Moore College of Art & Design

I attended Moore for one semester in the early 2000s. As a non-​traditionally-​aged student in my early 30s at the time, this school just didn’t reach out to me. Before I begin my rant, let me say that academically, this school is excellent, and it has a stellar reputation in the art world. When you tell people you went to Moore, they are instantly impressed.
This was why I set my sights on Moore while still in high school. I applied, but the snooty academic dean told me I wasn’t good enough for *her* school, so I was denied. Flash forward fifteen years, and I reapply and am accepted instantly. Screw you, bitches!
I came with a positive attitude, but the attitudes of those around me left something to be desired. People there were apathetic at best and downright vicious at worst. My Basic Drawing teacher had a vendetta against me from day one, as did my Life Drawing teacher. (I will be nice and not drop names, even though it kills me.) My Life Drawing teacher even went as far as to humiliate me in front of the class by taking my work off my easel, holding it aloft for all to see, and declaring, «This is NOT how you draw in this class.» Bitch. I hope the karma police have since come for her. Yeah, I know art school is tough, but honestly, I never saw my teachers give my classmates this «helpful» criticism; they only gave it to me… just pointing it out…
Then there were the students. They were divided into two camps: the spoiled, bitchy young girls there on mommy and daddy’s dime, and the smug, erstwhile stay-​at-​home moms who needed to do something with their lives after changing diapers for fifteen years. Needless to say, since I fit into neither category, I made no friends at Moore. Totally sucked.
From random conversations with the peons in my class, I deduced that no one else was working her way through school as I was. So in addition to being an NT, I was ostracized for not being bankrolled by either wealthy parents or a wealthy husband.
On top of all these complaints, I came to learn that I hated going to school in the city, especially since I was a commuter student. I hated, and still hate, dealing with bums, inefficient public transit, crowds, bad smells, getting pushed off sidewalks, and never-​ending construction. So if you plan on attending Moore as a public-​transit commuter student, be warned that getting to school each day will be an odyssey, and you will probably feel burned out by the time you make it to class. Moore may be in Center City, but it’s on the outskirts of the district, and getting off at either 30^th Street Station or Suburban Station will involve a rather long trek to the campus’s Parkway location.
One more thing was that most of the facilities were pretty squalid, and the building was falling into disrepair. The elevator often malfunctioned, and if paint got spilled in one of the studios, it just sat there for days. The bathrooms were a little gross, too. But I understand the school moved into new digs ten or so years ago, occupying what had been the ASTM building next door. That was a much-​needed change.
To end on a positive note, I did get a sweet aid package that consisted of several grants and scholarships. My student-​loan debt was minimal when I left. I have to give Moore its props here.
I’m sorry Moore didn’t work out for me, and I hope they now treat their NT’s with more empathy. That might have made the difference in my decision to stay or to go.

Alumna here.
My years at MCAD were the best and worst of my life, which is pretty much what your 20s should be if you are really living them. While tuition can be very pricey, there are TONS of grants and scholarships. I left with very minimal student debt, far less than I would have had at a public college.
I did not share the «vacuum» experience that Hope S. writes about (but then it seems like she was in a different major.) I still talk to tons of my Moore ladies. We’re like a very small and aesthetically aware gang.
Some of the faculty were horrible, but others I still count among my favorite people ever and I keep in touch with them nearly 20 years later. Academically, if you want more challenging work you can get it by showing interest and potential – independent studies and all that. I felt disconnected from my generation of women artists even though we made lots of gallery visits in NYC and all that. I think/​hope this has improved. We had a course to prepare us for the business side of things (taxes, pricing work, approaching galleries, etc.) that very few other art schools seem to offer.
Moore is painfully difficult. It’s rude and unloving most of the time because it is trying to prepare you for an art world where YOU ARE A PEON (whatever gave you the idea that you weren’t?) You will cry at least once after crits. You will learn to take criticism – and how to give it properly! You will give up 1000 times. And you will get back up 1001 times. You will skip morning studio-​class just to stay up in your studio painting all night. This is not college. It’s art school. It’s messy.
And keep in mind that being educated in the arts is a far cry from being an artist. Or a designer. Or an art historian.
I’ve gone on to graduate school and had a career in curatorial/​museum work. I don’t give MCAD credit for that. I give certain professors at Moore much love for never having any doubt that I would, even back when I had no clue how to make that happen.
Moore gets some things right. It has room for improvement. It is still the only school like it.

