Whenever I’m talking to artists about their biographies or resumes, the question of art education, or lack thereof, often comes up. Artists who have completed extensive academic training want to know how best to leverage that training to build their credibility. Artists who don’t have formal training want to know if it will hurt their prospects for gallery representation and sales.
Both those that have been formally trained and those who haven’t are curious to know how much I think art education matters. I suspect, those who went through extensive schooling want to know if it was worth it. Self-taught artists wonder if they should matriculate or face the consequences.
Unfortunately, there’s no simple answer to the question, “Is an art education worth the investment?”
Let me approach it this way – the following list can be advantages to a formal education:
- Technical Training. For some styles, subjects, and media, a formal, academic environment is an efficient, effective way to learn the techniques required to become proficient in creating the work.
- Structured Learning Environment. Some artists are predisposed to learn best in the formal environment that an educational institution will provide. The academic classroom and atelier, along with the relationships built with teachers and fellow students, can nurture learning and development.
- Expansion of Horizons. In addition to learning techniques specific to your style, during a formal academic education, you will likely have the opportunity to try your hands at other media, styles, and techniques. This exploration will broaden your horizons and enrich your understanding of your craft. Art students spend time immersing themselves in art history as well, giving them perspective on their work.
- Credentials. A degree in the arts can help you on many levels, especially if you wish to teach, or take a position in an arts organization.
I also see the downside to pursuing a degree:
- The Cost. Tuition continues to climb, and you can count on a BFA or a BA costing tens of thousands of dollars or more. Unfortunately, according to AOL Finance, a fine arts degree is one of the ten lowest paying college majors.
- The Time. Four years spent in art school creating what someone else is telling you to create, instead of creating what you want, can feel like a waste of time to some artists (an expensive waste of time . . .)
- Stylistic Constraints. I met a gallery owner years ago who said he wouldn’t typically represent artists with degrees because he felt they were too uptight in their work. I think he was probably exaggerating his opinion a bit, and I also think that broad prejudices like this are counterproductive, but it does make some sense that some artists who are trained in academia might be more artistically conservative.
There are certainly many other benefits to both sides of the equation, and I’ll count on you sharing your thoughts in the comments below.
As a gallery owner, however, when the question is put to me, the artist is generally wondering what impact their education level has on my decision whether to represent their work in my gallery.
The truth is, education has almost no direct impact, though it can have an indirect influence.
When I’m evaluating an artist’s work for representation, the key factors are the quality and consistency of the work, the personality of the artist, and the artist’s track record of sales. I can’t remember a time that I asked or thought about the artist’s education.
With that said, there have certainly been artists that I’ve selected for the gallery whose work is of the quality that it is because of an academic background. Some artists can only achieve their vision and their artistic destiny by gaining an academic training. For these artists, an art education is a critical means to an end – it can’t be an end in and of itself, and an education alone doesn’t guarantee artistic or commercial success.
There are other artists who will better spend their time gaining their own education in non-traditional ways.
One final thought. Of my top ten selling artists, four have degrees in fine art, six do not.
How Important Do You Think an Art Education Is?
Do you have a fine art degree? If you do, do you feel it’s helped you? If not, do you feel you’ve been handicapped by the lack of a degree? How much impact do you think an education has on an artist’s career? How much impact do you think it should have? Please share your thoughts, feelings, and experiences in the comments below.
An excellent article as always, Jason.
I have a BA in Journalism and recognize the value of having a college education under my belt. But at nearly age 60, I’m short on time to get more training. One thing the pandemic has gifted us with is an increase in accessibility to quality teaching via Zoom. I’ve taken some serious, in-depth Zoom classes over the last year as well as met regularly with other serious artists to talk shop through Facebook Chat, What’s App, and other video calls. I’ve been able to craft a fruitful and serious course of study that has greatly improved my work.
And we can’t forget the best course of all—lots and lots of time at the easel.
Agree with your comment about hours spent at the easel. Productive hours have expedited my learning techniques of painting.
There is also the learning curve of marketing and promotion of your art.
this is not a reply more of a stand-alone comment I did not finish my degree and while this has not hampered me in what I have done. Not having the contacts of friendly lecturers introducing me to galleries and being able to take part in a range of opportunities that are only open to artists with qualifications BA or mA not from the experience of what you have done. and must admit I wonder if galleries don’t think this way too. I am a sculptor who has sculpted and casta number of large commissions four and a half metre high bronze and appearing in a major museum show in my country and taught in private colleges for 19 years two of which being head of the art department.Everything would have been easier and wider opportunities. Even today to return to teaching my experience does not count even to apply for opportunities , and having done major commissions and taking part in a museum show has not opened the door to a single gallery so here I am without representation
The advice we are giving our almost-college aged children is to get the degree that will teach you what you want to know, that will challenge and excite you — not for what kind of job you hope to get after. Nearly everyone I know who got a degree to jumpstart a career ended up doing something completely unrelated.
I have a Bachelor’s of Fine arts. At the time most of the studio courses were very unstructured. I spent a lot of time in the communal studio space, often at night so as to be undisturbed. I don’t think I would have done as much work had I not had imposed deadlines.
Love Gina Morrow’s last line. Miles of canvas or whatever IS the best teacher, when combined with simple self-critique, the ability to say “this isn’t working,” or “that works!” I’m not talking about beating oneself up, but an objective review that doesn’t tear you down. There are groups that are wonderful for the self-critique part…and some that aren’t.
I think there is a difference between highly-educated and being well studied. I didn’t have the privilege of having the time, support, or money to get a formal art education, but I studied hard, focusing on the impressionists, from Monet to William Wendt, and have looked carefully at some of the best contemporary DVD’s out there. I love looking at other artists’ processes! That said, I’m not much of an abject follower of anybody.
I might add that I’d take more formal education classes if I were younger, but at my age the time for schooling of that kind has passed. I’m dealing with the hand that was dealt me, and rarely even attend workshops…not just because of the financial expense, but also (primarily) because of the time expense. it is what it is.
