Wind Tunnel Graduate Center for Critical Practice
950 South Raymond
91105 Pasadena CA
Media Design Practices (MDP) is an interdisciplinary design MFA preparing designers to question, innovate and lead through Design, Criticality, and Creative Technology.
Our world, in constant change: technological transformations, global inequity, and environmental uncertainty, demands new design practices. Designers today must be daring, critical, and engaged. Apply here.
With award winning pedagogy, experimental making and an acclaimed community of faculty, alums and practitioners, you will shape your design practice to envision new futures and alternate views of the present. Join our MFA program to develop and create in immersive technologies like AR/VR + AI Machine Learning, low resolution to high resolution prototyping, a focus on people, new modes of storytelling, installation and research methodologies.
Our small classes (8:1 student faculty) allow students to work closely in studio and seminars with faculty known for cutting-edge research and multidisciplinary expertise. MDP faculty come from media design, anthropology, art, film, architecture, cultural theory, computer science, interaction design, product design, robotics, cultural analytics, and more. Our full time faculty are award-winning experts in their fields as well as innovative educators: they provide students with the right mix of structure and independence to push their work in new directions. Our students and alumni regularly participate in residencies, exhibitions and events at local, national and international events.
Join our alumni who go on to become design leaders in every conceivable field: major technology firms, innovative nonprofit organizations, universities and independent design practices.
Priority deadline is January 15, 2020 for fall 2020 admission to Graduate Media Design Practices.
Admissions info session + work-in-progress show: Thursday, December 12, 6–10pm, RSVP
Chair: Maggie Hendrie, interaction designer, experience strategist
Full-time Faculty: Elizabeth Chin, anthropologist, author / Elise Co, creative technologist, designer and media artist
Sean Donahue, media designer, design researcher / Tim Durfee, architect, editor, curator / Ben Hooker, media designer, media artist / Jenny Rodenhouse, designer / Phil van Allen, interaction designer, technologist
Adjunct Faculty and Guest Critics 2019–20: Ben Borden, Anne Burdick, Elise Co, Claire Evans, Joel Ferree, Raquel Franklin, Leah Haiso, Lauren Halsey, Garnet Hertz, Umi Hsu, Charles Ghislandi, Cedric Johnson, Jessie Kawata, Tim Kim, Norman M. Klein, Jesse Kriss, Maria LaMadrid, Jen Liu, Mike Manalo, Ezio Manzini, Shannon Mattern, Jane McFadden, Christine Meinders, Mike Milley, Andrés Monroy-Hernández, Simone C. Niquille, Kate Parsons, Elizabeth Otto, Constanza Pina, Jennifer Rider, Maxim Safioulline, Iddris Sandu, Arden Stern, Richard Wheeler, Leah Wulfman, Rosten Woo, Mimi Zeiger
Stats
Degree offered: Master of Fine Arts in Media Design / STEM: Yes / Students: 40–45 / Full Faculty: 7 / Adjunct Thesis Advisors: 8 / Adjunct Faculty: 15 / Guest lecturers per year: 20+ / January average highs and lows: 68 and 48 degrees F
Contact: mdp [at] artcenter.edu
