Call for applications: MFA in Social Practice Art

For artists and creative thinkers who want to connect art, policy and collective action.

The Corcoran School of the Arts and Design at the George Washington University is accepting applications to its first program in social practice. With classes beginning in fall 2020, the Master of Fine Arts in Social Practice emphasizes public policy and socially engaged studio practice. This broadly interdisciplinary program provides a real-world context for proposing and implementing innovative solutions to some of the world’s most complex social issues. The curriculum combines the study of experimental, relational and performative creative practices with rigorous academic research and field-based experiential learning in Washington, D.C. At each phase students will be challenged to think critically, evaluate compassionately and innovate ethically. Working closely with the director of graduate studies, students will design a highly individualized path of research and professional development by selecting courses from across the George Washington University.

This program is for students who are interested in working with diverse communities and who wish to create a hybrid art practice that draws from across the humanities and the social sciences, focusing on issues of social justice, collaborative methodology and ethical innovation.

Online information sessions
Wednesday, May 8, 2019, 4pm EST
Wednesday, July 17, 2019, 5pm EST
Thursday, November 7, 2019, 5pm ET
Wednesday, January 22, 2020, 5pm ET
To sign up for a future session, visit our website.

Two-year program
The MFA in social practice connects art, public policy and collective action, allowing students to apply their creative practice in the realm of public policy. Over two years and 60 credits, the intensive, interdisciplinary curriculum educates emerging artistic leaders and problem solvers to research, analyze, prototype and design concepts that tackle some of the world’s greatest challenges. The program places a specific emphasis on the impact that artists can have on political power structures, examining the problems that other fields either can’t see or can’t touch.

Field Studio
The Corcoran’s Field Studio is an incubator for community-based creative practice with a focus on multilayered social, cultural and environmental contexts. Students have the opportunity to develop work by collaborating with community-based art, social justice and public policy organizations. The Field Studio requires a rigorous self-evaluation of the ethics and social and environmental impacts of creative processes and solutions, giving students an invaluable opportunity to interrogate the politics of participatory art in a real-world context.

A global hub for policy
The Corcoran School of the Arts and Design is located in the heart of Washington, D.C., a global hub for policymakers, tech leaders, nongovernmental organizations and cultural institutions. This unique access to collaborators provides students with a wealth of opportunities for field-based experiential learning. Washington is home to many federal departments and NGOs dedicated to social change and international development. These organizations are looking for innovative thinkers who are compassionate and educated about the issues of today.

About the Corcoran
The Corcoran School of the Arts and Design at the George Washington University prepares its graduates to be the next generation of cultural leaders. Part of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, the school functions as an incubator for artists, designers and scholars, who learn from internationally renowned faculty at the intersection of creativity and social innovation. It is an academic experience like no other—inspiring students to research, create and innovate with the potential to shape the world around them.