I took a certificate course at the National Academy of Art (which, curiously, is in New York not DC, as most things called “National” are) and the two best things I gleaned from the program were related to work habits rather than technique or authentic expression. One is that art is, to some degree, a job like any other. Show up in the studio, buckle down, and do the work. The other was that artists are real people. One teacher (not at the Academy) whose work I find particularly elegant and transcendent said in class one day “I get a lot of stuff at the Dollar Store.”
My work is most closely related to cave painting. And, as best I know, no one teaches that.
This is an article of great interest to me.
I have always pondered this as I am one who has chosen self exploration.
From childhood, I began my creative journey. Art education was not a family understanding although I received positive encouragement. My parents didn’t finish high school for various reasons and couldn’t guide me through the college process aside from great support. I chose my major based on what was offered in our local college as there was not a thought of going away to school.
With a degree in psychology and a short employment in social services, I realized my creativity needed to grow. I started a journey, as I admit, through the back door into a decades long career in interior design. I had no education in the field and enjoyed a successful career and mentored many students from several colleges, as well as designers new to the field.
Retirement allowed me the opportunity to discover my interest in painting. I have taken classes and workshops, but not academic training. As with my interior design career, I sometimes revert to insecurity regarding my credentials in fine art. Finally, I always conclude if someone appreciates what I do, that’s the reward.
Thank you for addressing this topic.
Well I am not really sure! I’ve known several artists that are masters and do not have an art degree. Many have degrees but not in art. The ones that do seem to puff out their chests and act as if the degree makes them a better artist. I am really glad I choose my journey my way. I’ve never been a rule taker and love to experiment. I have some education but never got a diploma. I’ve taken workshops from master artists who inspire me. I have read many books, gone to museums (I even have an ink drawing in permanent collection) and have even shown in some . Go to all the shows I can and galleries too. All are wonderful experiences that I think has led me to be a well rounded artist. I have taught some and since COVID I watch videos and joined groups. And painted and painted. I feel like I never want to stop learning and I will always be glad to share what I have gleaned. Thank you Jason
I earned both a BFA and MA in Art Education which put me in the teaching profession for a while. When I found my way into the interior design field, I learned that my design education transferred easily. Design is design no matter what medium you work in. I did continue my interior design education and became a professional licensed interior. designer where I work for 30 years.This experience working with textiles, color and design enhanced my ability to pick up my fiber art work on an advance level when I retired and started working on my art full time. I believe that education both formal and experiential is important in an artists credibility.
Jason;
A long long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, I achieved both a BA in Art (77) and a MEd in Art Education (78). However, educators are generally grossly underpaid and life’s challenges and hurdles often alter our course. Due to family crises, I was forced to seek a better paying occupation to weather life’s storms. I found that having an education proved highly detrimental to finding a career outside of my chosen path. But, changing course was a necessity to survive and survive I did for 38 years in the business world. That being said, I would not trade my formal art education for a refund at all! Now, I have retired and am able to pursue my artist’s life in my home studio daily. Life has come full circle. The formal training I received pursuing my degrees, though locked away for many years and sometimes finding myself behind, at this point in materials knowledge, was deeply imbedded in my mind and has burgeoned into a sort of self renaissance. I was surprised by how quickly the knowledge returned. I am now “happy as a pig in a sty” as they say pursuing my life’s calling. And, I attribute my rebirth in my painting to the knowledge gained in college. Has it proved to be a financial boon? Not yet. But, it most definitely has been the sprouting source of my art, my reawakening. My education was beneficial to me, in an unexpected and perhaps unique way.
G
Being dyslexic and having such a hard time getting through school, college was not an option for me. I did not become or even thought about becoming an artist until age 32.I did start a silkscreen business and had that for 11 years and a jewelry business and that is what got me interested in becoming an artist. I wanted to be an artist so badly and I think sometimes passion and desire to do something can sometimes be more important than going to school. Did I miss some things from not going to school, I am sure I did, but for me just doing and experimenting and reading about artists gave me the courage to continued on and a very supporting wife! I am not saying that art school is a bad thing as there are many advantages for sure. You just have to see what works best for you. I do feel sometimes a bit of “well where did you go to school?’ attitude but I wear not going to school sometimes of a badge of honor and I did ok without it. If I had to do it all over again, I would do the same thing. My dad thought I would be a failure without going to college of some type and I think I was out to show him and the world I could do it on my own. So 32 years later still making a living from my art and we had a successful art gallery for 18 years and sold it a few years ago. Finding what is right for you, passion, talent and timing are really important among other things….
I’m actually very proud of my education. Even though I did not complete a degree, I received one of the best training courses available. So, I am a very capable artist, and I understand Art History to the extent that it pertains to what I’m doing currently. That being said, I sometimes (not that often) feel that my technical training is a limitation to my creativity. When I look at art by others, if it’s not drawn correctly or the perspective isn’t right, or the color is too exaggerated, or if design and composition is poor, I’m disappointed. I’ve been accused more than once of being a snob. I guess that’s just the way it is.
I have a degree from art school. It is in Art Education. To survive that course (in the mid 60s) I had, besides the academic “ED” courses, a studio minor and an academic minor. The operational wisdom of my school was an arts educator (art teacher if you want), to be effective must be a producing artist as part of their life and to be acquainted with the process of art making and understanding.
It was a grueling schedule to be sure but it has made all the difference.
I really believe there is a false dichotomy. 5 years ago I was not convinced.
The reason for the change is the realization that I have to stand and deliver production results.
While Jason won’t say it this bluntly I will. Production is the measurement. No one gives a damn how the artist in question gets there.
I benefitted greatly from my schooling but it was a fit for me. It’s not universal.
Like what you said here. Stand and deliver.
It used to bother me that I hadn’t finished a 4 year degree in anything, but especially in art, since that has been my full time profession since 1993. But as time passes, I’ve come to see that those who have spent years in Figure It Out U can be just as good as those who went the traditional route. Likewise, those with degrees can be just as good as those who have attended the life-long school of Figure It Out. It is a privilege (and a relief) to be in an unregulated industry where one can pick both the route and the destination.
I love “Figure It Out U” !!! Great concept!
