Grünewald Guild Competitors

Located in the heart of the Portland Arts District, Maine College of Art & Design offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts, a Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art, a Master of Arts in Teaching, an Online Master of Arts in Education, an Online Graduate Certificate in Arts Leadership and Administration, an Online Graduate Certificate in Expressive Arts Therapy, a Salt Graduate Certificate in Documentary Studies, as well as Continuing Studies for adults and youths, including a Pre-College intensive for high school students. The College transformed a former department store into the main campus building with vibrant classrooms and studios that are open 24/7. Also located in the Porteous Building, the Institute of Contemporary Art serves a critical regional role in its commitment to presenting contemporary, provocative work by living artists from Maine and around the globe. The Joanne Waxman Library is one of the largest independent libraries in Northern New England. Undergraduate students spend the first year developing a foundation and the second year exploring a variety of media. At the start of junior year, students declare a major and spend the next two years working within their discipline. The College offers 8 majors in the BFA program: Ceramics, Animation & Game Art, Graphic Design, Illustration, Painting, Photography, Sculpture, and Textile & Fashion Design. The College provides individual studios to all juniors and seniors, and it is part of a five-college alliance that allows students to access classes and resources in the surrounding area. Maine College of Art & Design is a non-profit institution of higher education that is both NEASC and NASAD accredited.

Founded in 1966, Anderson Ranch Arts Center is a premier destination for art making and a catalyst for critical dialog in the contemporary art world. The Ranch brings together aspiring and internationally renowned artists to discuss and further their work in a stimulating environment. Nestled among the high peaks of the Rocky Mountains in Aspen/Snowmass, Colo., the campus is comprised of 14 ranch buildings on five beautifully kept acres. Every summer, the Ranch offers over 140 workshops for adults, teens and children in eight disciplines including Photography & New Media, Ceramics, Painting & Drawing, Furniture Design & Woodworking, Sculpture, Woodturning, Printmaking, and Digital Fabrication. In addition, the Ranch hosts many public events making the campus a hub of creative energy and activity with the exciting Summer Series, lively Lunchtime Auctionettes, insightful Guest Faculty Lectures, the Annual Art Auction, Gallery Exhibits and more. Ten-week Artist-in-Residence programs are offered in spring and fall and more artistic programming year-round. The Ranch is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, and in 2016 will celebrate its 50th anniversary, furthering its mission to provide transformative experiences that celebrate artists, art making, creative dialogue and community. See more at andersonranch.org.

Oregon College of Art and Craft (OCAC) has earned a reputation as a leading college of art and craft in the United States. Known for its exceptional faculty of artists and makers, the uniquely small, mentor-based community is comprised of approximately 180 students who pursue full-time bachelor's or master's degree programs, in addition to the 2500 students enrolled annually in youth and adult programs. At OCAC students are encouraged to work across the full range of its specialized facilities in the seven studio areas that comprise Craft at OCAC. Its hands-on, studio-based approach to learning – one in which critical thinking informs making works by hand – is enhanced by a robust, integrated liberal arts component that prepares graduates to become critical and informed makers and thinkers eager to interact with the world around them. Its over four hundred alumni, 82% of whom are employed in the arts, exemplify the vital role artists and makers play in satisfying the global demand for new ways of thinking, making and innovating. Founded in 1907, OCAC (pronounced “O-see-A-see”) is an active player in the Portland, OR ethos as the home of the small batch, hand-made, environmentally sound, and ethically entrepreneurial. OUR MISSION: Oregon College of Art and Craft is dedicated to Craft as the creative material practice at the core of art and design. OCAC's mentor-based learning community fosters self-reliant, entrepreneurial, globally conscious, critical and innovative makers.