What do you tell parents of talented children who want to be artists?  I have met many, and my most honest answer is, that this is a good thing.  I know they are most worried about how the ability and desire to make beautiful drawings will translate into a college degree, a paying job, a satisfying career, and a happy future.  My response is consistent.  Young adults who pursue the question, “why does art matter?” and those who have the impulse to create objects, or other forms of visual expression, are striving toward an intelligent contribution to be shared with the rest of us. The creatively curious art student who sees the world outside oneself, who is intensely perceptive about their immediate surroundings, who can map it, draw the details, or make their own clothes, is an individual inspired by visual scraps and clues they can reassemble into something more, and they need to do this.  We live in a built world, and art students will make a lot of it.  They will keep themselves and culture in motion.  And that is a very good thing.

It wasn’t much different for my parents when I was a teenager insisting on applying to college, unsure of how to pay for it, and what came after that.  They were horrified that I would be a pauper, or worse, unproductive and unhappy!  My parents eventually came to appreciate and respect my choice.  As the first child in a large family to apply to college, I first demonstrated my commitment by obtaining scholarships, and later two fine art degrees.  They recognized that I was the most informed at what I wanted to do, and quite excited about the apparent loose ends.  

The undetermined nature of an artist’s future can be the prize.   Many rich opportunities arise because of an openness to experience, and studies and collaborations that redirect our choices.  Looking and living way beyond one’s neighborhood, and taking the risk to further one’s education, with full knowledge of requisite hard work and fiscal challenges ahead, is an informed choice.
 
Not everybody goes to art school, and not everybody should.  But consider this:  art courses are priceless experiences that shed light on the hard work, and difficult concepts involved.  Visual and critical thinking, and speaking up in group critiques, builds patience, discipline, and independence.  It proves that learning to think critically, and to articulate one’s ideas in a variety of forms, is an important step to adult success and educational athleticism.  The point of rigorous pre-college instruction is to ready oneself for university, to mature with a sense of individual responsibility, and to take ownership of one’s education and future.

When I first learned about the Outreach Program at Cooper Union I had little faith in my drawing abilities—mostly because I wasn’t able to make “realistic” drawings. I dreamed of being able to represent the real world through drawing or painting, but I was convinced that the Cooper Union was only for people who could already accomplish this task. Though I was discouraged, but I just went for it—I had heard so many great things about the school.

One week, later, to my surprise, I was accepted. And after the first week of classes, I was hooked. I had never experienced such deep intellectual discussion—or such conceptual assignments—in my public school in upstate New York. I formed an instant connection with both the professors and student teachers, who were extremely hands on and down to earth. At that point, I knew that not only did I want to attend the Cooper Union School of Art, I also wanted to be involved with this program that helps students realize their artistic potential.

After Outreach, I ended up devoting all my time and effort to the Cooper Union. Getting to know the professors and students, and keeping in touch with them, was a life-changing experience. After attending as many portfolio days as possible and completing the home test, I received my early decision acceptance. Without the Outreach program, I would not have known about this wonderful school—or how to prepare for the college application process—and the “adult life” and expectations of college itself.

At the end of my first year, I felt knowledgeable enough to start sharing what I know with high school students who used to be in my position. I got to know the talented people who run the program and soon enough I had my students! Teaching high school students new things and getting people interested in art has been the most fulfilling opportunity I have had. Now, I can't imagine my life without it.

Connor Filiardo is a 2nd year student in the School of Art at The Cooper Union. The Cooper Union Summer Art Intensive shares its director, staff, and faculty with the Outreach program, which has been preparing New York-area high school students for undergraduate art admissions for 23 years.

In the month of July, four New York City artists will be an integral part of the Summer Art Intensive at The Cooper Union. As they sculpt, paint, build, photograph, think, and dream (and probably write emails and make phone calls) students will gain a sense of the daily practices of working artists—and will see a month’s work realized in the form of a final installation.

The 2015 Summer Artists in Residence, Natalie Beall, Timothy Hull, Zahra Nazari, and Sung Won Yun, work in different media and engage in varying artistic discourses. Beall extends the language of Minimalism through an evocation of domestic objects; Hull transforms ancient epigraphs (wall and marble carving) into modern signifiers; Nazari draws on urban architecture to construct imagined landscapes; and Yun explores geologic time in paintings, drawings, and photographs.

All share the city as a source of inspiration, as well an an enthusiasm for sharing their knowledge with young art students. “There are so many things an emerging artist needs to understand!” says Nazari, who plans to share her everyday ethics: being curious, setting goals, and "developing a positive vocabulary" around the possibilities in art and in life. Hull volunteers, "I am excited to be
completely open and available for conversations about my practice, my career, life choices, teaching, and any aspect of being a working artist in New York.” 

The 2015 Artists in Residence will take part in an exhibition opening August 2nd at The Cooper Union.