Here is our list for How to choose a Performing, Visual Arts and Media College that will be just right for you!

The scene is set for your future. Your path to a career in Visual, Performing, and Media Arts starts with your choice of education. But where will you spend the next three to four years studying, practicing, and refining your skills as an artist? 

Whether you’re looking into a Media Arts major or you’re trying to find out how to make a career out of singing worship songs, you’re in the right place. When searching for a Visual, Performing, and Media Arts Department, go beyond the presentation of it. Take a look behind the scenes and find out what makes the school function as it does.

It is essential that the school you choose is full of like-minded professors, classmates, and friends who will help you build a community of growth and encouragement. As you visit and tour arts and media colleges, meet as many people as you can. Talk to professors, spend some time in a dorm, and sit in on a class or two. This will help you discover what the environment looks like on a day-to-day basis. Are these people who will build you up in your artistic endeavors?

At Grace College, we love visitors! If you’re interested in a virtual visit with your admissions counselor or a Lancer Day virtual visit experience, see our visit page to find more information. These visits include campus tours, chapel, meetings with faculty, and more! We also offer sunset tours, Lancer Days, Weekend in Winona visits, and group visits. Grace College and Winona Lake look forward to meeting you!

An important part of choosing a college is the quality of the programs and the opportunities they provide. When you find a college you’re interested in, step behind the curtain and discover what makes your major unique. Look for diversity, creativity, and growth. 

If you’re working towards a career in the Visual, Performing, and Media Arts, look for classroom innovation, internships, and places to practice your skill.

If you’re going into Worship Arts or the new Music Production major, ask about the recording studios, worship teams, and choirs.

If you’re going into Art, find out what galleries, exhibits, and tools will be available to you.

Grace College has state-of-the-art technology for each major, and a plethora of opportunities for students to apply their education. Our community’s passion for the arts has provided internships, advanced education, and a promising future for Grace students in the arts. From Photography to Illustration to Visual Communication Graphic Design, there will be something for you to explore at Grace College. 

Find out more about our music and theatre opportunities, art gallery, and other areas of growth!

If you’re going into the field of Visual, Performing, and Media Arts, you’re going to need role models and experience. When searching for the right school, look into the performances–both the ones you will perform in and those you will attend. Research the concerts, the exhibits, and the opportunities you will have to present your work. Not only is this a good way to experience your art major, but you will get to collaborate with other students, learn from professionals, and hopefully have fun doing it!

More performance at Grace:

• Art Archives
• Music Festival
• Music Archives
• Events

The professors of the Visual, Performing, and Media Arts Department are constantly building their programs, developing their classes, and creating opportunities for their students based on their vision for their majors and their passion for the arts. As you search for the right school, we hope that their words will help guide you forward…

Professor Walter Brath: Worship Arts

“Our goal in the worship arts program is to equip you to think like a theologian, labor like an artist, and shepherd like a pastor. Being a leader in worship arts is so much more than knowing the latest worship song or technology. The Grace College Worship Arts program is designed to equip you to follow God’s call on your life in the areas of worship and musical leadership, as well as audio and visual technology. Students will acquire skills for diverse musical styles and expressions used in a variety of modern worship settings.  You will explore the ways in which audio/visual technology is utilized in today’s churches, studios, and schools.  Along with music theory, instrumental, and vocal training, students will acquire an understanding of the relational dynamics of a team, along with the necessary leadership skills.”

Professor Aaron Winey: Visual Communication Design

“It is important for Visual and Media Arts students to find a school that mixes foundational ideas and theory with practical application. In visual communications, every job is a bit different, and having a foundational understanding of the creative process is key to approaching each job. It is also important to learn practical application: how to work with clients to understand the project, how to move from ideas to presenting those ideas, and how to produce the final work. These principles drive our curriculum and what we present in the classroom.

The best artists cross-discipline; they are curious and explore outside of the realm of art. Every influential artist I can think of is well-read, an effective speaker, and an articulate writer. Grace’s Liberal Arts Core provides an excellent opportunity to develop these parallel skills as well as a mindset of curiosity as the foundation of becoming a life-long learner.”

Don Swartzentruber: Art 

“Grace College is an institution dedicated to helping students mature in the Christian faith, build a foundational collegiate knowledge base, and explore specialized interests. As an art department, we are aware that students arrive with different ability levels. We are not the last step on the stairway from K12. We are a map to a lifetime of learning and exploration. We have the technology, facilities, and caring instructors to help ambitious students become successful.”