico College
Located in Espanola and accredited with the Northcentral Association of Colleges and Schools, Northern New Mexico College has amazing associate’s degree programs in art, dance, fiber arts, film/digital media arts, music and theater. Those people, who would like to earn an associate’s degree in any of these areas, can contact the college’s main desk at-505-747-2100, or they may request information by writing to the campus at-921 North Paseo de Onate, Espanola, New Mexico, 87532. They can also learn the application procedures by visiting the college online at-http://nnmc.edu/.
Students, who choose to earn an associate of arts degree in arts, will need to pass the following general education courses with at least a C-English Composition I, Public Speaking, English Composition II or Technical Writing, Mathematics, two Laboratory Science courses, three Social and Behavioral Science electives, three Humanities or Fine Arts electives, and Health/Physical Education.
They will also need to pass the following program-related courses with at least a C-Introduction to Art, History of Art I and II, Drawing I, Painting I, Basic Design, Pottery I, Photography, History of New Mexico Art and Architecture, Printmaking I, and at least one of the following courses-Bookmaking, Drawing II, Painting II, Watercolor, Sculpture, Portrait Painting, Pottery II, Photography II, and Weaving I.
Other Magnificent Art Schools in New Mexico
- University of New Mexico-Los Alamos
- Clovis Community College-Clovis
- New Mexico Highlands University-Las Vegas
- Santa Fe Community College-Santa Fe
- Western New Mexico University-Silver City
- University of New Mexico-Los Lunas
- University of New Mexico-Gallup
- University of New Mexico-Albuquerque
- College of Santa Fe-Santa Fe
Earn Your Art Degree in the State of New Mexico
Gaining admittance to an art school requires various prerequisites as set by the individual school. While these requirements may vary among the many institutions in the state, some common prerequisites include art portfolios, auditions, interviews, letters of recommendation and essays.
Students may also need the following basic materials for their classes-a digital camera, a laptop, drawing supplies (pads, utencils, erasers and sharpener), painting supplies (brushes, palette knife, palettes and water containers), masking tape, scissors, glue sticks, measuring tape, T-square, steel ruler and a staple gun.
Before students can graduate from an art program, they will need to complete either an apprenticeship, an internship, an art capstone, a thesis or an art project.
Some common ways, that students may complete their art capstone, are through essays, portfolios, research projects, presentations and exhibitions.
