MFA in Contemporary Art Practice
Concentrations in Studio Practice and Art & Social Practice
Application deadline: February 1, 2011
Portland State University
Shattuck Hall Annex
1914 SW Park Ave, Room 198
[email protected]
http://www.pdx.edu/art/graduate-programs
Art and Social Practice
Two year full-residency and three-year low-residency programs
Within the Art and Social Practice concentration, one of only five such programs in the country and the only low-residency MFA with a focus on art and social practice, students explore the social role of the artist and develop and utilize their artistic skills to engage in society. Currently under the direction of artists Harrell Fletcher and Jen Delos Reyes, the program is a student-centric learning atmosphere in which students can shape the direction of their education and study. The program focuses on local contexts, community collaborations/partnerships and access to visiting artists and faculty. The program blends critical and professional engagement with social engagement on a global and local scale. The full-residency Social Practice Concentration works in concert with the low-residency MFA to explore and promote similar approaches and work on group opportunities. In the past this has included an evening of interventions at the Portland Art Museum, a panel discussion at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, a group residency at Bétonsalon in Paris, a residency in Hong Kong, an exhibition at Smack Mellon in Brooklyn, and a series of projects at Apexart in New York City.
Now in its second year, the Open Engagement conference is planned in conjunction with Art and Social Practice students. This year’s conference features internationally renowned artists Julie Ault, Fritz Haeg, and Pablo Helguera. In addition, Open Engagement will play host to the Bureau for Open Culture, the Bruce High Quality Foundation University, and a summit on art and education. The summit features students and faculty from MFA programs focusing on public and social art, including OTIS College of Art and Design, the University of California Santa Cruz, and the California College of the Arts.
http://psusocialpractice.org/ http://openengagement.info
Studio Practice
Two year full-residency program
The core of the Studio Practice concentration is a tutorial investigation that encourages interdisciplinary experimentation and the exploration of ideas through the experience of making. Whether students combine media or concentrate on a single medium, such as drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography or video, their inquiry is supported by a framework of critically focused seminars on contemporary practices and an engaged community. Additional seminars in writing and research, a comprehensive teaching practicum and the availability of teaching assistantships help students contextualize their work and prepare them for careers in the arts.
Applicants to the Studio Practice concentration are invited from a variety of backgrounds, preferably but not exclusively with BA or BFA degrees in the fine arts. Enjoying strong ties with the larger community, the Studio Practice concentration fosters a challenging atmosphere for diverse exploration, allowing students to pursue investigations at the forefront of contemporary art practice.
Facilities Individual studio spaces for Studio Practice students and group workspaces for Social Practice students are provided for the duration of the 2-year in resident programs. The Department of Art has multiple galleries, state-of-the-art computer graphics and multimedia facilities, a foundry, a welding studio, a printmaking studio with etching and lithography presses, a darkroom and wood and metal workshops.
MFA Faculty
Kate Bingaman-Burt, Graphic Design
Pat Boas, Studio Practice
Brenden Clenaghen, Studio Practice
Jen Delos Reyes, Art and Social Practice
Harrell Fletcher, Art and Social Practice
Sean Regan, Theory, Video
Low-Residency/OE Visiting Artists 2010-2011
Julie Ault
Fritz Haeg
Pablo Helguera
Visiting Artists and Scholars for 2010-11 include:
Tina Olsen, Mel Chin, Clare E. Rojas, Natalie Jeremijenko, Chris Johanson, Tom Marioni, Jon Raymond, Roger Peet, Mark Allen, Laylah Ali, Deborah Stratman John Feodorov, Sara Reisman, Natasha Wheat, Ryan Pierce, Daniel Eatock Jon Rubin, Leslie Hewitt, Kaia Sand and Jules Boykoff, Eleonora Belfiore, Rick Lowe
Master of Fine Art in Contemporary Practice Application deadline: February 1, 2011 Information: http://pdx.edu/art/graduate-programs http://psusocialpractice.org Email: [email protected][email protected][email protected]
