Memphis College of Art

Excellent School for Advanced Artists. Love it. They go beyond to help you go out in the real world and find great jobs all over the country.
5 7 years ago (23-03-2018)

Emily Smith and Madison Reese pretty much summed up how challenging my time was at MCA. Forced into debt despite scholarships to get a Bachelor's of Fine Arts. Snobby teachers and weird classmates. It almost killed my creative inclinations. It's the reason I don't even think creatively anymore. My teachers and fellow students basically told me I couldn't draw a straight line with a ruler, even though my art training goes back from middle school to community college, and a limited amount of training beyond that. It's been many years since my time at that school and I have no happy memories of it, except for the day I decided to drop out. If you want to go into an art related field, I suggest you go to a community college or university where you'll get more real world training and less avant-garde BS. Otherwise, go to culinary school, Job Corp, learn to drive trucks or buses, the police academy, something! This place destroys hopes and dreams. In a few years, the school will be no more and I won't be sad when that day comes.
1 7 years ago (06-05-2018)

Idk whatever emily is talking about i loved it. Idk what else to say the only thing i have to complain about is like the dorms arnt in the park also hut you really cant help that (but no seriously be careful at night no matter what not saying its dangerous in any way but you never know ya know betyer safe than sorry so walk home with a freind or something ya know)
5 8 years ago (15-08-2017)

THIS SCHOOL IS A SCAM!! This school is great if you're looking to spend a ton of money on classes where professors don't teach you anything, no resources are provided, and no one is actually as helpful as they make themselves out to be. In coming here they offered me a ton of scholarships but I still had to take out a loan to cover the rest of my tuition and school supplies. I was supposed to get an $800 refund check to cover my books and supplies but when the time came they told me I didn't take out enough and had to pay out of pocket for a rediculous amount of supplies that I ended up only actually needing half of. On top of that I had to pay the school a remaining $100 each month for reasons they never fully explained to me. The studio classes are horrible, the grading is super subjective and not at all based on the individual student's progress, and if you miss a class or two, someone will email you scolding for not being there. The dorms are nice but the wifi never works and if anything breaks you can try to put in a work order but will ultimately have to deal with whatever the problem is yourself. The staff acts like they're sensitive to your problems but nothing they have done for me is actually helpful. This school really killed my vibe for art. In my process of transferring I got little to no help from administration. I was constantly being forwarded to other members of staff to help me when it turns out all I had to do to make my transfer complete was fill out a transfer form with the registrar and do an online exit counseling through studentloans.gov. No one was very helpful and any time someone did get in contact with me, it was only to try to persuade me to stay at MCA. Don't waste your time or money at this school.
1 8 years ago (13-06-2017)

I applied to art college unsure of what I ultimately wanted to do; I thought about illustrating, pursuing art therapy, teaching... I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted to make art. Through my experience here, I was able to explore my options through rigorous coursework, being challenged to think outside of my typical aesthetic and assign meaning to my work. Not only did I learn how to make good art, but I also learned how to create a business, apply to grants and residencies, form connections with emerging as well as established artists in Memphis and around the world, put together an art exhibit and pretty much everything I needed to know to become a professional artist. I felt that my instructors had a strong interest in my success and I felt challenged and open to asking questions of them. Probably my favorite course was Professional Practices (a class which is now a graduation requirement) in which we learned everything we needed to know about being a professional artist. The Career Services department also checked in with me regularly so that as my future career plans changed, I got all the assistance I needed to explore those options. Four years after graduating from MCA, I am proud of my achievements, most of which I attribute to my time at this institution. I have shown my work in around 50 exhibitions, have been hired steadily to create commissions, including creating a massive painting for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and I sell my work pretty regularly. I did not always enjoy my time in school (who ever does?) but I liked it enough to stick around and I'm so pleased that I did. I highly recommend Memphis College of Art.
5 9 years ago (27-10-2016)