School #7: The Tyler School of Art at Temple University

The Tyler School of Art at Temple University
Location: Philadelphia, PA





This was my last school tour and by far the MOST impressive facility I have yet to see at a school. Tyler is a GORGEOUS school. They have a brand new facility and it is state of the art. I about died when I saw the kiln room and the spray booth for the ceramics department. The amount of glory holes that they have for the glass students is insane. And the fibers department, holy crap! It was just intense in all ways. Tyler was my favorite school before I went on any of my tours and I know why.

So, as impressed as I was with Tyler you would think that my decision is made, right? Well, not quite yet. I'm still at a loss for what to do. More to come on that.

School #6; Moore College of Art and Design

Moore College of Art and Design
Location: Philadelphia, PA



This is the only all women's school on my list, actually it's the only all women's art school in the US. Besides a lackluster tour, to say the least. There were some great redeeming qualities to this school. Firstly, it is in a great location. Swann Fountain is right outside of the school's doors and it is just beautiful.

The school is pretty centralized into two adjoining buildings. As wonderful as this is the school's facilities left a bit to the imagination. The ceramics kilns were all very small, with a moderate amount of workspace. The fibers area was better but still not great.

I think that although a nice school, I'm pretty sure this isn't the right place for me. Like Brenda said, "THERE'S NO BOYS!" haha.

School #5: U Arts

U Arts
Location: Philadelphia, PA



Unfortunately U Arts doesn't offer tours during the time I was in Philly because since the tours are given by students and classes were getting ready to start the students who work in the office were off.

I did have an extremely informational meeting with a counselor there. Her name was Joyce and she was lovely. She gave me a ton of information which really bummed me out because I wasn't able to see any of the facilities. She did let me know that even though they do have a foundation year for all of their students past classes I have taken will be taken into consideration and credits I have already earned will make a big difference.

I am hoping that when I go back to Columbus for Gabe's wedding that I might also visit UArts again to see their facilities at a time when they are running tours again.

School #4: Columbus College of Art and Design

Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD)
Location: Columbus, Ohio



CCAD is a pretty nice school located in the heart of Columbus. I wish I could say that I think that CCAD is an option for me but I'm pretty sure that it is not. Here's why, besides the fact that it's an AMAZING school in a GREAT city they don't really offer a fibers program similar to what I am looking for. Since I am looking for a school that can provide me with both a ceramics and fibers program from a craft based perspective it's pretty important to me that the school match that criteria. Additionally there is a 1 year foundation program at CCAD that can't be avoided and I don't really want to be in a place where past classes won't credit towards those classes. An extra year = a lot of extra money I don't have.

It's kind of a bummer since I really loved and enjoyed Columbus a ton. But I have to be honest with myself and I know that a school that doesn't offer a fibers program like I am looking for isn't going to be an option.

:(

School #3: Applachian Center of Crafts

Appalachian Center of Crafts
Location: Nashville, TN



The Appalachian Center for Crafts was about as far opposite of the School of the Art Institute. SAIC was extremely contemporary and to say that the Appalachian Center is a back to basics school is actually an understatement. To give you an idea, their students who live on campus live in log cabins. It's absolutely gorgeous and absolutely small.

Nature surrounds you wherever you look and that's probably the most amazing thing about this place. It's about as beautiful as you can get with trails to the lake and beautiful wooden buildings. The downside to all of this nature, it's about an hour from Nashville and 20 minutes from a grocery store and 45 from a movie theater or bookstore. Again, the beauty of the this place, it's seclusion, provides the perfect focus but also is probably the major downfall of this school. I'm not sure I could move away from my friends and family and not be in a place with distractions.





Facility-wise this place is pretty amazing. There are a lot of ceramics kilns which most schools can't offer because they simply don't have the room. Downside, the fibers facilities were a bit lackluster. All in all, a gorgeous school that would provide me with an experience I couldn't get anywhere else.

Columbus

Are they ever NOT flushable?

By the way, I'M IN COLUMBUS!

