Ok, so Maryland is definitely one of the smallest states by land size, but packed within its borders are nearly 6 million residents, making it the sixth highest density state in the U.S. and the 19th largest by population. While Maryland is also made up of 157 municipalities and 10 cities with populations of more than 25,000, everything that happens in the world of art and design usually happens in Baltimore—the state’s largest city.
Home to nearly 623,000 residents, Baltimore is home to the renowned Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA), The Walters Art Museum, and The American Visionary Art Museum. The city is also home to hundreds of art galleries, design studios, performance venues, and art centers. Just a few include the Patricia & Arthur Modell Performing Arts Center at the Lyric, Center Stage, Baltimore Contemporary Art, and Julio Fine Arts Gallery at Loyola University Maryland.
Baltimore is home to a number of art schools and design centers that offer everything from enrichment courses to advanced art degrees. Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Schuler School of Fine Arts, Mitchell School of Fine Arts, University of Baltimore-Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences, and Loyola University of Maryland Department of Fine Arts.
While Baltimore is clearly at the center of it all, adventurous creatives who would like to wander off-the-beaten-path will find a number of schools in smaller cities from Bowie to Towson. The Old Line State is also home to dozens of community colleges that offer everything from single art courses to associate degrees in all areas of art.
Maryland Art Schools
Maryland is home to more 60 Title IV degree-granting colleges and universities. Combined, these schools have a student population of more than 300,000. More than 2,000 students are enrolled in the state’s top art schools alone. Scroll through the list below to take a look at Maryland’s top colleges and universities for aspiring artists and some of the programs they have to offer.
Baltimore
Goucher College – Degrees Offered: BFA Studio Art, Studio Art Minor; MA/MFA Digital Arts
Loyola University of Maryland Department of Fine Arts – Degrees Offered: BFA and Interdisciplinary Minor in Studio Arts
Maryland Institute College of Art - Degrees Offered: BFA Animation, Drawing, Graphic Design, Film and Video, Filmmaking, Sound Art, Illustration, Interactive Arts, Painting, Printmaking, Game Design; MFA Graphic Design, Filmmaking, Illustration Practice, Photographic and Electronic Media, Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Graphic Design
Morgan State University - Degrees Offered: BA Fine Arts with a Concentration in Graphic Design, Illustration, Multimedia Studio, Minor Fine Art
University of Baltimore-Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences – Degrees Offered: BA Integrated Arts, BS Simulation and Digital Entertainment, BA Digital Communication; MS Interaction Design and Information Architecture, MFA Integrated Design, DS Information and Interaction Design
University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) – Degrees Offered: BA Visual Arts with Concentrations in Animation/Interactive Media, Art History & Theory, Cinematic Arts, Graphic Design, Photography, and Print Media, BFA Animation/Interactive Media, Cinematic Arts, Photography, and Print Media, BFA Design with a Graphic Design Concentration; MFA Imaging and Digital Arts, Intermedia + Digital Arts (IMDA)
Bowie
Bowie State University – Degrees Offered: BA Fine Arts-Visual Communication and Digital Media Arts with Concentrations in Animation and Motion Graphics (ANIM), Digital Cinema & Time-Based Media (DCTM), Digital Media Arts (DMA), Advertising Design (ADVD)
College Park
University of Maryland – Degrees Offered: BA Art with Concentrations in Digital Media, Graphic Design, Printmaking, Painting and Drawing; MFA Studio Art
Frostburg
Frostburg State University - Degrees Offered: BFA Visual Arts with Concentrations in Digital Media, Drawing/Illustration, Graphic Design, Painting, Printmaking
Princess Anne
University of Maryland Eastern Shore - Degrees Offered: BA Applied Design with Concentrations in Graphic Illustration, Sequential Arts
Salisbury
Salisbury University - Degrees Offered: BA/BFA Art with Concentrations in Graphic Design, New Media, Drawing, Painting, Minor Art
Towson
Towson University - Degrees Offered: BFA Art and Design with Concentrations in General Design, General Fine Arts, Digital Art and Design, Graphic Design, Illustration, Interdisciplinary Object Design, Painting, Drawing & Printmaking, BA/BS Electronic Media & Film with Concentrations in Film & Media Studies, Film/Video/Digital Media, Radio/Audio, Electronic Media & Film Minor; MFA Studio Art, Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Interactive Media Design
More Art related programs to consider:
Employment and Salary Trends for Maryland Artists
Maryland is home to around 31,340 professionals working in Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media (ADESM) occupations. They earn an average annual salary of $57,330, the nation’s fifth highest salary for ADESM professionals, up from $51,670 in 2008 when Maryland was home to 31,850 ADESM professionals. Of the 31,300+ salaried ADESM professionals living in Maryland today, 3,650 are graphic designers, 1,540 are producers and directors, 450 are multimedia artists and animators, 300+ are art directors, and 230 are fine artists. Average annual salaries for these Maryland-based artists are as follows:
It is important to note that many artists and designers are self-employed, so it is safe to assume that the population of ADESM professionals in the state is much higher. These individuals typically earn more as well—especially in larger states and major cities. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the “Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers” ‘industry’ has the highest concentration of employment (not the highest level of employment) in ADESM occupations, and it is one of the highest paying industries for ADESM professionals.
Overall, independent artists average $70,620 per year. Independent artists working in animation average $75,150 per year and those working as art directors average $91,100 per year. Independent fine artists average $43,390 per year, and independent craft artists average $36,590 per year. Nationwide, the median annual wage for ADESM occupations was $43,100 in May 2014, which was higher than the median annual wage of $35,540 for all occupations.
Employment of art and design occupations is projected to grow two percent from 2014 to 2024, which is slower than the average for all occupations, adding about 16,700 new jobs. Projected growth, says the BLS, will be due to increased demand for animation and visual effects in video games, movies, television, and on smartphones. As companies continue to increase their digital presence, more art and design workers will be needed to help create visually appealing and effective layouts of websites and other media platforms.
The top five highest paying states for ADESM professionals are:
The industries with the highest levels of employment for ADESM professionals are:
The states with the highest employment levels for ADESM professionals are California, New York, Texas, Florida, and Illinois. Of the top 10 metropolitan areas for this occupation, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division has the nation’s third highest employment level and fifth highest concentration of jobs and location quotients. At an average salary of $76,650 per year, this metro area is also the third highest paying metro area for ADESM professionals.
Awesome Animation Fact: Did you know that it takes a full year for episode of Family Guy to air? That being said, they work on multiple episodes at once. -BuzzFeed
