Imagine never having to take a math or science class ever again. Imagine sitting outside and drawing anything within eye’s range, then turning that in for homework. Imagine classes revolving around taking photos, sculpting objects out of clay and graphic design.

For a handful of seniors this year, these are just a few of the opportunities they will be receiving in the fall at an art college.

For senior Chris Williford, going to an art school was a decision long in the making.

“I decided to go to art school simply because I couldn’t see myself pursuing anything else,” Williford said. “I’ve always known I wanted to devote my life to making art and learning from great artists.”

Williford will be attending the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in the fall, planning to major in Illustration with a studio concentration in Animation, as well as a minor in Creative Writing. This choice of institute was not difficult, as he attended the MICA Pre-College program last summer and is already familiar with the campus and several other students heading there in the fall.

“I’m most in love with [MICA] because it is not only small, but it is humble,” Williford said. “There is plenty of room for me to grow as an artist because of the individualized instruction. They are also the only art college to hand-select your foundation year schedule.”

(left to right) Megan Cooper, Sarah Rousey, and Chris Williford pose with pieces from their AP-Art portfolios. Photo by Jack Ficklen.

Foundation year, a traditional element of most art colleges, is the first year, when all freshman art students take general classes, unspecific to any major. Only after this experience of all the different majors available is a student able to officially declare one. Though Williford is looking forward to such a year of experiences, he already has future goals in mind.

“I’m interested in working for anyone who will hire me, as long as I can make art,” Williford said. “I’d have to say my dream job would be an art director for an animated television show. I want to create the next ‘SpongeBob’.”

For senior Megan Cooper, soon to be attending the Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI), her future major is not as clear-cut.

“I’ve been advised to go into the graphic design major; however, I don’t really like graphic design, and I kind of doubt I would enjoy it,” Cooper said. “My real passion is printmaking, which, as fate would have it, is incredibly worthless job-wise.”

Though her future career is still a bit of a mystery, the one thing for certain for Cooper was going to an art school; because of this, most of Cooper’s high school career has been oriented around this focus.

“I’ve basically always known I was going to go to an art school, and if I did not, then I would have failed myself,” Cooper said.

To be considered, a portfolio of 20 art pieces was to be submitted, as well as the more common facets of an application, such as an essay, transcripts and recommendation letters. While some schools focus more on the academic elements of a student during the consideration process, KCAI in particular is more interested in the portfolio and essay portion.

All of this, in addition to the fact that most art schools are not only excellent in artistic fields but also in preparing students for creative writing and art-related careers, such as curators or teachers, made a decision between art schools a difficult one for Cooper.

“I liked Kansas City in particular because they were nicer than the other schools I had talked to, simple as that,” Cooper said. “And of course, no math classes.”

While many people consider art schools to be centered solely on extremely artistic areas, such as sculpting and printmaking, there are several interdisciplinary majors for students to choose from. Senior Sarah Rousey, who will be attending Pratt Institute in New York, is set to head down such a path: architecture.

“My plan is to get internships at different firms in New York during the five-year duration of my schooling [at Pratt] and to one day have my own architecture firm to design commercial buildings,” Rousey said.

Rousey’s acceptance to Pratt, where she applied during the Early Decision program, consisted of an application of three essays, an art portfolio and two interviews, one in Dallas and one in New York. During one of these interviews, a representative from the school viewed her portfolio and provided her with feedback on her work.

“I chose Pratt over some other art schools that I considered primarily for their architecture program,” Rousey said. “I’ve lived in Texas almost my whole life, and I think that even though I may be taking a risk in going so far away, I’m going to have a lot of opportunities that I may have missed out on if I had chosen to play it safe.”

For all three of these talented seniors, it is likely that the schools they choose will be able to provide them an experience far different from any normal state school.

“I think that an art school is going to provide you with a creative environment that no other university could,” Rousey said. “Typically, art schools are a lot smaller than most colleges, and you have the chance to get a lot closer to your classmates than at a school where you see thousands of different faces every day. Needless to say, I’m really excited.”

I can recall The Wizard of Oz being one of the first movies that I ever had the experience of watching. I have seen it so many times that I can proudly quote nearly every line of it and sing along to every song. So when I was told that the movie was coming out in theaters for a one-night showing in honor of its 17th anniversary encore, I bought my tickets immediately.

Finding someone to go with me was a bit more of a challenge, however. Due to the fact that the show aired for only one night, inconveniently, right in the middle of the evening on a Tuesday, it was a bit difficult to find someone to go along with. Most of my friends weren’t too excited by the prospect of going to watch the movie in theaters, stating that if they wanted, they could have the same experience right at home later that week for free.

But after having the opportunity to watch this well-loved classic on the big screen, I can surely say that an experience like this was a once in a lifetime chance that an old VHS tape on a home television screen definitely cannot provide.

For starters, the movie began with a special introduction by Robert Osborne, a film historian, followed by a look into how the classic novel by L. Frank Baum was transformed into the first techicolor film. But besides these aspects, the movie in theaters had a different quality to it that allowed me to view it in a way that I never before had.

The drastic change between the black-and-white life Dorothy led while in Kansas to the glittering colors of Oz were more strongly contrasted when flashed across the big screen than could have ever been portrayed on my small television at home. It seemed like the voices of the cast were more refined when played with a professional set of speakers and the quality of the movie as a whole seemed much clearer. Though I’m nearly sure certain technical aspects were tweaked in order to refine the movie for the big screen, just the fact that I was watching one of my all-time favorite movies in a theater served to make the experience all the more enjoyable.

Watching this movie across the big screen made me somehow feel a bit more connected to my childhood. I felt so old for having seen it such a long time ago, but at the same time I felt so young that I was able to relive these cherished memories before they dissapeared forever.

The theater was surprisingly empty due to the fact that not many people had were aware that this event was happening. While it was nice to be in a smaller theater with fewer distractions, I felt slightly bad that so many people had missed out on this experience. Watching things in the theater provides for a whole new scope on them, regardless of the amount of times the movie has been seen.

The fact that this was a one-time-only event at such a nondescript hour saddened me. Re-releases of old time children’s movies in theaters seem to be common now, what with that of Toy Story 1 and Toy Story 2 only a month ago. I hope that if not The Wizard of Oz, another well-loved classic will be re-released into the theaters, so I can have the experience of reliving another part of my childhood once again across the big screens.