One more thing I left out that I feel was really important. We did out juried art shows for 11 years and that was a real education in so many ways. It gave you a good education on how art biz works, keeping up with doing your art so you can travel to these shows, talking with people about your art. Back then in the mid nineties, social media was not like it is today so it was really important to get your work out there. Not to mention the other art friends, gallery connections and a chance to travel and see this great country of ours….
When I was 18 I went to a state university and earned a degree in teaching. I taught 6th grade for 4 years and it was great training for me to develop my teaching skills which included working within an organization, working with parents and inspiring kids. Almost every culminating activity involved an art project! Teaching was not my passion, however.
After taking several community art classes, I began doing editorial illustration work for local publications and media. I became involved in the national organization, Graphic Artists Guild. I opened my own design studio. Wanting more professional education in illustration, I enrolled in art school affiliated with our large state university. I decided at age 48 to pursue a degree in painting with a minor in Art History. It was perfect for me. My interaction with the other students in classes was invaluable. I didn’t know what I didn’t know and I learned a lot from them was well as the faculty. I worked 4 times as hard as I had on my first degree. My art history has served me well throughout as I turn to artists of the past when I am bogged down in the middle of a painting. The only part of all of this journey that was not addressed sufficiently in school was the business side and Jason and the Art Business Academy Have do e a wonderful job here.
I really appreciate your balanced comments. I have no formal training, however my dad attended art school but it didn’t stop there, he continued educating himself throughout the years with books about “the Masters” etc. I think it took him into later life to really find his own personal style. Since I was a toddler I’ve learned from him, and practiced with different mediums. Learning technique and the basics is I think a jumpstart to making quality art, but at some point one must be able to break off a bit, and be free so as to create imaginatively and personally. I had been learning to copy his exact style until I stopped painting with him. Once I have myself space, I really find my own style, sort of stumbled upon by having fun, but educated basics helped me get there.
I was pushed as a child to pursue my art interest by getting an education in it. I went to art school at a state university close to my home and I admit I was immature and not ready for the rigors of hard critiques and weird assignments. I left there to go West and enrolled in another college that really did not have a great art dept. I got out with a degree by doing the least amount of work required. That was in the 70s. I swore I would never go back! But as my 2 sons decided to attend college at the same time they challenged me to return and I did at age 56 and it was the best experience. I realized there would be shortcomings in some of the education ( universities rarely teach how to get along in the art world outside the rarified bubble of academia). I was definitely confidant enough to handle critiques and be a self starter. I loved the fact that I got to experience all the University had to offer from the intense art classes to the writing and art history classes. In fact the university had everything I needed to try everything from sculpture, and ceramics to printmaking and book arts. To be honest…my BFA has not paid for itself monetarily as I rarely sell art and I am not interested in teaching..but the exposure to a world beyond the safety of my studio was opened. It even gave me the chance to travel in a study abroad experience that has led to my travel bug being ignited. For me the pursuit of a degree had to be a goal of exposure to the world of learning and not the degree itself. I am probably inordinately proud of my second degree but it was a means to get moving in my art. Not for everyone but it was good for me.
I taught studio art at the university level for 30 years and to be honest , unless you are studying graphic design or some other well-trained digital expertise for design and manipulation of imagery, etc.. eg: architecture, interior design, a degree in fine arts can be very exciting and illuminating but not necessarily an advantage when it comes to selling your art. Most people are not interested in owning edgy, challenging, socially confrontational works of art in their home. Many contemporary techniques do not even lend themselves to being in a home as they need a huge space and a crew to install the work.
The upside to a degree is awareness of art history, time– lots of it in the studio, learning different ways of seeing through various techniques, being encouraged to innovate, and having a support system in your colleagues and teachers. Never again will you ever find that kind of intense interest, support, and willingness to critique your work, which may be reason enough to at least get training. That is a very wonderful, expansive experience that schools and certain universities may offer. But to sell your work in galleries? You will have to decide: are you aiming for the MET, MOMA, The Guggenheim, the Louvre? Then, get those degrees, go for grants, spend your time getting into international biennales and become important– or possibly notorious. It’s a long shot but people do it. Otherwise: do your art. It’s valuable to visit galleries and museums and to keep learning. Being represented by a gallery– one in which your kind of art fits well and, like Jason says, a gallery with owners who earn their living that way, is just one goal, but then when you have representation, keep up the good work, continue to improve while seeing the value of your work and stay alert. Degrees can be irrelevant because outside of school, your art work must stand on its own. If you are passionate about what you do, and you keep at it, and you believe in your gift, a way will open up, degree or no degree.
The reason is art education not good in USA because of lousy teachers. Look at the Russian art schools they have great teachers. I know some artists in America they have education in arts and they don’t know simple art techniques, and they have to take classes from other artists learn how mix paint , how to stretch canvas e.t.c,
I think a self education is far more worth the money. In fact it can be free. I’ve gotten my art (and art history) education from the public library, Amazon Prime, Youtube, my own online research, and meeting regularly with a group of other artists. And of course practice, practice, practice. I feel I got far more from my efforts than my artist friends who went to college, and I don’t have any student loans.
Thank you, Jason, for the thoughtful and helpful essay. My own art education was early on in life and not toward an academic degree. I took oil painting lessons with a professional artist during my teens, stopping at about age 20. I also attended a high school where there was a graphic arts specialty. My academic education was in history, with an early modern specialization. But I have continued painting and drawing throughout my life. On one hand, I often think that I could have learned more about technique from my early teacher — on the other hand, my historical work led me to look carefully at 17-19th century art, read old works on painting techniques, and try to learn from them. I have no idea what an art decree might have done for me. I my sense is that my present work is what it is largely because of practice and constantly asking myself how I can achieve particular results. And I do have gallery representation and a fairly consistent acceptance into exhibitions. The learning process, in any case, has for me been primarily at my easel.
