For starters — four good reasons…
1. You Can Get There From Here
“Whether it’s an internship in Manhattan, a performing tour in New Zealand, or career ambition anywhere, the College of the Arts at Montclair State University can help you GET THERE.”
Just 14 miles from midtown Manhattan, which is visible from our campus on the hill, stands Montclair State University’s College of the Arts.
The College of the Arts (CART) is a professional training ground for artists, performers, practitioners, media storytellers, and teachers. Based on the professional school model, CART offers intensive programs in the arts, in conjunction with a broad-based liberal arts education, preparing students for careers in Art and Design, Communication and Media, Dance, Music, and Theatre.
Recognized since 1978 as a New Jersey Center of Excellence in the Arts, CART was again acknowledged in 1987 with a $6 million Governors Challenge Grant (the largest known grant of its kind!) – and many times over through its accreditations and awards. What government agencies know, and our students appreciate first-hand, are Montclair’s progressive degree programs, world-class faculty and first-rate facilities.
At Montclair State we believe the arts thrive in a synergistic environment. With access to 2,300 university courses and interdisciplinary opportunities, CART is an environment where creativity not only takes form, but takes flight. Approximately 3,000 students study in the College of the Arts. Together with 18,000 other students university-wide, they represent all parts of the state and many parts of the world. But what makes our students truly special is their search for individuality. Through internships, study abroad and CART’s production/performance/exhibition opportunities, our students start building their resumes from freshman year.
2. Location, Location, Location… The Best of Three Worlds
“If location is important for studying the arts … and we believe it is … The College of the Arts at Montclair State University offers the BEST OF THREE WORLDS.”
Manhattan’s living textbook of world-class museums, galleries, concert halls, theatres, festivals and broadcasting venues offers the arts at their best – the arts on their cutting edge. Our students have access to all this, plus opportunities to build lifelong connections with some of the most prestigious arts institutions in the world. All this . . . just 30 minutes away by bus or train, both of which stop at the University campus.
Even closer to home is the township of Montclair – a beautiful suburban yet cosmopolitan town with an artistic legacy all its own. Once a turn of the century artists’ colony, the township today is home to a thriving arts community, with several art galleries, cinemas, professional music, theatre and opera companies, and the nationally recognized Montclair Art Museum just down the road. Also nearby is the New Jersey Performing Arts Center – Lincoln Center’s closest counterpart! – and the renowned Newark Museum.
Still, our students needn’t leave the campus at all for cultural and recreational enrichment. Not a day passes when there aren’t movies, plays, performances, exhibits … plus sports, club meetings and more.
3. Progressive Degree Programs and First-Rate Facilities
“I’m so glad I chose Montclair. Even while majoring in art I can take courses in business and minor in a completely different area. I can even double-major.”
The College of the Arts supports a broad range of artistic interests. Through its four academic units, the College offers as many as 50 majors, minors and concentrations on the graduate and undergraduate level.
Our state-of-art facilities include gallery and exhibition spaces, a sculpture garden, a film and television production center, audio and sound design studios, an expansive News Lab, a social media hub, computer labs, a multitude of art studios, modern dance performance spaces, a ballet studio, six theatre facilities, scene and costume design shops, a music recital hall, rehearsal studios, recording studio and 30 practice rooms.
4. Plus So Much More…
“I can’t believe I get free admission to all CART concerts, performances, exhibitions and Visiting Artist lectures — just by showing my student ID. Last week we saw Baryshnikov and last semester, Whoopie Goldberg!”
Complementing the academic programs, the College of the Arts supports a range of audience opportunities – not only for Montclair State students, but for thousands of community patrons.
Art and Design Forum and MSU/MAM: Art Talks feature ongoing lectures by artists, designers, art historians and art critics from around the world, who present their work and ideas in an open forum.
The School of Communication and Media Building serves as an instructional laboratory for the university at large. It is perhaps most recognized for its widely acclaimed and award-winning News Lab productions and WMSC 90.3 radio programming.
Arts & Cultural Programming produces a wide range of professional programs, from the development of new and innovative works to the presentation of national and international artists. Events are open to the public and free to Montclair State undergraduate students!
Memorial Auditorium, the university’s 1,000-seat theatre, hosts all forms of performance presentations, lectures, films and symposia. Other facilities include the new and state-of-the-art Alexander Kasser Theater (500 seats), presenting progressive and contemporary works, plus several smaller spaces, including, Howard Fox Studio Theatre; the Montclair State University Dance Space, and Black Box Theatre. Through the division of Audience Services, both presenters and patrons are afforded a range of amenities that enhance their performing, viewing and listening experiences.
The Music Concert Series and Theatre and Dance Series each present an annual season of more than 100 concerts, plays, events and recitals that feature the work of students, faculty and guest artists.
The University Art Galleries present seventeen annual exhibitions and related events, featuring its 630-piece contemporary collection and works from artists of regional and international acclaim.
The Extension Division at Cali School of Music offers private lessons, ensemble participation, and music theory instruction to pre-college youths as well as teaching opportunities for CART’s music majors. As an extension of the Prep, Stokes Music Camp offers further instruction to 60 gifted children each summer in the university’s Stokes Forest facility.
The College of the Arts Advisory Board works to support the mission of the College of the Arts by generating funds for scholarships and special projects. Board members include influential corporate and community leaders, including CART alumni and patrons of the arts.
The Office of Student Services, often a first stop made by prospective CART students, oversees recruitment and admission of new students, as well as selective services to enrolled students. It also sponsors “Arts Days” – events featuring CART’s degree programs.