Introduction
Are you a visual, performing or communication arts student who would enjoy living and engaging with artists of all disciplines? The College of the Arts’ Living community (ALC) may be the environment you are seeking. Comprised of students majoring in art & design, music, theatre, dance, television and communication and media, the ALC is housed in Freeman Hall on the south end of campus — just across from the Cali School of Music and a few minutes walk from all of the college’s visual arts and performance facilities.
But the College of the Arts’ Living community is not just about convenience. It is about students with creative and multidisciplinary interests living together . . . sharing their passions and challenges as artists and discovering their common ground.
The ALC Experience
The College of the Arts’ Living community is available to new freshmen and already-enrolled students in the College of the Arts. To foster the interdisciplinary experience, efforts are made to balance representation of the different majors, where possible, among the residents.
There is a lounge and an adjacent art-studio facility equipped with a piano, work tables, easels and display walls — spaces in which students can work and rehearse ‘at home,’ when they are not otherwise in the academic studios or practice rooms. A bulletin board allows for posting exhibition/performance/field trip announcements and notices of other common interests.
The ALC floors are staffed by Resident Assistants (RA’s) who are upper-class students majoring in the College of the Arts. The RA’s assist students in finding and creating opportunities for social engagement and peer learning across the disciplines; foster the informal exchange of ideas, joint projects and field trips; and encourage residents to be pro-active in the community. Residents will participate in floor meetings and may initiate or help organize special activities such as open-mic nights, talent shows, theatre-trips to New York, student exhibitions, movie-nights, etc. The ALC is as rich and stimulating as its residents make it.
Quotes from Arts Living Community Residents
“I made some of my best friends in the ALC.”
“I love being surrounded by arts people of all kinds. It’s wonderful to be with people who share common interests.”
“I had an absolutely amazing time. I do not think my college experience would have been as good if I had not been living on the Arts Floor.”
“The community allowed me to make friends in my own major, allowing class to be a much more enjoyable experience…allowing study groups to form and inevitably, friendships.”
How to Apply
Students interested in living in the ALC must be admitted as majors to the College of the Arts as well and demonstrate an expressed interest in participating in an interdisciplinary arts living community. Applicants must also have paid their admission and housing fees.
While the majority of students in the community are freshmen, upperclassmen may be allowed to return on a space available basis — particularly those who wish to help enrich and foster the community together with new residents.
Students are encouraged to apply to the ALC as early as possible.
To apply for housing, follow the instructions which apply to your student status:
- Incoming Freshmen
(note: Students must be eligible for and have already applied for Montclair State University housing before submitting this application for the ALC Floor.) - Current Returning Students