The high cost of going to college is going to hurt this country, aside from any pro/con stance about an art degree. Higher education is necessary if our population is going to be able to fill the jobs that require it, as well as have enough people who have had the experience, so we’re overall an educated, thinking, open minded, and not gullible people. I have seen the quality and amount of education decline as the cost went up and the result is not good for any of us. While not everyone needs to go to college, or wants to, those who do, should be able to do so regardless of income. It’s an investment in us as a country. I do have an art degree, but got it when tuition was really cheap. I value the overall education as much or more than what I learned about art. If one only wants art instruction, there are cheaper ways to get it than pursuing a university degree. It is true, too, that experience is the best teacher; the percent of your whole career spent in a classroom is small by comparison. Good art teachers make the relatively short time with them very worthwhile, and help shorten the learning curve. You also make some connections that may last a lifetime. One thing college didn’t emphasize for artists when I went was the business side of art. It needs to be part of a curriculum. I know quite a few artists whose “day job” is their art, some had college, some did not, but somewhere along the way they learned how to run a business. When I was younger I worked in the arts industry, jobs I got because my degree helped me get a foot in the door. If I had to do it all over again, I’d have to find a different way, because tuition is outrageous, and even people graduating with degrees that “pay well” are struggling to pay off student loans. That should not happen in a “first world country,” we should be making education a priority.
Jason,
I am primarily as self-taught Artist (painter of abstract art) and a Senior citizen. Since 2012, I’ve sold enough paintings to make my life interesting in my senior years. I found helpful the following:
* Xanadu Gallery’s representation of my work in 2012 in its “Studio on-line” gallery for several years.
* your book “Starving to Successful”
* representation in brick & mortar gallery outside Denver, Colorado
* Xanadu’s Art Business Academy classes
* several Continuing Education classes at School of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA (2004 – 2007)
* guidance from a Menor
* workshops in watercolor
* participation in local, regional, and one international Art Festival(s)
* my independent study of Art History
* study of Techniques of drawing and painting with acrylics
I’m okay with the fact I did not go to Art School; it might have been too restrictive for me.
I majored in Television and Film and graduated from Northwestern Univ. in the early 1970’s.
I worked in TV for two decades, then graduated from law school and worked in Law for over a decade.
My TV experience (and life experiences for 70 years) is what I draw upon when I compose my paintings
Amen, well said!
I graduated from The Cooper Union in NYC a long time ago. It was tuition free then and is considered one if the top art schools in the country. I also believe that no education is ever wasted.
Having said that, in an art and design career of 40+ years, I think I’ve been asked where I went to school 4 times. Your work quality is most important.
I got a BFA back in the 70’s, but the teaching back then was very unstructured. I learned far more by hanging out with successful artists, who were always happy to talk about their work and techniques, and connected me with great galleries. The best advise that I got in college: “If you want to be a professional artist, take business courses.”
Most of my professors in art school made a living teaching art. Very few knew the business end of art. From professional artists, I learned that the work MUST be well crafted, but as Sol LewWitt once said: “Banal ideas cannot be rescued by beautiful execution. On the other hand, it is difficult to bungle a good idea.”
I made a lot of bad work, but I learned from all of my mistakes. I refined my ideas over a lifetime. I learned to push myself until I failed. Failure is an excellent teacher.
Let us ask Vincent van Gogh that question.
Vincent Van Gogh received quite a lot of art education.
I enjoyed reading all the comments. I paint primarily in watercolor and have been for about 30 years. I teach some classes, sell a few paintings. I continue to learn. My degree is an associate degree in Graphic Design which in 1972 was called Commercial Art. I learned a lot of discipline from artists who worked in the field and were my teachers in school. I learned the how to and the why in that degree program. That has helped me be a better teacher of adult art classes. The downside of spending a 35 year career as a graphic designer is that it tightens you up in your personal work. A graphic designer’s purpose is always pleasing a client. However, my passion for making art started as a child. I think that passion is the driving force for any artist no matter how they learned and honed their skills.
I was artistic as a child as early as I can remember. We were very poor, so I couldn’t even think about going to the school I really wanted to attend after high school graduation. I attended an in-state art school in the late 60s and early 70s. I had a very naïve belief that I could make money and still do what I loved in commercial art, which I majored in. I loved my freshman year, where we studied the important elements of design, perspective, basic drawing and learning how to open our eyes and really “see” what we were drawing: shadows, highlights, experimentation in color usage, learning how to mix colors, etc. But we were not taught how to use the mediums; we were left to learn that our own. We were given a variety of different mediums and tools in our basic design kit to use in and out of our classes. The thing that bothered me most about art school were the instructors. They were very caught up in themselves and seemed to want to create little clones of themselves except one, who was my drawing professor for 2 years. I loved that man (as a teacher) because he let me be me, which was a realistic, naturalistic artist in a world of abstract, surreal, and off-the-wall contemporary art and professors, many of whom were as high as some of the students. He judged me based on my composition, balance of light and dark, color usage, etc. and I appreciated that. I learned a whole lot from him, and that, along with my basic design and other drawing courses, was invaluable. Sophomore year we began to specialize in our chosen fields, which was Communications Art & Design (commercial art) for me. Gone were the special assignments of going into this or that park on this or that street (it was a city environment, foreign to this rural country girl) and come back in with “X” amount of sketches of what I saw. They were replaced with newspaper ads, copy writing, designing milk cartons and toothpaste tubes, book covers, etc. Things I hated. In my junior year it got even worse. Photography and filming, among them. I learned that I hated commercial art! But I was in too deep to be able to afford changing majors to fine art, which would set me back at least a year. I also had had to buy a 35 mm SLR camera, which my mother took out a loan for, but a movie camera would be needed for the next semester, and I KNEW my parents would hit the ceiling at that. They would also go ballistic when they learned I’d have to write, illustrate, and publish a small book for my graduating thesis for the following year. In 1972, this would cost a small fortune (no computers or print-on-demand back then!), and my father, who had been against my choice of major from the get-go, would never countenance it. We were already having too many fights, so I quit in the middle of my junior year. I paid dearly for that personally because I felt like a failure, especially as I got older and entered shows that requested my educational background training in art. I actually even gave up art for about 8 years, but got back in when I needed to make some kind of income and was not skilled enough in anything else to hold any kind of a job in the very rural area where I lived. so I went into shows, honed my skills, selected wildlife art as my specialty field, and entered every show I could get to and was accepted into. These were juried shows for acceptance, so I learned much from that, as my work was critiqued just to get into the show as an exhibitor. Once there, I learned much from observing the works of the best national and international artists in that field. I lived and developed in that world for forty years. I learned from the school of hard knocks, never had a course in my chosen medium of pastels, but probably would’ve saved me a lot of frustration as I dealt with how to best use the medium. My education in my freshman and sophomore years was invaluable. All this being said, education has its value, but it’s not impossible to get what courses or school can offer on your own. Just may take longer to acquire that background education of what is important in a good composition, whether it’s abstract or naturalistic. I wish I had a degree just for my own personal satisfaction, but I don’t believe I would have done anything differently if I did.
