Pratt Fine Arts Center?

[anatomist1]

Anyone heard of the Pratt Fine Arts Center in Seattle? It sounds like they have about the same facilities as a University, yet allow you to use the facilities either by the hour, day, month, or per use, whichever applies. They also have classes, but they are short and specific.

http://www.pratt.org/

If this is as good as it sounds, I may try it instead of going for an MfA, as it has everything that I would want from an MfA, none of the stuff I wouldn't want, and costs 5 to 10 times less. Does anyone know of similar types of facilities in other big cities? I've often imagined a place like this, but didn't think they existed.

[Ries]

Pratt is a great place.
It has been around for 29 years this year, offering classes in metals, jewelry, glass, ceramics, and various other things.
I have known many friends who have taught there over the years- all great artists and teachers.
It is quite reasonable, and a lot of people over the years have taken advantage of its fine facilities, particularly in areas like glass and metal, where setting up your own shop is so expensive.

The downside is that Seattle is one expensive place to live- rents are astronomical. There are jobs there, and the pay is pretty decent for many of them, but everything is expensive, because the real estate costs so much.

Another similar facility is the Crucible, in Oakland Ca.
http://www.thecrucible.org/
Also lots of great classes, in a range of cool mediums.
Again, the Bay area is expensive to live in.

Depending on your actual areas of interest, there are also some trade/technical/community colleges with a similar setup- you can take individual classes, they are state subsidised so they are reasonably priced, and they have great facilities.
For Instance, Austin Community College, in Austin Texas, has one of the very few top notch blacksmithing programs in the whole USA- along with classes on coppersmithing, architectural hardware, and lots of art metal classes.
http://www3.austincc.edu/catalog/fy2007/descweld.htm

Personally, I think for most people an MFA is a waste of time, unless somebody else is paying for it. If you want to study with a specific person, maybe, but in most cases you can get more done spending the same amount of money just renting a studio and buying materials.

I know people in Wisconsin who teach both at the University in Madison (great sculptor named Aris Georgiades) and at MIAD in Milwaukee- both have good sculpture programs, but as a sculptor, you tend to shop more by the tools a facility has than a painter would, and I dont know what your specific interests are, or how they match up to what those two schools offer.

I do recommend Milwaukee to art students from Seattle- the low rents make for a much more interesting grass roots art scene than in Seattle- an average storefront in Downtown Seattle would rent for $6000 to $10,000 a month, easy, which makes it hard for a couple of grad students to start their own gallery- so a place like Milwaukee has much more going on in terms of alternative galleries, poetry slams, dance, performance, and experimental music and art of all kinds.

[anatomist1]

Thanks. I'll check into the Oakland one too.

My interests and situation are a bit peculiar. I agree that an MfA is usually a waste, but I can afford it fairly easily. I don't need a job, as I live off of 'passive income'. My main purposes are to live downtown in a big city too expensive for me to afford renting my own studio and apartment, extensive facilities, and interacting with other art people in and around the working environment. The only reason I was thinking of the MfA is because I didn't know these kinds of places existed. I don't think the cost of renting a small apartment in one of these cities will be a problem. My problem on my own is having to get a place with a big garage to work in, which puts me in the suburbs and/or is not affordable.

I have worked at the UWM and taken a class with Aris. A situation like that is exactly what I am trying to avoid. I was fine at the department before he came, as it was a sort of laissez-faire free for all (though admittedly a bit of a dump). He arrived and had an elaborate teaching agenda, with specific, concept-based assignments, restricted studio access, etc... I won't try to work there again.

I am trying a class at UW Milwaukee next semester. I talked to the professor there, and he seems more up my alley. I don't know what you are talking about with the Milwaukee art scene. I've lived there for a few months off and on. The art scene seemed pretty rinky-dink on the one gallery night I went out on. I came away with the impression that it wouldn't even be worth the time and effort to try to show there. I'll look into it further this fall, in case I was too hasty. It is cheap, and nearby, which is why I'm there. However, as a city, I don't think it remotely compares culturally overall to a big one like Seattle or the SF. People-wise, it's especially rough for a young single person who is looking to meet someone who is not an overweight alcoholic smoker.

[obseq]

I just requested a catalog from Pratt-- I was thinking of seeing if any courses correspond with the dates of the upcoming ISC Conference in Seattle.

In another thread, there was some discussion regarding Penland over in North Carolina. They had such a wide variety of classes offered, but if Pratt proves equivalent in the same capacity, it might be a more affordable travel option for me.

[fused]

Penland is in North Carolina near Ashville, in the western part of the state
and is nearer the experience of Pilchuck, Haystack and other craft schools.

[anatomist1]

It appears that everything in the Pratt catalog is also on this page, unless your computer has as much trouble loading the pdf's as mine does:

http://www.pratt.org/PRIMARY/classes_fall06.html

[tobias]

I know Sabah he is one of the sculpture profs.He is a great guy and also an amazing stone carver. He has been teaching there for quite a while. I also know seattle fairly well its a great place with I think lots of opportunities for sculpture. Good luck man

[anatomist1]

Thanks tobias. I just ordered a plane ticket to go out there next week to check things out.

Just looked him up. That is some impressive carving. From what samples I've seen so far, it seems like the staff is pretty craftsmanship-oriented, which I like.

[obseq]

Anatomist,

Did you get a chance to head to Pratt's facilities?

What did you think?

[anatomist1]

I just took my first look today. It seems like the facilities are good. The space is a bit smaller than I expected, but they have most of what anyone would need for fabricating, foundry, forging, stone carving, and glassblowing. I didn't see any of the really huge industrial steel working machinery though. I don't think they have space for it. They also have art metals (jewelry), and a bunch of 2d art areas which I didn't bother to look at.

So far, I have two areas of concern, though. From what I have gathered so far, they do not have any lockers or storage areas for work in progress and/or personal tools. The woman I talked to wasn't clear, but they may not even ALLOW the use of personal tools.

This would probably kill the deal for me, as I need to at least be able to use my own torch handle and tips. To me, this is a precision tool. I have a special lightweight handle and the entire spectrum of tips in perfect condition. Some beat-up Victor handles with an assortment of reamed out tips of indeterminate guage is no substitute.

I also need a vise mounted on a sculpture stand with adjustable height and rotation. This is partly an issue of enabling me to make the forms and partly about ergonomics and back health - without one of these I'd be headed for an ordeal of back pain in no time. Hopefully, they would at least let me donate one or make one for the shop.

The other issue is that the access hours may not be very extensive. The website gave the impression that it was open all day almost every day, but that's the whole building. It appears one has to reserve times, not work during classes, and there may be other restrictions. If the access times are too restricted, that could also be a deal-killer.

I have an appointment with the sculpture director on Monday, so I'll know more then.