We toured California College of the Arts (CCA) in late August, during a quiet period when classes were not in session.
Our journey began on the Oakland campus with a 90-minute guided tour. Afterward, we drove to the San Francisco campus for another 90-minute exploration. During the tours, we learned that the Oakland campus is set to close over the next two to three years as CCA consolidates its operations into an expanded San Francisco location.
It's a bittersweet transition. While having a single campus will certainly be more convenient for students who currently commute between the two, the Oakland site has a charming, rustic "sleepaway art camp" atmosphere that is hard to replicate. This was my first time in Oakland, and my husband—who grew up in Monterey—was initially concerned about safety. His preconception was that the area was dangerous. However, Oakland has been undergoing gentrification over the past five years. Single-family home prices have skyrocketed from $85,000 to $400,000, pricing out locals like our Uber driver. The upside is that the neighborhood has transformed and now feels quite secure. Once you step onto CCA's Oakland campus, you feel completely removed from the city—it's like being in a safe, wooded sanctuary. The students we met were both ethnically diverse and welcoming.
Currently, CCA houses freshmen in apartments or dormitories on the Oakland campus, where they also attend most of their classes. The dorms lack a cafeteria, so students either shop at the nearby supermarket or use a Zipcar for weekly Costco runs. They often form small groups to cook and meal-prep together, making enough food to last the week. The Oakland campus is home to programs in Animation, Ceramics, Glass, Jewelry, and other fine arts. Industrial Design, along with Animation, is one of the school's two largest majors, and it is based at the San Francisco campus.
The San Francisco campus offers a stark contrast to Oakland. Housed in a warehouse-style building, it feels sleek yet cozy and is much larger than it first appears. Inside, different floors contain studio spaces, administrative offices, and design disciplines including architecture.
Near the San Francisco campus, there are modern, stylish dormitories. The planned expansion will take place on the back of the building, where the parking lot now sits. Whether CCA operates on one campus or two, the school's quality seems unlikely to diminish—though many alumni will mourn the closure of the old Oakland campus. That site will be repurposed into an art school for younger children, so it will retain its artistic roots.
Here are two videos I shot of both campuses. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed CCA. I was impressed by the caliber of the students, their work, and the program itself. It's easy to see how one could have a great experience here.
p.s. More about Art Colleges from our college tours:
Visiting Pratt
Visiting California Institute of the Arts (CalArts)
Visiting Emily Carr Art + Design University in Canada
RISD Pre-College Program
Top Art and Design Colleges
Applying to Art School: School of Visual Arts
Applying to RISD: Advice from Antonio Peters in Admissions
Tips for National Portfolio Day
Visiting West Coast Art Schools with Foodie Stops Along the Way
and some fun stuff …
If you are visiting New York City, here are our cheap foodie finds.
Our NYC (Cheap) Foodie Finds
45 Art Gifts for Seriously Arty Kids (by my arty daughter)
Art Competitions for Kids and Teens
Our Art Gift Kits for Arty Kids
10 Inspirational Art Books for Arty Kids
Best Toys for Arty Kids
An Arts Studio of One’s Own
Please check out my art board in which I save art ideas for my arty daughter.
