California College of the Arts
About Me
Intro
You're thinking about going to art school? Well, I'm going to tell you right now, you're brave. Not a lot of people have the courage to pursue art, but that's part of what makes it so special. I'm here to be your art Sherpa, helping you up a perilous mountain of self-definition and expression. It's a much tougher climb than Everest, but at least people hardly ever freeze to death in California.
First thing's first: You heard me right. Art school isn't just some walk in the park. I was founded by a UC Berkeley grad, after all. The work is tough and my class critique sessions can be brutal.
I want you to be the best you can be, and that doesn't mean carrying you up the mountain in a Kangakid. You'll need to do the work yourself.
Both of my campuses are filled with students chatting it up, sketchpads in-hand. Sometimes they're posing for photo shoots, observing nature, or even making huge, wooden dinosaurs to take up the outside courtyards.
Everyone is hard at work on their next piece, whether it be for class or for fun. That's the way I like it. I'm here to train you to actually make a living someday with your art. My graduates hardly ever go hungry. Well, unless they're protesting something.
Name
The Mythical Chimera
Hometown
Unlike some other schools who speckle their turf all over just one city, you can find me in Oakland and San Francisco. Don't worry though, you'll get real friendly with using public transit.
Birthdate
1907
Body Type
Some might call me scrawny, but I prefer the term "petite" (though you're welcome to call me "sexyfine" or "good enough to be painted like one of your French girls").
I'm pretty small. Like, less than 2,000 total students small. On top of that, they are spread out over two campuses. It's no tall tale that by the end of your first year, you'll pretty much know everyone at least by face.
The flavor of each campus is entirely different. My Oakland campus is fondly called "The Shire" for its massive trees and small, hidden buildings.
The San Francisco campus is an open, spacious building with plenty of project space. You may even find yourself dancing around with others as part of a performance piece. There are also gallery opening nights, which are a great way to scope out some excellent work (and snag some free food).
Current Living Situation
Most of our students actually live off campus, renting houses and apartments with the friends they've made at school. I guess they're just those independent "artsy" types.
For those who want to stick around, there are six available campus residences to choose from. Clifton, Irwin, and Avenue are all located on Broadway at the Oakland campus. These tend to be populated by those energetic little freshmen and, as a result, have become Party Central.
Webster Hall is nestled in the middle of Downtown Oakland (on top of a high school…I know, weird) and is made up of older students and transfer students, so they've all been around the block once or twice. Settle down there to make tons of useful connections and find some great buddies to adventure through Oakland with.
Harriet and California are both located over in San Francisco. They're pretty new, and you'll be sharing the space with some art students from some of those other schools, as well. As horrifying as that may seem, the rooms are, admittedly, the nicest of the bunch. If you want fancy (and more expensive), those are the places to go.
Relationship Status
My biggest rival is the Academy of Art University— that is, if you could even call them competition. They have their campus not even five blocks from my San Francisco campus.
The Academy of Art may have covered the most territory, but I actually train my students to get jobs with their skills…rather than having them sit around playing with sock puppets.
There's also the Art Institute of San Francisco, the San Francisco Art Institute, and the Art Academy of San Francisco…they're not really competition, either. They only exist to confuse others about which art school you go to.
Politics
I'm a liberal art school. Shocker, I know. If you're of a more conservative mindset…well, good luck. Come in with an open mind or some good mental armor. Everyone here loves a good debate, especially when it comes to social issues.
You should apply to me if...
you're ready to turn your doodles into mad moolah.
Website
https://www.cca.edu/