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The Creative Student's Guide to San Diego 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
San Diego Art Schools and Art Colleges!

by C.J. Gustafson
ArtSchools.com Contributing Writer

art schools in San Diego San Diego was named and renamed by the series of European visitors who passed down the California coast in the 1500's. The city was eventually re-christened in 1602 by a Spanish explorer in the name of his patron saint, San Diego. The 1,223,400 residents of this beautiful oceanside city are never more than a short step from a beach anywhere in San Diego's 324.3 sq. miles. Famed as a tourist center, San Diego has 70 miles of beaches and is packed with major attractions including Sea World, the San Diego Zoo, the San Diego Wild Animal Park, Mission Bay and Old Town. The Museum of Contemporary Art is also a favorite with visitors for its collection of post-1950's works in various media, with a high-profile selection of minimalist works and Pop Art from the 60's and 70's.

Cultural Influences

The city has many aspects and characteristics that reflect its Spanish heritage, including the beautiful missions that line the coast. Architecture students and enthusiasts will find many other interesting structures and buildings to explore and admire, such as The Hotel del Coronado on Coronado Island, the largest wooden structure in the United States.

Mexican influences also are a large part of life in San Diego. Tijuana is located just a short drive from San Diego's southern suburbs, and the two cities' economies, employment aspects, and tourism industries are closely interwoven. This stereotypical Mexican border town is a popular daytrip destination for San Diego arts students in search of fun and fiestas. In "Sunny San Diego," an article by Bethan Norris in the July 2003 edition of Language Travel Magazine, Heiko Floegel from Alliant International University in San Diego shared this insight on why students choose to study in the sunny city: "From my experience, students like the beaches, nightlife and definitely shopping, San Diego has the flair of a huge city but the comfort of a village."

art student in San Diego Things To Do

There are many enjoyable activities available in San Diego as well, with many of the most popular focusing on the water and beaches, but art and culture play an important role in the city's entertainment scene. The list of quality art museums in San Diego is surprising, even for a sizable city. Balboa Park, the largest urban cultural park in the U.S., is home to 15 museums, numerous art galleries, and countless other cultural attractions. Throughout the San Diego area, there are over 70 sites listed as museums.

Along with the Museum of Contemporary Art, some of the more well-known venues include the San Diego Museum of Art, best known for its collection of Spanish old Master paintings, the Mingei International Museum with its traditional and contemporary crafts, and the Timken Museum of Art, which features Master paintings, American paintings, and Russian icons. For photography students and other fans of this form of artistic expression, there is the Museum of Photographic Arts (MoPA), which recently underwent an expansion that quadrupled its size.

In addition to the long list of museums and galleries, San Diego is also home to some important and active arts associations. The San Diego Art Institute (SDAI) focuses on showcasing the work of emerging San Diego-area visual artists through a program of over 30 juried shows a year. They have a separate facility dedicated to arts classes and workshops. The San Diego Watercolor Society is a group that meets monthly and organizes exhibits, lectures, and classes.

art in San Diego Art Schools and Programs

Thirteen of the region's 20 major colleges and universities are in the city of San Diego. Platt College -- San Diego, The Art Institute of California - San Diego, the Design Institute of San Diego, San Diego State University's Television, Film, and New Media School and their Department of Art, and the University of San Diego's Department of Arts are some of the options available to students looking for advertising careers, architecture careers, photography careers, interior design schools, graphic design schools and programs geared towards film and fashion careers. Other program areas covered by these schools include commercial art, fine art, art history, and animation. The list of degree options is extensive and offers students a diverse world of opportunities in the visual arts.

The area's largest employers are the military, research facilities and telecommunications companies. Many of these organizations have a need for artists trained in advertising, graphic design, and web design. HDR and HMC Architects, two of California's top architectural firms, have offices in San Diego. The tourism industry also provides employment opportunities for artists such as photographers and designers.

San Diego is known for its near-perfect weather and long expanse of beautiful beaches. The nation's seventh largest city, it is a thriving metropolis with numerous opportunities for visual arts students who enjoy the west coast and all that it has to offer.

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