So my niece is very excited to report she has been accepted by The Art Institute of Boston. Good for her, she fancies herself a photographer. I regret that when my mind turns to TAIoB, all I get is matchbook covers daring me to draw “Blinkie.”
Is the school well thought-of?
AIB - Biggest issue is that the studios are in Kenmore Square, the dorms are at Leslie College, a long shuttle bus ride away. The studios are right across the bridge over the Mass. Pike from Fenway Park. My gut feeling is that AIB has a higher than average transfer/drop out rate, so you might want to try to find that out.
My son looked at this 6 year ago, but ended up going to Mass College of Art and Design. Mass Art is a state school, so if your niece is a Mass resident, or can somehow get the in-state tuition rate, that is a really good value school.
No, an out-of-stater with (IMHO) and over-developed sense of her own talent. We will see.
It’s a chain – there’s one in Philly, Pittsburgh, and I’m sure other places as well. Emphasis more on career training than fine arts. Not cheap, not particularly prestigious, but not necessarily a racket.
twicks, who covers higher education
IT IS NOT A CHAIN… it is an independent non-profit that is under Lesley and is an excellent art school. Because it is under a larger educational facility, it also has an immense amount of support, diversity and additional options because it is not a stand alone art school. It was originally founded in 1912 and then it was renamed in 1967 The Art Institute of Boston or commonly referred to as AIB or AIBoston.
The chain version Ai’s were founded in 1962 and is a FOR profit entity with a completely seperate affiliation and curriculum agenda.
In response to the above comment on the location. You are correct that it is currently in Fenway while Lesley and dorms are in Cambridge BUT there is construction happening real-time to move the AIB campus to Cambridge across the street from Lesley’s Main Campus within the next couple of years.
You’re right. I stand corrected.
Twicks that’s incorrect, it is most certainly not a chain! You are thinking of the Art Institutes, which is indeed a chain of for-profit degree mills. AIB (aiboston.edu) is not in any way affiliated with these schools. It offers both undergrad and grad degrees in fine arts, photography, graphic design, illustration, and animation. Its Wikipedia page actually has a good summary of the school: Lesley University - Wikipedia
AIB is a private, 4-year college which used to be self-owned but was bought by Lesley University something like 10 years ago. Lesley runs and pays for the school but AIB has its own president and runs itself much like it did when it was self-owned.
I attended for a year in the illustration program (before I actually transferred over to Lesley for an English degree) and my husband is a graduate (graphic design). I have many friends still from my time there and at Lesley, some of whom were photography majors. They all thought highly of their time in the photo department.
And yes, since Lesley owns the school the dormitories are all over in Cambridge next to the Harvard campus. It’s all by Harvard Square and near Porter Square, both great places to live. I miss living in those areas! The dorms are all really nice as well, some are co-ed and some single sex (mostly the freshman areas).
The AIB class campus is currently in two buildings in Kenmore square, but shuttles run constantly up until about 7 or 8 pm between the two campuses so it’s not a big deal that you live a few miles from where you go to class. Many upperclassmen get apartments in Brighton or Allston, so for the most part the dorms are underclassmen anyway.
This may change soon in the future. Lesley has bought real estate in Porter Square and plans to move the AIB campus there once they are done building. But that is probably several years away.
Here’s my humble opinion on the pros and cons of going to AIB.
Pros:
-campus locations are amazing, both in Cambridge and Kenmore (right next to Harvard Square and Fenway Stadium, respectively)
-affiliation with Lesley means that there are many programs and classes a student can take outside of just the art curriculum, and many clubs one can join that wouldn’t be available other wise. (Examples: theatre groups, arts education courses, sports teams, social and community service groups, etc)
-classes are rigorous and the arts foundations are heavily emphasized for all majors
-teachers are well-respected and demand high quality output from students
Cons:
-this is not a cheap school. Honestly Mass Art is also a great school and much cheaper for in-state students, if that is your situation
-Lesley has pushed AIB to add many non-arts foundation requirements for freshmen, which was not always the case. They now require science and math courses to be taken, which many art schools do not. This is a huge negative for some students.
-small campus means that the school simply doesn’t have room more huge studio spaces or shops. If a student is interested in metalworking or glasswork, they can’t do that here, unlike at a larger university with the space for such.
Congratulations to your niece, and if she has any specific questions about the school, or the campus, or the life there, just let me know! I’d be happy to answer anything here or in PM.