Pennsylvania College of Art and Design
Pennsylvania College of Art and Design (visited 11/18/14)
PCAD Lobby
Gallery Space
PCAD is housed in a large 5-story building (really 2 connected buildings) in downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania. All 300 undergraduates complete a BFA degree in one of five majors: Digital Media, Fine Arts, Illustration, Photography, and Graphic Design. Two-third of their classes will be in their major. The rest are distribution requirements and electives. Business classes are part of their non-studio requirements, and all students complete an internship the summer before their senior year. All students complete a foundation year after which they declare their major. Classes are pretty much set that first year, but students interested in photography can replace Drawing 2 with Black&White photography.
Some of the work done for Broadway Theater
Senior Studio spaces
Professors are all active in the industry giving students real-life information and contacts. They can complete lots of client-based projects in classes. For example, every year, students complete designs for Broadway Theater in town which are used in the company’s playbills and promotional materials. Students must have a Mac laptop, although there are plenty of desktops around campus, as well. The library is small, but students have complete access to the Franklin and Marshall library, less than a mile away.
Printmaking lab
Digital class
The nice things about Lancaster is that it’s a small city of 60,00 residents. “It’s a good for those students who aren’t quite ready to take on NY or Chicago,” said the admissions rep, “but it still gives them lots of connections with the art community to exhibit.” The school brings in lots of speakers and visiting artists who show work and teach workshops and classes. All seniors get their own space that mimics professional space in a workplace. I talked briefly to one senior who said her favorite thing about PCAD was her space! She’s looking at Naropa University for grad school to go into therapy. The school can boast a 97% placement rate for their graduates. The Fine Arts majors are more likely to continue to graduate school, but the others tend to get jobs quickly.
Student artwork which is displayed all through the hallways
3-D design class
Housing is an issue: there are no dorms. There are some school-run furnished lofts about 2 blocks away, but there are only spots for 26 students. “I recommend that they apply early if they’re interested in this.” Other apartments are available through landlords, and the housing office helps connect students to these places. They are not furnished, but they’re all within 5 blocks of campus. There’s also no food service on campus (other than vending machines), but there are a lot of grocery stores and food places around. Central Market (like a large farmer’s market) is close, but it’s only open on Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday.
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