Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
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91 The college is tackling these questions in a number of ways, from its minor in entre- preneurial studies to its 120-hour intern- ship graduation requirement. It also gives students freedom within the structure and safety of the school to experiment with their work and fail productively. "If you don't fail, if you don't experiment or push the edges of things while you're in art school, it's never going to happen," Steinberg says. "Go to the edges of your discipline; do it here so you can learn something." That career focus is paying off. Steinberg says half of students get a job offer from the organization where they intern; 90 percent of graduates are some status of employed; and 85 percent of graduates are still employed in their discipline five years after graduating, still working in the area in which they ma- jored. "Any college would love that, not just a specialty school," he says. Steinberg's tenure is also marked by a number of investments in both current and future projects, including technology, a fabrication lab, continuing education and gallery programs, expanded studio space, and upgraded and new housing. There's also a renewed focus on and expansion of Montserrat's already strong international programs that give students deep, immersive experiences like studying narrative photography in Mallorca or getting an up-close look at art history in Italy. "Mont- serrat's commitment to strong international programs and new agreements with China, India, Japan, and other countries will result in more international students coming to Montserrat and a high percentage of stu- dents studying abroad," Gates says. Such international opportunities are an- other critical component to creating a global workforce in which Montserrat students will be prepared to play an integral part. "I think what we're seeing is an awakening or a consciousness of the fact that creativity or a creative person has touched everything around us," Steinberg says. "The sustain- ability of what we do is sort of rooted in that global concept. Art and design schools and programs are essential to creating a work- force that can participate in that." montserrat.edu Kurt Steinberg, president of Montserrat College of Art in Beverly.