Painting Penn | Penn mixes Ivy rigor with arts presence

When College freshman Andrew Olsson was going through the admissions process, he knew he only wanted to attend a college “if the fine arts program was substantial enough.”

Olsson, who intends to double major in Visual Studies and Fine Arts, said he looked at the other schools that “every academically-minded artist considers” — New York University, Carnegie Mellon University and Washington University in St. Louis — but the Visual Studies program ultimately put Penn at the top of his list.

Penn’s reputation may often be eclipsed by Wharton’s business footprint and pre-professionalism of students set on medical and law school. And it doesn’t have a fine arts school that specifically signals commitment to the arts.

Yet Olsson represents one of hundreds of students who are active in the artistic scene at Penn. Many say they found their fit at Penn because it combines Ivy League rigor with a strong arts presence.

“I wanted to study art, but I didn’t want to give up my love of psychology and neuroscience,” explained College sophomore Natalie Franke, who transfered to Penn as a Visual Studies major rather than attend an art school. She noted that Penn is one of only a few schools in the country where she could access Fine Arts, Art History, Psychology and Neuroscience programs.

College freshman Molly Hutt looked at other schools that focus more heavily on the arts, but she is ultimately “an academic at heart” and plans to double major in Fine Arts and English.

The administration is meeting this demand inside and out of the classroom, from its arts theme year to new course offerings.

University Provost Vincent Price said promoting arts in the curriculum is “absolutely something we could be doing more and more often, and the choice of the Arts and the City theme was quite purposefully chosen so that we could stimulate those kinds of activities.”

Similarly, University President Amy Gutmann noted that “we’re ramping up the visibility and the opportunities that are available to our students in the arts.”

Gutmann cited two specific spring 2010 initiatives: a theater arts course that will stage Tina Howe’s “Museum” and a “Film and the City” cinema studies class in which students will make short films in Philadelphia.

Price explained that the arts at Penn are not limited to specifics like theater arts or music, but are also seen in majors like Anthropology.

“These are all departments at Penn that in pursuit of their primary interests … implicate the arts in a variety of ways, he said. “They’re making sure that arts and culture is infused into all of that coursework.”

Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences Rebecca Bushnell cited other ways arts is built into the curriculum, such as the College running the University Choir and the Penn Symphony Orchestra through the Music department.

Wharton students and faculty can also explore the arts. Price highlighted the work of Marketing professor Josh Eliashberg, who studies the Hollywood movie industry from a business perspective.

Building off this foundation, Penn is seeking ways to expand both arts-related offerings and knowledge of opportunities. Recruitment strategies are key to helping prospective applicants understand why students like Franke, Hunt and Olsson chose Penn over conservatories.

Price echoed their perspective, explaining that the lack of fine arts school could be viewed as a benefit in attracting arts students because “students interested in the arts get to see them in a broader context.”

Still, “we could do a better job in recruitment to foreground our strength in the arts,” Bushnell said. This could involve increased emphasisis on Philadelphia’s “lively art scene, which has seen tremendous proliferation of alternative art.”

Dean of Admissions Eric Furda wrote in an e-mail that “we will be increasing our targeting of students with identified interests in the arts through our [high school] sophomore/junior outreach.” Currently, he added, “faculty review arts submissions for top applicants and provide us with their assessment for an impact on the arts community.”

Veronica York, a counselor at LaGuardia Arts High School in New York, said students looking for strict conservatories would not apply to Penn, but it does draw “niche students for subjects like graphic design.”

She mentioned that academically-oriented students who want to pursue music or drama are more likely to consider Yale University.

Ultimately, the goal, said both Price and Bushnell, is to provide even more opportunities for arts in the classroom.

“The challenge is to propagate it more broadly, so most students will encounter the arts in their coursework even if they are not seeking it out specifically,” Price said.

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