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The Creative Student's Guide to Phoenix Art Education and Careers

...for students of art, design, fashion design, photography, film/video, advertising, interior design and other creative fields.

Visit our Complete Directory of
Phoenix Art Schools and Art Colleges!

by C.J. Gustafson
ArtSchools.com Contributing Writer

art schools in Phoenix Established in 1868 on the ruins of a Hohokam city abandoned some 400 years earlier, Phoenix was named after the mythical bird because it was born from the ashes of the civilization that had gone before. The 1,321,045 people in the city's 475 sq. miles, are situated on the edge of the desert, where the low temperatures in winter range from 39-65F and spike at 79-105F in summer. Phoenix is the outdoor enthusiast's dream destination, featuring hiking, horseback riding, mountain bike riding, fishing, and golf - just for starters. Annual events include the Harvest Festival, Coors Rodeo, and the Festival of Lights. Those interested in architecture and architecture careers won't want to miss Taliesin West, the 600-acre complex designed and built by Frank Lloyd Wright. The facility includes a school for architecture.

Arts Culture

Other cultural interests also are well served by a variety of arts entities including the Phoenix Art Museum, whose permanent collection includes almost 16,000 pieces of American, Asian, European, Latin American, Modern and Contemporary, and Western American art. The museum also offers the Thorne Miniature Rooms of historic interiors, as well as clothing displays for fashion students and enthusiasts.

design schools in Phoenix Additional art museums in Phoenix include the Arizona State University Art Museum and the Arizona Museum for Youth. The famous Heard Museum is a notable venue for Native American history, culture and art. In describing this museum on About.com, Judy Hedding, a long time resident of the Phoenix metropolitan area wrote, "The Heard Museum is unique, however, not only in the exhibits that are displayed, but the style and grace with which it displays them. I never tire of visiting the Heard Museum, with its more than 32,000 pieces of cultural and fine art."

With the desert and Phoenix Mountains nearby, the Grand Canyon a few hours drive away, and numerous Native American and other unique cultural communities in the area, Phoenix has many subjects to inspire artists and photographers. The Deer Valley Rock Art Center (the location of the Hedgpeth Hills petroglyph site) provides an opportunity to learn about truly ancient art.

The city of Scottsdale, which is less than ten minutes away, is typically included when referring to the Phoenix area. It is home to the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, which offers exhibits, lectures, classes and workshops. William Holburn of the Scottsdale Artists' School described the Phoenix/Scottsdale area as "…a year-round celebration of the arts."

Artlink organizes Phoenix's First Friday art crawl, a monthly tour of over 40 venues, and the Art Detour, the city's oldest and largest visual arts event. Scottsdale also has its own arts crawl, providing a wealth of arts opportunities for area residents.

Educational Opportunities

art student in Phoenix Many of the museums and galleries offer opportunities for arts education. There are also several schools that focus on art degrees or contain arts departments. The Art Institute of Phoenix, High-Tech Institute, and Grand Canyon University Department of Art are some of the schools and academic departments in Phoenix that offer art degrees for those pursuing photography careers, graphic design careers, advertising careers, fashion careers, and a variety of other design careers made possible through Game Design, Web Site Design, and Interior Design degrees.

For younger artists, the Metropolitan Arts Institute is a charter high school that focuses on visual and performing arts and college prep for students of the arts.

Upon completing their schooling, visual artists in Phoenix have many employment opportunities. In addition to the numerous galleries and museums in the surrounding area, also there are over 20 architectural businesses and nearly as many advertising agencies and design firms.

For visual arts students who prefer warm weather, 300 days of sunshine, desert surroundings, and a variety of educational and employment opportunities, the "Valley of the Sun" makes a good choice.

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