CCA Undergraduate Zine: Learn about art and design school

Californi a egelloC htfo e Arts

This is a practical guide to picking an art school without totally freaking yourself out.

California College of the Arts is the action-oriented art and design school in San Francisco. Through a blend of theory and practice, we inspire our students to make work that matters, shaping the progress of their individual lives, ideas, and communities.

New!

Flower Head

+4 collaboration

*Navigate ambiguity

Beanie Boi

+3 aesthetics

*Master composition

Spiky Space Star

+5 perspective

*Explore new forms

Endless-Charge Camera

+5 documentation

*Tech smarts

IMPACT

Bottomless Toolbox

+4 interdisciplinarity

*Extra materials

Giant Magic Pencil

+6 speculative design

*Exquisite corpse

Social Justice

+2 inclusivity

*Creative synergy

Individuality

+2 authenticity

*Constant evolution

Sustainability

+2 resourcefulness

*Renewable energy

BUILD YOUR CHARACTER

What’s important to you? Who do you want to be? What dreams do you have for the world? As you consider which art and design school would be best for you, the answers to these questions can help guide your decision-making — whether you’re still in high school, attending another college, or simply traveling the galaxy.

WHAT DOES YOUR DREAM SCHOOL’S COMMUNITY LOOK AND FEEL LIKE?

Students at CCA are from all over the world, with a range of backgrounds and experiences. First-year students. Transfer students. International students. You name it, we’re here. And we come together in weirdly awesome — and awesomely surprising — ways. People who choose CCA want to be part of a community that helps them grow as a human and an artist.

CCA cultivates ideas, industry, and impact in the progressive San Francisco Bay Area, educating our students as global changemakers through purposeful practice and critical discourse.

What’s campus like?

Sprawling, with every discipline represented. From accounting to zoology.

What do your students want to do after college?

Anything and everything!

What are your classes like?

A blend of lecture hall-style courses, smaller classes, and in-studio courses. General education requirements ...

What’s something your surrounding community says when asked about your students?

“De-fense! De-fense!”

What’s your alumni network like?

Why should I choose you?

Broad-reaching. Lots of options.

Prefer to transfer to art school? CCA accepts 75% of transfer applicants! Half of our transfer students come from community colleges. Our 2+2 agreements are a great option, or you can transfer to CCA at any time — there’s no minimum credit requirement.

Real collegiate vibes. Greenery. Kinda like the Hollywood version of college. Pursue a variety of career paths.

... like math and English are usually your focus the first two years.

“I see them in the library and cafe a lot.”

Tight-knit.

Great connections.

The one thing they’ve always dreamed of.

Smaller classes. Probably no lectures. In-studio courses with hands-on work is the priority straight through.

“They’re so creative. And you can count on them to be allies in activism.”

Tight-knit, global, and specific to art, design, architecture, or writing. (For example, 78% of CCA alumni are working in their field of study.)

Creative practice is everywhere you turn. Maker facilities, workshops, student studios, expert critiques, exhibitions, cool tools, film screenings — and the list goes on. Art is life.

SAN FRANCISCO

WHERE GOLDEN OPPORTUNITIES ABOUND, RIGHT OUTSIDE YOUR DOOR.

HANDS-ON PRACTICE

1. California College of the Arts

2. CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts

CREATIVE INSPIRATION

3. RayKo Photo Center

4. San Francisco Center for the Book

5. City Lights Booksellers and Publishers

6. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

7. de Young Museum

8. Museum of Craft and Design

9. Legion of Honor Museum

10. Headlands Center for the Arts

11. San Francisco Design Center

12. Minnesota Street Project

INSTAGRAM HUMBLE-BRAGS

13. Golden Gate Park

14. Golden Gate Bridge

15. Ferry Building

16. The Presidio

17. The Castro

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Name__ AJ Elma__

Major__Painting and Drawing__

Handle__@ari5totle__

“Hi, my name is Aristotle, aka AJ, and I’m a Painting and Drawing student at CCA. My piece Slow Jam (pictured on the right) is an expression of how dancing can feel transcendent and otherworldly. I plan to expand on this body of work and further explore the indescribability of dance as a culture.”