This is a very good article. In my view, a degree does not matter, your talent is your identity. Thank you for sharing this informative thought.
I love your phrase…”Your talent is your identity”
Last week I was taking about this to a friend….I believe all artists are “self-taught” to a degree. I went to Chouinard Art Institute (later it became Cal Arts)in the late 60’s and it was a great stepping stone from high-school before I had to find job. But the late 60’s was the time of “we don’t teach you much, just do what you feel!” I suppose I did learn to see and evaluate my work, but nothing technically. I learned almost everything I know from copying artists work that I loved. So is that “self-taught?” I mean other artists’ work was what taught me, after I graduated art school. So, though I would have loved someone to talk about painting and how to do it, i never got that in art school and had to teach myself. I just can’t imagine what would have happened to me if I had come right out of high school and tried to be an artist. I have been an fairly successful illustrator for 52 years, and now have gone into western art. My recommendation is to always look at art and everything, and keep your mind open. Art school is nice, but not critical if you meet other artists, to understand what is involved. Art school is more of a jump start/ stepping stone, than the only way.
Be extremely careful of the colleges and universities, now. Many of them have become indoctrination camps. Hillsdale College has a great art program. A college education is not even close to being necessary to be an art entrepreneur. There is plenty of practical art literature out there to absorb. A person can become just as astute in art theory by reading books as someone with a Ph.D. in Art History.
I got my B.A. in literature, not art nor art history, but did study certain 20th century art movements over the course of an intensive theatre minor. I graduated in 1994. In 1996 there was a palpable alteration in how 20th century art was perceived when Mina Loy’s involvement across almost every art clique started being read as the involvement of an artist with a unique voice rather than as a hanger-on girlfriend type. That was about 30 years after academic feminists began demanding that womens’ voices in the arts be better recognized.
I guess my point is that education shapes perception, and 1994’s perception was still that a certain bunch of men had powered the brash new humanity as it dealt death and mental changes in the 20th century, while important artists like Hannah Hoch, Emmy Hennings and Mina Loy – to name only those who HAVE received (arguably) proper scholarship over the last couple decades – were ignored or treated like ornaments of lovely dance, voice, or most of all as the MUSE of masculine arts. That was a falsity that was intentionally crafted by the men who made each other icons, and of course was nothing new.
So school teaches you what school knows and what school wants you to know, it has a point of view & a mission. ART should be about something new – if you’re only rehashing what others have accomplished, you’re just reproducing. School will teach you all about how to do things the way everyone else is doing them, and for a noob that can be really useful and save a lot of money on materials you might otherwise use improperly. That’s science, right, blue and yellow make green, and it is a privilege to be taught scientific truths and not have to reinvent the color wheel. Also school is a place where you can meet others, and bash ideas against each others’ brains, which as you know is the best part of education, getting drunk and singing songs about our favorite earth-shakers of the past, embracing them as posters on our dorm room walls, the irony of Duchamp protesting he is not a role model, Einstein’s out-stuck tongue claiming imagination is more important than knowledge. We ponder on these ideas because someone exposed them to us, and whether we like it or not they inform what we then create. Would Mina Loy still apologize for her genius, now that we recognize it?
There was a time when a formal art education did matter. That does not hold so true today. The experience of art school can be a wonderful one, however today the educational system is unfortunately very different than years ago. In the past an artist could spend several years in school acquiring the skills necessary, and school gave them the time to also explore and discover different modes of expression. There are very few art institutions today who still employ a formal training as we once knew it. Instead, many schools have abandoned a structured program and expect you to already understand the style you want to work in before you enter school. Technical skills are secondary, and it is my opinion that is largely the result of less and less educators being equipped themselves. A great many art instructors do not even produce art at all. If you are looking at studying in a school, my advice would be to first off do your research and find out who your instructors would be ahead of time. I personally would not enroll in a school of art without knowing who my instructors were going to be. The internet can allow you to do that today. Look and see what their personal work looks like, and if you feel that they would be someone who could possibly offer you something. You may very well already be better than they are. Art schools also do a poor job in equipping their students on the business side of being an artist.
There are many great artists (both alive and deceased) who never had a formal education. Degas is a good example… He simply went around to museums and closely studied how artists painted and applied it to his own work. For me, (as a gallery owner) the fact that an artist does, or does not have a degree in art is secondary. A degree can at times be a good talking point when selling to the public, however the quality of the artists work and the consistency of it, is of paramount importance. I’ve seen many individuals with degrees in art, who are poor artists, and others with little or no training, who are highly talented.
I have an MFA in painting and drawing and have gone to many other summer programs in fine arts but was encouraged to do so by a teacher of mine not for the academia but to study under various teacher/artists so as to get a variety of perspectives and styles. The academia to me was meaningless except to have the time and place to do my art. The main teacher I met at the MFA program never got a degree in art at all. He just went to the museums and did studies of the masters of all styles and periods. It was like having many apprenticeships to have studies under many artist/teachers. IN sending out virtual portfolios to galleries I’ve noticed there some that won’t look at artist with art education but only do folk art and naive. Most galleries I think don’t really care about the artist’s education anymore. It’s how the art moves them.
