Life after KCAI - career possibilities
Career options for students who complete the B.F.A. degree at KCAI are virtually limitless. Below are a few examples, by department:
ANIMATION: Recent graduates work for a number of local and regional animation production houses as well as for firms involved in the production of national programs, such as the Cartoon Network’s Emmy Award-winning “Robot Chicken,” or with animation icons such as Bill Plympton. In addition, graduates have gone on to pursue their education at various institutions including The California Institute of the Arts.
ART HISTORY: KCAI graduates with art history/studio majors have been actively involved in a variety of studio practices and major exhibitions. Several have received Peggy Guggenheim Collection internships in Venice, Italy, and many have pursued M.F.A. and Ph.D. degrees at distinguished universities. Careers include museum curator, gallery manager, art critic, college professor, exhibition designer, magazine writer/editor, author, studio artist.
CERAMICS: The B.F.A. degree in ceramics can lead to a variety of careers, including sculptor, installation artist, museum conservator, studio manager, gallery director, mold maker, toy designer, terra cotta and tile restorer, educator, freelance artist and studio artist. Alumni of the ceramics program have been selected for Peggy Guggenheim Collection internships in Venice, Italy, as well as for residencies at the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, Mont., the Mudflats Art Center in Boston, the Richard Carter Studio in California’s Napa Valley and the Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Colorado. Others have been admitted to graduate programs at Alfred University, Cranbrook Academy of Art, Arizona State University and Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London, to name a few.
CREATIVE WRITING: Alumni have become magazine feature writers, art critics and reviewers and have gone on to graduate programs in all kinds of areas, including writing and architecture. Others have pursued careers in industry. Careers in creative writing include magazine writer/editor, novelist, television or movie scriptwriter, Web copywriter, playwright, journalist, short-story writer, critic/ reviewer, poet, teacher, professor, curator, advertising copywriter, creative director and freelance writer.
DIGITAL FILMMAKING: Careers in digital filmmaking include independent video maker, editor, director, production manager, animator, cinematographer, director of photography, lead artist on animated films, motion graphics, sound design, experimental animation, installation work, digital art, producer and scriptwriter.
FIBER: Students who graduate with an emphasis in fiber arts leave prepared to attend graduate school, exhibit in galleries, host their own fashion shows, design for mills and apparel companies or open their own businesses. Careers in fiber include textile designer, design consultant, fashion designer, set designer, costume designer, production weaver, professor, hand-painted textile artist, sculptor, fine paper maker, studio artist, business owner/entrepreneur and freelance artist.
GRAPHIC DESIGN: Graphic design graduates work in a wide array of design fields. Some alumni pursue careers with large corporations such as Crate and Barrel and Hallmark Cards, while others join advertising and design firms, such as Crispin Porter Bugosky, Eisterhold, Pentagram, Sullivan Higdon Sink and VML. Still others pursue the M.F.A. degree at universities nationwide. Careers in graphic design include art director, multimedia designer, publication/print media designer, creative director, Web designer, retail graphic designer, environmental graphic designer, textbook designer, illustrator, desktop publisher, identity system designer and entrepreneur/business owner.
INTERDISCIPLINARY ARTS: Graduates in interdisciplinary arts pursue a variety of career paths as curators, gallery directors, muralists, commercial artists, artists-in-residence, multimedia directors, video editors, teachers and creative directors. They attend and graduate from top graduate schools around the world, win scholarships and awards, assist renowned studio artists, exhibit their work and run their own studio practices.
PAINTING: Careers for graduates who major in painting include exhibiting artist, artist-in-residence, professor, freelance artist, gallery director, curator, muralist, portraitist, story board illustrator and film scene artist. Graduates of the painting program at KCAI have attained national and international reputations as exhibiting artists. Recent graduates Eric Sall (’99), Brian Fahlstrom (’00) and Amy Meyers (’95) have had their work included in the Saatchi Collection in London. Work by Fahlstrom and Angela Dufresne (’91) was included in the “Triumph of Painting - Part 6” publication and exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery and Museum 52 in London. Work by Ke-Sook Lee (’82) and the alumni mentioned above has been shown in Frankfurt, Germany; the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.; the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles; and the Galerie Lefor Openo in Paris.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Careers in photography include fine artist, freelance photographer, commercial studio owner, photo archivist, photography conservator, documentary photographer, photojournalist, curator, fashion photographer, portraitist, college and university professor. Work by KCAI alumni has been exhibited at George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film; Venice Biennale of Architecture; Whitney Museum; Museum of Photographic Arts San Diego; Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography; Nelson Atkins Museum of Art; Kunstverein Ulm; Galerie Herrmann & Wagner, Berlin; Los Angles County Museum of Art; Museum of Contemporary Photography Chicago; Site Santa Fe; and many other galleries and museums around the world.
PRINTMAKING: Graduates of the KCAI printmaking department enjoy a wide variety of successful careers. They exhibit, curate and perform on a national scale. Graduates open their own custom manufacturing studios and print shops. Porter Teleo, founded by a graduate of KCAI, has been featured in magazines including Vogue and Metropolitan Home. Hammerpress, founded by another graduate, represents the Kansas City music scene with award-winning posters. From high end wallpaper to street posters, printmakers with B.F.A. degrees from KCAI work to engage contemporary culture at every level. Careers in printmaking include master printer, lithographer, curator, print technician, book artist, print production manager, commercial printer, educator, college recruiter and digital technician.
SCULPTURE: Graduates of the program have become successful artists and sculptors in their own right, and many have moved on to graduate school to refine their practice. Careers in sculpture include studio artist, architectural details artist, set designer, foundry owner/worker, restorer, conservator, toy designer, puppeteer, industrial designer and teacher/professor.