School #2: School of the Art Institute Chicago

Name: School of the Art Institute Chicago or SAIC
Location: Chicago, IL



Talk about culture shock! So I've never lived in a true city, I'd even venture to say that what we have here in California aren't true cities. We have LA and San Fran but they definitely don't have the big city feel that Chicago has.

SAIC is located in the heart of Chicago. One of the buildings is attached to the the Art Institute which is right across from Milennium Park. The other buildings are all within about a 2 - 3 block walking distance of one another. Most of the fine arts rooms are located in the building attached to the museum. This includes the ceramics studio along with all of the kilns. It's crazy to see EVERYTHING enclosed in an indoor space. The ventilation system there is intense because it has to be.





It's also kind of weird that there are rooms in there that don't have any natural light. They're closer to the inner parts of the buildings so there are no windows. Crit rooms like the one below are a great example of this. A lot of their internal space for art shows is similar.



The fibers program is housed in another building.





I found so many things fascinating about this school. One was the crazy, urban cityscape. That would definitely be something new for me that would leave me with endless things to explore. This could also leave me yearning to get out of the city and be around some trees and mountains (which I'm pretty sure IL doesn't have.)

The second, they don't have grades! I think that for an art school this is actually a great concept. They don't want you to be focused on keeping your GPA up they want you to be focused on creating amazing art. So you either pass or fail. I'm not a fan of this system for everything but I think for art it's a win win.

A possible downfall for me...SAIC is VERY contemporary. They have a lot of traditional tools so that you can learn how things were done but they focus heavily on a contemporary way to do the same things. For example, they require all of their students to have 15" Mac Book Pros (don't get me started on this...) because for pretty much everything you do you can use a machine that you plug your computer into and it does whatever for you. Like they have traditional blacksmithing tools but they also have machines that will cut metal based on what your computer tells it to do. This kind of weirds me out, mainly because my focus is more traditional and craft based. I can see the advantage in it but I also can see it being something I don't want to focus on.

All in all an AMAZING school but still not sure if it's right for me.

School #1: The Oregon College of Arts and Crafts

Since everyone keeps asking about my travels to look for the perfect school I figured I would post a blog about each one to keep you all posted. I really get overwhelmed by the question since I am still so unsure about what I am doing so I figured this would be easiest for everyone.

So, here we go.

School #1: Oregon College of Arts and Crafts, or OCAC
Location: Portland, OR



A beautiful, small campus located about 10 - 15 minutes from the heart of the city on the train.



Things that I absolutely loved about this school were that it is so beautiful. Most of Portland is gorgeous and green and that is definitely a plus for me. The school is also pretty small and consists of mostly older students. So basically it's a small community full of people who are like me; about 25 - 29 and making a career change. I find that an extremely attractive quality in this school.

The facilities are nice and not too modern. Another quality I find wonderful. I'm definitely interested in a craft based focus that isn't too contemporary. This school seemed to have that quality and feel.

Now, some negatives...it's in Portland. I found that people there to be, well, less than friendly. I'll be honest as far as the school went and the people I encountered there it was lovely and a perfect fit...but...the time I spent just around Portland really made me feel less than enthused about moving there.

Sad to say...I think that this school might be perfect for me if it just wasn't in Portland.

I need your help!

I'm thinking of renaming my business. I love my current logo and all, (thank you Candice for your amazingness what seems like forever ago,) however I just think I need a name that's a bit better than "handmade by nicole." I think when I originally thought of the name I wanted to use I was trying to keep things simple, but it turns out that NO ONE can spell my last name correctly. It's the curse of the "ARY" instead of the "RIE."

This is where I need your help.

I need a new name. Suggestions are being taken starting...NOW! I can't offer you much, but I can say this winner gets a personally made knitted or crocheted item of their choice! That's right, I said it! So let's hear them people, name my business!

I submit for your enjoyment the following:

Nikki's Nick Nacks
Nikki Knits (this kind of isn't my own creation.)

Oh, and my name doesn't need to be in it or if you'd like you can use any of my various nicknames.

BTW, if you've never visited www.nicoleguthary.com go check it out, maybe it will bring you inspiration!