*(Or don’t and do it your first year! But def know your options.)

SEE THE FUTURE

BFA Individualized Studies student

CCA Technology Services work-study student

Design fellow

Butcher shop apprentice

BArch Architecture student

Resident advisor (RA)

Muralist

Almost-archeologist

BFA Illustration student

BFA Interaction Design student

Real CCA student pathways to the real world

Illustrations by Ingrid Yang (BFA Graphic Design 2021)

Art gallery preparator

Product designer at Instagram

BFA Individualized transfer student Junior architect

Designer at Gensler

Design associate

All-gender jewelry designer

City council candidate

Book illustrator with independent publisher

Junior UX/UI designer at an art and design college

“ EVERY PROFESSOR I’VE HAD TAUGHT ME A NEW WAY OF THINKING AND ENCOURAGED ME TO FIND A VOICE IN NEW DESIGN STYLES. ”

“I CHOSE CCA BECAUSE I FELT LIKE I DIDN’T BELONG ANYWHERE ELSE.”

— Cameron Barnes (BFA Printmedia)

MEANWHILE, OUR HERO JOURNEYS TO THE LAND OF FINANCIAL AID…

What

WORKSTUDY GRANTS SCHOLAR -SHIPS

Colleges like CCA believe in the power of art and design education. They want you to learn and then beam that power into your future communities.

Don‛t

LOANS

To make it possible, they offer a lot of financial aid opportunities…

and lead you to additional resources if you need it.

I‛m also going to apply for scholarships.

Great idea! Did you know when you apply to CCA by the priority deadline you‛re automatically considered for merit-based scholarships?

And the FAFSA and California Dream Act make it easy to apply for federal and state aid.

HOW MUCH THO? The net-price calculator reveals all.

Thanks for the pep talk. What‛s next?

Well, my math-y pals built a calculator that shows how much aid you might receive…

TO BE CONTINUED at cca.edu/financial-aid

Q: Why do art and design colleges require a portfolio?

A:They want to get to know you! Beyond the application. What do you value? How do you think? Why do you enjoy the making process? Plus, many scholarships, like CCA’s merit scholarships, are partly awarded based on an applicant’s portfolio.

TIP: The best portfolios express who the applicant is as a person, not just their skill level.

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Alia Moussa, Blocked.

Paint

AText Editor

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Meredith "Wheredith" Bond, Make Way.

A good portfolio can get you in. A great portfolio can get you scholarships. Good to know!

Hubbel has entered the chat

Wattis415 has entered the chat

CaliDreamin23 Is my portfolio any good?

FreddyFromAdmissions has entered the chat

FreddyFromAdmissions My #1 tip is to include pieces you’re most excited about. That energy comes through in the work. We want to see your POV on the world.

TheoryPractice has entered the chat

Wattis415 has entered the chat

CCA_Admissions Attend National Portfolio Day! At NPD, reps from AICAD* schools give feedback on your portfolio (which you can use to apply anywhere btw).

For more tips, how-tos, and NPD info, visit cca.edu/portfolio.

@Dogpatch has entered the chat

*What‛s AICAD? It stands for Association of Independent Colleges of Art & Design and comprises 36 accredited schools. CCA is the only one in Northern California.

June Lee, To Cut.

Open fall 2024

As the leading art college in Northern California, CCA has a strong vision for the future of art and design education.

TWO RESIDENCE HALLS

GREENSPACES

COMMUNITY SPACES

ART GALLERIES

WORKSHOPS & STUDIOS

MAKERSPACES & FACILITIES

SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE

NATURAL LIGHT

+78,650 SQUARE FEET (or 7,307 SQUARE METERS)

Digital rendering courtesy of architecture rm Studio Gang.

Sketch or write about some things you love to do now:

PRECOLLEGE

High school summer but make it college

CCA Pre-College

summer to-do list

Live on campus in San Francisco

Learn from expert, welcoming faculty

Show my artwork in a public exhibition

Make pieces for my college application portfolio

Earn 3 college credits

MAKE ART THAT MATTERS MAKE ART THAT MATTERS

This is a practical guide to picking an art school without totally freaking yourself out.

CCA Paint