In my experience, so much of this kind of query by visitors comes from the bad manners of prior artists and gallerists who have expressed their own preferences or attributes as superiority. As in, “en plein air is the only meaningful way to paint landscape,” instead of simply their preference or delight. Instead of getting defensive it is better to have a ready and positive answer about you, that embraces the visitor and their query. Such as, “I was pronounced an artist at an early age and knew that to be true, and I have always been interested in the artists who came before. No art teacher ever suggested I required an art degree. In retrospect, that was correct for me, and one never ceases learning”
My original degree was a BA in Anthropology, a fairly useless degree, but a wonderful training in how to focus my attention in the world. In my 40’s, as my children were beginning school, I started taking art classes at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago as a “student at large.” I did not feel I could study full time, and I enjoyed being able to focus completely on one or two courses at a time instead of spreading myself too thin.Eventually I transitioned to a BFA program instead of being a student at large. The reasons to seek a degree were that it allowed me to register ahead of most students (I came into the BFA program as a senior) thus able to get into very popular classes. It forced me to take art history, something I’d been leery of because I have difficulty spelling and was concerned about “memorizing slides.” I found that I loved art history, it enriched my studio practice, and I had a broad context based in travel and reading that enabled me to recognize artists and historical periods easily. Being an art student gave me a much valued intellectual infusion while raising small children. I graduated with a BFA the same spring my oldest son graduated from high school. I found a studio to rent not far from my house and set out to become an artist instead of a student. Three years later my youngest son graduated from high school and I could see that I had the time to do an MFA program. It was tempting. But first I went to my favorite teachers from my BFA years and asked them each, “What would an MFA degree do for me that I can’t do for myself?” Once each one established that I did not want to teach in a formal setting such as high school or college, they gave me different perspectives.
One asked if I was satisfied with my studio practice. He suggested that I could take classes at large if I felt something was missing–art history, technical skill, or lack of colleagues.
Another told me that most MFA candidates went to school to get to where I already was–working in a studio, producing and showing work, and selling through gallery representation and out of my studio.
The third teacher gave me the best advice: he suggested I take the advice he himself had not, that I save my tuition money, “travel with a purpose,” and read, attend lectures, ask questions. I asked him what he meant by “travel with a purpose,” and he described how he might go to London to see a particular exhibition at a museum there and how he would allot his time.
I have set myself on what I jokingly call my quest for a “Home-School MFA”–when I travel I seek out art and artists and I sketch everywhere I go. I observe with the mindset of an anthropologist–what would it be like to live here? What makes this city or this country unique? What is its character? Its history? I have kept up a studio ever since art school (about 25 years now) and I am represented by a gallery that I really enjoy being a part of. I read, study, attend lectures, tour museums, and I have made several trips specifically to see art–to the Venice Biennale, to a Braques still life show, to DIA Beacon and more. Before the pandemic I made an annual trip to NYC to check out specific galleries and shows, plus all the extra bonus art that is there.
I work primarily in watercolor and mixed media. I never took a course in watercolor–If I have a technique it is acquired through experience. But I think about the wonderful teachers I had and the lessons I learned in their classes. What I did learn in art school was how to look at art and to appreciate artists whose work I found difficult to understand. I learned to ask questions and to be uncomfortable in the process. Perhaps most valuable was the exposure to people from much different backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, orientations. Sometimes I felt that I was being pegged as “the bored suburban housewife” but usually once we had a critique, both my own art, and perhaps even more, my contributions to the critique of others established me as a serious art student with ideas worth considering.
My 9 years as a part-time art student were some of the best years of my life and I learned and grew so much. I am a life-long learner and will never “graduate” from my self-propelled Home School MFA.
Here in Hungary it does seem to be an issue, most galleries won’t consider you of you don’t have papers (a degree). Things are changing a little in one I’d two quarters, but I do experience this as an obstacle here
I am mainly self taught,but did attend two two-year part-time courses, and did get certificates for these. One was in painting, the other in craft materials. And they did introduce me to new techniques and perspectives. There were the tough critiques too, not always helpful. For example I was told my work has no merit because it was decorative, though the photogrpher at the collage said it was obvious there was a psychic process going on. At the same time it was probably advantageous that I did get beyond any narrowly defined Outsider or naif pigeonhole and have been able to move beyond that.
I still keep looking in Hungary and beyond fir the galleries it exhibition opportunities where my work is likely to find a receptive audience.
Good article. Befoy I started college, my choice for a major was art. I thank my wonderful high school art teachers for helping me make that choice. My mother had other plans for me. She chose teaching as my career. We compromised and I majored in Art Education.
It was a great decision. I had to take classes in architectural drawing, anatomy, life drawing, oil painting, printmaking, design, color theory, ceramics, art history++++. I only taught for a short while but I had all this background and a great sense of the elements of fine art that allows me to paint very realistically or totally abstract.
I’ve often seen untrained would-be artists think anyone can do abstract painting by just throwing some paint on a canvas with no sense of balance,
color relationship, composition, warm vs cool, focal point, vcontrast, depth, etc. It’s definitely not that easy.
I have a BFA in fine art education. I learned very little in school. My real education came from taking workshops since the 90s. Later I taught workshops and no one asked if I have a formal art education. My mentors have generally said a degree is a waste of time and money. I agree. Now, so much can be learned online for very little monetary investment. Even today, I support artists through Patreon and I buy online art courses as well.
I’ve been an artist all my life. I was fortunate that our school system had truly excellent art programs starting at the age of 11 and carrying through to the end of high school. My siblings, a physics major, a business major and a psychology major, all produced wonderful art as well, the programs were really that good. But the guidance councillors rejected the idea of art for me, saying it would be a waste of my brain. My compromise was commercial art. The training was good for what it was. The most valuable learning was probably the herd of students around me, which was thinned each semester by drastic numbers. The fear of being cut and the responsibility of being successful has stayed with me for 40 years. I had a successful career as an illustrator, designer and creative director, and continued to take more adult instruction in life drawing, illustration and a pottery class just for fun. Now that I am retired from all that, I am a sculptor, and I’ve had no training in that at all. But I don’t know if that makes me self taught or not. It seems to me that instruction in any discipline means working to improve the way you see. Perspective, shape, light and shadow, colour theory, figures, 2D, 3D… it’s all just forcing your brain to understand what your eyes are seeing. Layout, design, composition and balance are only possible after you’ve learned to see, and the rest is just tools, which with practice should be extensions of your self. So the taught/self-taught issue is quite tangled. I think everything I’ve learned, in the many ways I’ve learned it, allow me to do what I’m doing now, which is also learning and growing my skills every day. Artists learn rather quickly to continue working through the noise of criticism and rejection, as well as the noise of acceptance and accolade, therefore a degree in and of itself holds very little meaning.
