Call for applications: Contemporary Art Practice MFA degrees in Social Practice and Studio Practice

Portland State University’s School of Art + Design invites applications to Contemporary Art Practice MFA degrees in Social Practice and Studio Practice.

MFA in Social Practice
Included in Artsy’s 2017 list of The Top 15 Art Programs in the country, the Art and Social Practice MFA is a three-year, flexible residency program combining individual artistic practice, group work, community partnerships, and experiential learning. The program’s blend of critical and professional practice, progressive pedagogy, collaborative social engagement, and transdisciplinary exploration produces an immersive educational environment. Students have the opportunity to collaborate in ongoing projects and partnerships across the city, such as the Columbia River Correctional Institution Artist in Residency Program and the King School Museum of Contemporary Art. In 2018, the program rebirthed its journal as Social Forms of Art. Graduating students each produce a public graduate project, an in-depth written text exploring a relevant connection to their practice, and a public artist lecture that surveys their work in the program. Each Spring the program hosts Assembly, a co-authored social practice conference with workshops, lectures, and participatory projects. Learn more.

MFA in Studio Practice
The Studio Practice MFA is built around a core of research-intensive creative investigation. This three-year, full-residency program is dedicated to interdisciplinary experimentation and exploration through the experience of making. Students are supported in a range of disciplines, from the traditional to the emerging, as they consider the various ways art lives in and beyond the studio. We provide a variety of resources including close ties with resident faculty, dialogue with visiting artists and scholars, seminars in current issues and contemporary art history, and exhibition and travel opportunities. Students collaboratively produce the publication [STUDIO], a document of the MFA Studio lecture series that includes in-depth interviews with visiting artists. The program culminates with solo exhibitions for each graduating student in one of the school’s campus galleries. Learn more.

PSU’s School of Art + Design is a vital part of Portland’s progressive, nationally recognized arts community. Graduates from the program come from a variety of diverse backgrounds and have gone on to successfully engage with the expanded field of contemporary art through traditional and unorthodox avenues. More about admissions requirements can be found here or by emailing art@pdx.edu.