24700 McBean Parkway
Valencia, CA 91355

california Institute of the Arts, also known as CalArts, is dedicated to training and nurturing the next generation of professional artists, fostering brilliance, and innovation within the broadest context possible. Emphasis is placed on new and experimental work and students are admitted solely on the basis of artistic ability.

To encourage innovation and experimentation, CalArts' six schools -- Art, Critical Studies, Dance, Film/Video, Music and Theater -- are all housed under one roof in a five-story building with the equivalent of 11 acres of square footage in Valencia, California, just 30 minutes north of downtown Los Angeles.

Throughout its history, CalArts has sought to advance the practice of art and promote its understanding in a broad social, cultural and historical context. CalArts offers students the knowledge and Expertise of leading professional artists and scholars and a full complement of art-making tools. In return, it asks for the highest artistic and academic achievement. Reflecting its longstanding commitment to new forms and expressions in art, CalArts invites creative risk-taking and urges active collaboration and exchange among artists, artistic disciplines and cultural traditions.

The original vision for the California Institute of the Arts was to bring different art forms together under one roof and allow them to commingle and cross-pollinate in an intense but free-spirited environment -- a laboratory for the arts. This vision still holds true today. In this unique setting, the highest standards are encouraged when it comes to the enduring forms and traditions of each discipline; and yet CalArts also vigorously encourages experimental work that challenges boundaries in both form and content.

Quick Facts:

The California Institute of the Arts is the first U.S. higher educational institution to offer undergraduate and graduate degrees in both visual and performing arts.

The California Institute of the Arts was established in 1961 by Walt and Roy Disney through the merger of two professional schools, the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music, founded in 1883, and the Chouinard Art Institute, founded in 1921.

More than 60 percent of students who attend the California Institute of the Arts are from out of state.

Since its founding, CalArts has been recognized internationally as a leader in every discipline in which it provides instruction.

This school profile has been compiled and updated by The CollegeBound Network. The school is not affiliated with The CollegeBound Network and shall not be considered a sponsor of this program.