Like many here, I got my BFA in the early 70s. For awhile, I did art fairs and shows, sometimes placed among the “winners”, sold pieces. Didn’t sell enough to support my small family, so started working a variety of jobs until I found a dream job…Logistics specialist in electronics (ref the comment that too many degrees don’t translate to jobs in the same field). That is the only time my degree helped. The aerospace industry wanted degrees and didn’t care what they were for.
However, what I learned getting that degree helped a lot…mostly in eliminating various mediums as well as the 3-D arts. I love shoving colored mud around in alkyds. Other mediums are not as much fun…for me. Have to say that my drawing skill improved a lot, as well
That degree also gave me a love of geology and acquaintance with some forestry, some chemistry, some philosophy, some physics. All of those have informed my art.
Two comments:
1. One of my deans pointed out that a college degree in anything is just a shortcut. You can learn anything on your own that you want to learn, it just takes longer.
2. There are two people out there whose work I envy. Both are doctors, medical specialists. Both are self trained.
I think the biggest “pro” of a formal education is the networking such an environment provides. I’ve watched bio-pics of many 20th -century artists, and time-and-again the story goes something like, (the artist) met this artist, who inspired them to start working in this medium, and then they had this show, which led to meeting that person…” I look at their art and say, what’s so special about it? Why can I turn out something substantially similar to that and have no one willing to pay $200 for it, while they’re making $20,000 and getting one-man-shows? The answer is that a formal art education is networking the “easy way” while I have to build awareness of my work the hardest way possible: local fairs in a non-artistic community and upteen-member art sites with thousands of other artists to compete with for buyers’ attention. Heck, I even tried GIFTING an art lesson to my local library and they blew me off (The offer was to teach an “overflow” workshop for a watercolor class that left several people on a waiting list; after several weeks of trying to get in touch with the coordinator and show her a painting I had taught to an absolute beginner, she explained that they couldn’t afford another workshop so similar, then the next year they had another watercolor workshop.)
I got my BFA in sculpture and painting in 1974. I feel it was a worthwhile investment. I have had many shows across the world. My very first exhibition I was in after college was I was accepted to the Bicentennial exhibit of America Painters in Paris where they liked my work so much the judges said i could enter as many paintings as i wanted! I sent 3 very nice ones. The works weren’t for sale in the show but I got a lot of emails and people wanting my work. Being a artist trained in college and having a Mother that was an art teacher helped a lot. My Dad was a dentist and he got me interested in sculpture so Now I do both and am happy. My art dealer I had for years passed away right before the pandemic which set me back a great deal. I still am looking for read art dealer that promotes there artists.
This is an important and valuable question for all potential artists. I have had art galleries in both Eastern and Western US for over 4 decades, and I’ve been consulting to artists for at least that long. I’ve also been a professional artist myself. I was married to an artist who is a graduate of darn near every major art school in Europe. An NEA report in 2013 (?) stated that 62% of all professional artists had advanced degrees. That means that 38% did not – but were still pros. And since then, there are a great many more artists!
On a practical level, I have observed that for MOST artists, education tends to reduce frustration. They have more problem-solving tools available when they want to grow and change, because they played with more stuff in school. In some instances, IF the artist took advantage, art school can also be an amazing resource for networking, one that can pay lifelong dividends.
And lastly, IF the school is notable, it’s a good item on a CV, one that a gallery can exploit along with other awards, etc. However, art school is nowhere as significant to a potential buyer as a museum or major collection placement.
Final note: If the artist or the gallery doesn’t take advantage of the school background, then it makes no difference at all. If the artist’s work doesn’t change, if the artist/gallery aren’t adept at promotion, then no extra benefits accrue from school – or anything else.
I am a graduate from the School Of Visual Arts, which occurred during the 1960s. What I gained from that represents a part of who I am as an artist. Actually, what I have learned and experienced AFTER art school represents a much larger part of me as an artist, but never-the-less, that time in art school left a big impression. If it was much more recent that I graduated from SVA, I would have a stronger desire to not only mention it in a bio, but expand on it. But for me, it was so long ago, it does not seem so important. So now, I would either just state that it is in my background without expanding on it OR not mention it at all. I haven’t decided which I will do yet. It is possible that it might work against me to put it into a bio, because potential art buyers may think that I mention it so that it would bolster the value of my work. That would not be my reason for including it, so I am leaning toward not mentioning it at all. If I have conversations with those who have already purchased from me, I could still mention it then, if it seems appropriate.
Hi Jason, Thanks again for being so open with sharing your knowledge.
My college degree (only achieved when I took a drawing class in my 5th! year of trying to figure out what I would be when I grew up) turned out to be my turning point. The professor of that “cush class” began by announcing that his scoring system was 1-10 and that “nobody makes 10’s!” Somehow that challenge (and his savage way of critiquing what he thought was bad art) hit me like TNT and pushed me to make several of those 10’s! And to change my major to art. If I wasn’t totally satisfied, even on a difficult project (which I made more difficult by challenging myself to more complex concepts), I would start over.
The main thing I learned was how to juggle multiple projects and make deadlines. And finally out of there with my BFA paper, reality hit. After all, I thought “Who in the world actually makes money as a fine artist?”
So, I went to advertising design school, where the teachers, and especially the students, presented tough competition: to do the very best work I could do while learning to apply concepts and design. However, graduation with honors didn’t change the fact that commercial art jobs did not fit what I expected (designing Coca-Cola ads with Lee Clow and the like) but amounted to committees and art directors changing every artistic plan. So, I opted to try my hand as a “fine artist.”
That said, my education was useful, but only as a preliminary to the “U-figure-it-out” school of art mentioned above. Even during school, this meant untold hours of looking at every photograph in every book in every library and every bookstore. I’m still doing that, still trying to push my own envelope into doing what nobody else is doing.
