The LA Times recently looked at the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, VT. The school currently has 18 students who have pay $14,000 a year for the two-year course. Interestingly the school was financed through a state grant and other cartoonists – including Jean Schulz who was quoted as saying,
conventional colleges â?? even those based at museum schools â?? “never gave cartooning its full credibility.” She said training students to write believable dialogue was as important as teaching them to draw properly.
“If you don’t have some sensitivity to the reality of an emotion, you can’t parody it,” she said. “I don’t think you would learn this in most places. At CCS, I think they are stretching the field.”
The founders aren’t sure where the future lies for this niche school, but they note that the number of applicants are on the raise.
I know this school and the founders. They are creative, making a great contribution to the local community they’ve adopted, and their passion is undeniable! Worthy of a follow-up human-interest story, if you dare!
Cheers, Karen