Rita Dennin

In this conversation about an artist’s education, we should address the reasons why students attend college and their expectations. As you can see, the top three reasons demonstrates students’ desires towards employment, income, and their career. 

Giuseppe Castellano, an art director, illustrator, and designer who earned a BFA in Illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design, and an MFA in Illustration from The Fashion Institute of Technology writes this article advocating for arts school.

For one, so much of what we learn from college doesn’t necessarily come from the classes we want to take. Requirements force us to take classes we wouldn’t take on our own. At art school, you can gain well rounded education, learn subjects outside of your major, and broaden your skill set.

It offers the chance to not only explore your interests but also physically surround yourself with other creative individuals with similar aspirations, willing to collaborate. On campus, you network, form lifelong friendships, and meet people who change your perspective and inspire you to create better work.

For many, students seek out employment opportunities and hope to obtain a job in college, but what are the exact results for art graduates? 

In a report released by BFAMFAPhD, data reveals exactly how many art graduates actually achieve becoming a working artist. Shockingly, out of 2 million art graduates nationally, only 10 percent or 200,000 people make their primary earnings as working artists.

Out of 1.2 million working artists older than 25 years, 476,000 did not get a bachelor’s degree. That means that 40 percent of working artists over the age of 25 attended high school or got associate’s degrees, but do not have bachelor’s degrees in any field. Only 16 percent of working artists have an arts-related bachelor’s degree.

And out of 2 million arts graduates with bachelor’s degree, a mere 10 percent make their primary earnings as working artists. Surprisingly, 23 percent work in professional and managerial occupations, 17 percent are employed as sales and office workers, and 17 percent work as educators. 14 percent are not in the labor force at all.