As I look at my God-given success as a gallery artist, the money my wife and I spent on my education (admittedly cheaper in those good old days) was worth it, but only when the design, concept, and challenges by teachers and fellow students merge in my head with my own ongoing hard-headed research and gritty determination.
I have 0 degrees or certificates and have made my living as an artist for 50 years. in that time have worked with master artists globally and taught historical/ancient art techniques to university professors and art restoration to museums. Have always done what i wanted including doing business in the arts globally.
Sometimes the question of credentials comes up but never with actual clients. Always with academically trained artists and curators/gallery managers who ? my art and myself on the basis of thinking/considering their approach to be better than simply the school of experience. From them and their corporate clients i hear the same tired excuses of why they cannot succeed, cannot get recognition, cannot understand any art beyond their own narrow interests. its always the same!!!
The only thing that really matters is to get off your high horse and create, take risks [sometimes you will get kicked in the teeth] and be true to your vision not the mandates/constraints of others.
thats what 50 years in business and art has taught me.
richard dixon
I attended art school in the late sixties, early seventies. Sadly, then there were really few avenues to use your “degree” except the three choices. Teach, Commercial art or starving artist. I ended up not finishing my degree and instead shared my study with architecture. Though I sketched and designed through my entire career, I didn’t pick up a paint brush again until I was almost retired. My instructors were better in undergrad then in the actual art school. A major California school. As an artist I am often asked to appraise students work who have applied for scholarships. Sadly, the quality of their work often reflects badly on the quality of education they’ve received. As some have pointed out, the subject matter comes from the artist but if these kids are in “art education” the technical aspects, including composition directly reflects their education; at least in my opinion. Do I think a degree means anything to the artwork? Nope. Miles on the canvas or what ever medium is what makes the artist.
I do not have a formal art education and point of fact, I failed art in my senior year of high school, but I am painting nearly full time and selling plus in three galleries. What did help me immensely was my two mentors…one a very well-known western painter and sculptor. The other a good friend and employer.
I went and got an AA in Art from the local community college. When I started to go to galleries, they only wanted the higher level BA and MFA as a means testing for deciding on their artists. That was the only time that I felt that my AA was not up to that level.
But then I found that a friend from high school went to The Corcoran School of Art (one of the most prestigious at that time) and got his MFA. He got into a Gallery, one of the ‘prestigious’ ones in town. But when I asked him how much money that made him, he said that between the studio costs, the opening costs (buying the food and wine) and the Gallery commission, he only made abut $3k each year off of his art.
So, knowing all of that, would I go back to school (if I was that age)? No. I got an education that I couldn’t have without college, but I got even more ‘schooling’ by being an Art Model for years at other schools (including the Corcoran) that I wouldn’t have been able to attend.
And I told my parents at the time when they asked why didn’t I want to go on to get a higher degree, “I can starve just as easily on a two year degree, as I can on a four- or six-year one.” I also did not have that crushing college debt that I hear so many people talking of.
And my friend who got his MFA? He stayed at his “day job” until he retired. Even with that vaunted MFA and Gallery Representation.
I have a Bachelors of Fine Arts.
One of my deans put it succinctly: “A college degree is merely a shortcut. You can learn whatever your degree is in by teaching yourself. It just takes longer.” That was a long time ago and my observations through life has been that the “miles of canvas on the easel” is necessary with or without that degree.
With that BFA, I worked as a:
retail clerk,
picture framer,
hospital and corrections pencil pusher,
Renaissance dancer,
ad layout,
drawing teacher (volunteer, not paid)
and logistics specialist in electronics.
Oddly enough, the BFA helped some in all of those areas except retail clerk.
Where the BFA helped most was with all those other required subjects…geology, history (Asian, European, African), sociology, archeology, “foreign” language, my own language, anthropology, chemistry, engineering, architecture, forestry, philosophy…all of which have made my life much, much more interesting.
In short, yes, I believe an art education is absolutely essential. There’s is so much to know! Such as, technical skills, composition, values, balance, symmetry, contrast, lighting, the color spectrum, mixing colors, equipment, computer skills and how to use construction tools, how to run a business, how to build rapport with customers, public speaking, creative writing, language development, quality presentations…the list is endless!
Although I majored in painting and photography in college, I ended up dropping out during my third year because, one, it was dreadfully expensive and I couldn’t afford to take on another student loan and two, the majority of the teachers were smug and lacked real world experience.
As soon as I left, I leapt right into commercial photography and within five years, had a successful career. But after twenty years of dealing with Bridezillas, I was ready to move onto the next challenge- the art of oil painting.
So, for the past five years, I have jumped on opportunities to learn from the best in the art business. I have studied and learned from John Pugh, Daria Callie, Andrew Tischler, Kevin Murphy, Bethany Vere and yes, Mr.Jason Horejs with RDB and the Art Business Academy.
There’s no way I would be a pro level artist if it wasn’t for investing in myself and an education. I also believe that it’s never too late to bet on myself.
At the end of the day, I want to be more than a painter; I want to be a master craftsman.
The education is everything. There are too many people presently trying to make a Limner’s Tale as good as any accredited college of fine art degree. “Everyday is a day of education to a fine artist.” The amount of the actual education that may be used in a day is of no real importance. It is that “the learning was squired and it impacted the artist’s every move and creative choice.” Thousdands of SEARS Couch Paint Pushers, all requiring some time after a piece is made to see if there is something tangible that it might relate to if they were to be questioned. “Fancy words learned during the critique should do it” because there was no prior intent prior to the pouring and smearing process with the paint. The hobby/crafters should be uncomfortable around the educated and driven fine artists. Representational, impressionoist, abstract, expressionists all need the respect of the industry they work in. I was educated and mentored by eight amazing artists from every field of what we call “fine art”. I am better at everything I do because they all took the time to torture me throughout my childhood. Sadly even self promoted art societies are now filled with Limners in their memberships that they protect out of some foolish loyalty that degrades the value of professional artists and it cheapens the take for educated artists trying to sell their work. Erwin Dale Brown