Kansas City Art Institute

Date: Dec 30 2007
Major: Unknown (This Major's Salary over time)
I'm a foundation student, and this is only my experience after the first semester. But over all I enjoyed how there was one foundation studio teacher assigned to a class. Each foundation teacher is a skilled and working artist. The information that they give you covers broad sections of art that you will continue to use throughout your career. The first five weeks I had to draw boxes, so I suggest that if you don't have patience or perseverance for seemingly tedious and pointless projects through the first year, don't come. Boredom is a sign of a lack of imagination, and it's only your artistic sensibility and life that's at stake if you are lazy. The first year is about learning and working hard, not jumping right into the subject you want to play with. As for the work that you do and what you learn, it is up to your individual desire to learn to absorb what is offered.

Western Art 1 and Writing Workshop are the other classes usually taken for the first semester. They are decent if you have a good teacher. Mine were Michelle Fricke and Steve Walker. They were both wonderful teachers that cared about how they taught their classes. I have heard horror stories about other writing teachers and history teachers, but then there are good stories about more teachers in the liberal arts department…I suppose it's a matter of opinion.

The campus is quite nice and close and comfortable. Sometimes I get claustrophobic in the dorms because I hardly get out of campus due to my lack of a car and a constant work load (if you live in the dorms you don't really need a car.) But when I do feel this way, I like to go on walks on the Nelson Lawn (the sculpture garden of our museum right across the street, go down to the city water way where hundreds of Canadian geese flock, or take the city bus straight down town and look around at tall buildings, People have good parties for the most part too…always walk at night with a group…and I'm rambleing.

I think my choice in this school will prove to be a good one.