There is no practical purpose to Art. Whether something is aesthetically pleasing or not, it doesn’t affect its utility. However, there is a deeper purpose to art – the reason that some of the most admired personalities in the history of humankind have been artists.
Art feeds the imagination. Artists help us understand the world around us, and see it in a different light. The ability to create and admire art is essentially what separates the human species from any other in the universe.
Not everybody was born with the extraordinary ability either to create art or to perform it. Those lucky ones who are gifted enough can make a living of art as actors, conductors, musicians, painters, and sculptors. To hone these gifts, however, art students can study Art as a discipline at some of the top educational institutions.
In this article, we shall look at the Top Art schools around the world, for both Fine Arts and Performing Arts.
Fine Arts
Royal College of Art, UK – A public research university in London, UK, the Royal College of Art offers postgraduate degrees in art and design to students from over 60 countries. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the world and is widely regarded as the best institution in the world for Art and Design. The RCA offers Graduate Diploma, MA, MRes, MPhil and PhD degrees in twenty-eight subject areas, divided into four schools: architecture, arts & humanities, communication, and design.
Rhode Island School of Design, USA – Founded in 1877, Rhode Island School of Design is a fine arts and design college located in the US state of Rhode Island. It has consistently been ranked among the best educational institutions in the world for art and design. The School offers B.F.A. and M.F.A. programs in a variety of subjects.
School of the Art Institute of Chicago, USA – One of America’s largest accredited independent schools of art and design, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago traces its history to an art students’ cooperative founded in 1866, which grew into the museum and school. The school is associated with the museum of the same name, and provides degrees at the undergraduate and graduate levels. It is one of the most influential art schools in the United States as well as the world.
Performing Arts
The Julliard School, USA – The Juilliard School located in the Lincoln Centre for the Performing Arts in New York City, is a performing arts conservatory established in 1905. The school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music and is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading school for performing arts. Throughout its history, the school has maintained a commitment to providing the highest calibre of artistic and educational experience to exceptionally talented young performing artists from around the world. Admission into Juilliard is highly competitive with low acceptance rates. The school offers a B.F.A and a diploma in dance, B.F.A, M.F.A and a diploma in drama, and Bachelor of Music or Diploma, Master of Music or Graduate Diploma, Artist Diploma and Doctor of Musical Arts in music.
University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, Austria – The University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna is an Austrian university located in Vienna, established in 1817. With a student body of over three thousand, it is the largest institution of its kind in Austria, and one of the largest in the world. It is a place where art, culture and academic studies find space to develop between tradition and innovation – preserving the meaningful space while treading new paths. The university offers many post graduate courses in Performing Arts as well as specific courses for various disciplines. For young prodigies, there are also preparatory courses offered at the university.
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, UK – The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, formerly the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, is a conservatoire of dance, drama, music, production and film in the centre of Glasgow, Scotland. It is one of the oldest and most prestigious performing arts schools in the United Kingdom and the world. Founded in 1845 as the Glasgow Educational Association, it is also the busiest performing arts venue in Scotland with over 500 public performances each year. The Conservatoire provides specialised vocational education in dance, drama, music, production and screen to prepare the next generation of professionals for the global workplace. There are three schools under the institution – School of Music, School of Drama, Dance, Production and Film, and a Junior Conservatoire.
