The prestigious Altos de Chavón School of Art and Design, which has been graduating students since 1983, has become the home of many Dominican and foreign artists and designers now widely recognized for their works in the fashion industry, graphic design and the fine arts.
“It’s a huge privilege to be here, for every single one of us they accept, they reject three to four students.” ~ Oscar García Alonzo
There is no doubt that the Altos de Chavón School of Art and Design knows how to prepare their students for their future careers in their chosen area. It is our pleasure to present Oscar Garcia Alonzo, a current resident student on his second year of Fashion Design at the school.
Oscar, at the age of 8 already knew he wanted to do fashion design at Altos de Chavón School of Art and Design. He had visited the area at a young age and immediately fell in love with the school and the surroundings of Altos de Chavón itself.
At the store where he worked in Santo Domingo he met famous Dominican Fashion designer José Jhan, who took an interest in Oscar’s sketches. A friendship developed and José gave Oscar his golden ticket to enter the school with a recommendation letter.
Oscar García Alonzo with famous Designer Donna Karan
We recently had the chance to ask Oscar a few questions about his experience at the Altos de Chavón School of Art and Design.
@cdcliving: What was your perspective of the Altos de Chavón School of Art and Design before been accepted?
I had done some research before and I knew about the school, I had already visited Altos de Chavón at a very young age and fell completely in love, I didn’t know how or when but I knew I had to be here. I also knew some people at the school and my idea of the school was a normal school for arts, I had in mind a paradisaical world for artists – a bohemian life, full of art… When I got here, yes, that’s what I see, also a gorgeous environment but there was much more than that. I found myself with the reality, what it takes to be in a school of this category, it really hit me in week 2, when I was up all night finishing my homework.
@cdcliving: How has the school affect your personal life?
I’m a very active person, I like to be around my friends and family. Not being able to see them on weekends is hard, it really affects you in terms of time, I have alienated myself, people don’t understand my position, time here is “gold” and we have to take advantage of every minute to finish our assignments.
@cdcliving: Have you ever reached your breaking point?
I’ve never said “I’m leaving, I can’t deal with this!” (laughs) but definitely there is a lot of pressure in the last weeks of final exams. It really frustrates me when I think a have an amazing work done and I get to class and the teacher just says “you’re making progress”, in my mind I think “I’ve been doing this homework all night, I’ve put so much effort in”, but the teachers are very demanding and even if they think you are doing a great job, they want to push you further.
Art Chavón 2014
Whether you are a passionate art aficionado or not, the Art Chavón event is a must-attend occasion. Art Chavón 2014 is not only your chance to give to a good cause – the Altos de Chavón Cultural Center Foundation – but also to invest in the future of Dominican art and design!
About The Altos de Chavón School of Art and Design
The Altos de Chavón Cultural Center Foundation is a U.S. not-for- profit public charity that has a cultural and educational mission here in the Dominican Republic. The school is on a university level and offers an associate degree, with many students continuing on to Parsons School of Design (now called The Parsons New School For Design) in NY. Founded in 1983 to meet the growing commercial demands of the Dominican Republic, the School of Design offers an intensive two-year program leading to the degree of Associate in Applied Science.
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