Alumnae review here:
My experience at Moore left me with mixed feeling to say the best. It sometimes felt like an awful bubble containing its own twisted sense of time, reality, its own take on art, design, and even on the city of Philadelphia. Attitudes here are often too negative, lethargic, apathetic, and destructive to attain any sense of community for artistic discourse. Basically, it is a vacuum. While you are complaining about your lame homework, the teacher who knows nothing because he/​she gave you a C on some project, etc, you’re missing the point. You are ignoring the question that should be on the mind of every half-​ass wuss, in this microcosm (student and faculty) why are you here? Not just here in Philly or at this school spending a ludicrous amount of your (or your parents’) cash, but why are you on this planet? Why did you get up this morning (or never go to bed) instead of sniffing your turpentine or design markers until they take you to that badly lit studio in the sky? It’s not because you had homework to do, maybe you think that’s it…
You have a place in this world. You have something to be enthusiastic about. You have the mad desire to make something. Anything. There is too much bad art (you will find lots of it here). The art world that Fine Arts faculty drool and speak so fervently about is much too segregated from everyday life. It will remain that way until someone (you?) cares enough to change this. Television shows (commercials) are ridiculous and stupid to the point where you feel three years old. Change this. Product design and labels today are for the most part, hideously commercial and artless. You have better ideas than anyone else has ever thought of, and you use this brain of yours to figure out how to program the latest shopping app on your iphone? Meanwhile, the world is getting uglier, and more devoid of intelligent discourse. Fewer people are talking/​asking questions. Fewer people are in control of what we Americans get to see, and the popular opinion gets narrower and narrower. No one else sees what you see, and no one is going to ask what you think. You have to show your vision or else it will be destroyed, especially here.
Why does there seem to be such a sway towards faculty shows in Moore student galleries? Why is current student work not showcased at the Moore «art store»? Is this work not on display as much because it is not considered «real» art? Why do students feel like in the art world they are just peons and maybe some day, if they are good and listen to their teacher, they will be one of the privileged few who catch a glimpse of what it’s like to be a real artist doing things of importance, but meanwhile, students should sit tight because all they are learning right now are the basics: «ooh, very nice» or «no, very bad!»
I know, I am preaching a little here in this review. I’ve listened to too much street punk. I can’t say I wasn’t guilty of many of the things I’ve just ranted about; however, I saw too much indifference and lack of enthusiasm in this school not to point it out. If I didn’t, who would? Exactly.

I went to Moore College as a part of a final project, which required me to go somewhere outside of my school and find something that was related to my topic. While the photo exhibition I ended up going to turned out was nothing like the description on the website, thus I could not relate it to my project. However, another exhibition next door served the purpose.
I liked the staff here, super friendly. The building pristine and clean with its own character and the sun pouring in through the courtyard in the middle, its a nice, convinivent place to catch some free exhibitions and feel good about the creativity that is in this world.

2002 Alum here with a major in Fashion Design and minor in Graphic Design. I’m now designing for a large department store. Art school in general is all of what you make it and your ability to network. This was probably the hardest 4 years of my life because the design program is very challenging and competitive but I have no regrets.

Small funky art gallery and shop.

Pretty sweet place to stop by at for the exhibit openings. Usually, they have some wine and cheese out for empty bellies. And then you have the art, which usually includes something that will have made it worthwhile to have visited.

I find it odd that there aren’t more reviews from alumae.
I had a great experience going to this school in the 90’s. It was total art immersion. The all girl atmosphere was an extra bonus so I could totally focus on my ‘art.’ Fashion Design.
However, no worries to those who like co-​ed since there are so many other universities around. My parents still have no idea how many frat parties I went to at U of Penn, Drexel, and Temple.
When you step outside the main building there is the beautiful Logan Square Fountain.
Being from Amish farmland I don’t think Pratt or Parsons would have been the best fit.
Now, I would like to see a famous fashion designer skyrocket out of here. When I left the only famous aluma was Adrienne Vittadini.

This review is about their store.
As I was walking around the area I noticed a pretty sign outside promoting you to enter their store. I went in and the girl working was just texting away like it was nobody’s business and didn’t even look up when I came in. The store actually had some cool things.
They have a lot of decorated items like waterbottles and stuff like that, but also have prints and original pieces on the walls.
I was interested in the pieces on the walls and asked to see a few items. This girl just manhandled the canvasses and paintings. Major turn-​off. Did I really want to buy something that you just wiped all your hand grease over? I think not.
She then put it back on the wall and went and sat down and called her friend.
Another strange experience for me. Do people not want me to buy their items?

I sent my youth to the Youth Artist Workshop there over the summer.
They enjoyed the afternoon session and didn’t want to miss a day. Ms. Mimmo took the class out and about to snap all the great scenes the area provides. She was very pleasant. It was more of an old fashion photography class which wasn’t planned for but I guess they were serious calling it Intro to Photography. It was good to learn how things were done yesteryear.
My youth is thinking about going back. I would not object.

We toured this facility as an option for our wedding. It is an art gallery, so as my fiancé‘ put it «if you don’t mind your grandmother walking past a sculpture of a woman wrapped in hangers and drinking bleach, it will be OK» I liked the gallery part of this venue, but the rooms for the ceremony and reception were bland. I hated the modern lights that hung down in the cocktail room. And the reception area reminded me of the basement in the Kimmel center, much better for business conferences. They do have an in house caterer that they prefer you use, but if you want to bring your own caterer, you can. your caterer will not be allowed to use the kitchen facility though, so that could be a deal breaker. BIG PLUS for this place — they let you bring your own alcohol!!! This can save you a ton of money. It was very easy to tour this facility, and its located in one of the most beautiful areas in Philly. Great place for a summer wedding, as its indoors, and has a small courtyard. Very modern place, so if you are looking for something edgy, and modern, this would be a great place to check out. I am not modern, so it did not appeal to me. another advantage is that you get a security guard included with your event.