Graduate Studies open house

Amidst a pandemic, in a world plagued with division and restricted by imposed limitations, the current moment is potent. 

The arts are always inclined to pay close attention, to engage in heightened critique, to scrutinize what has been overlooked, disregarded. To dig into what has been unacknowledged, inadequately redressed. To consider the serendipitous, the sublime. Or to delve deeply into one’s interiority, affinities, historical inheritance. In that sense, the current moment is not so different. 

At the same time, there’s an undeniable, palpable shift. In anticipation of a post-pandemic—what comes next, who decides, what alternatives might be realized? 

These questions, in this moment, point to a particular urgency of creative discourse that is at the core of VCUarts Graduate Studies—an international community of thinkers, makers, performers, teachers and scholars who collectively and perpetually explore uncertainties, consider alternatives, and compel others to do the same.  

VCUarts graduate programs are collaboratively directed by an accomplished faculty whose creative work and pedagogical approaches transcend disciplinary boundaries. The rigor of graduate work is upheld within a supportive environment that allows oneself to fully feel, examine, question and doubt—while also producing work that variously prompts new insight, challenges perceived proclamations and/or calls attention to pressing contemporary issues and their deeply historical roots.  

Artmaking, scholarly research, creative performance—these are simultaneously private endeavors and means to connect. Resonant connections arise from an annual roster of acclaimed visiting artists and guest speakers, as well as alumni across the country and around the globe. 

The local is no less expansive. Richmond, Virginia, is one of the region’s most culturally vibrant cities and a key part of the graduate experience. The city is home to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU, numerous galleries and performing arts venues. It’s also a quick trip to Washington, DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York City.

Applicants to all graduate programs are eligible and considered for graduate teaching and research assistantships. Funding also supports graduate travel and research grants.

Join us for a Graduate Studies virtual open house on Saturday, November 14, 11am–2pm, EST. Register to receive a Zoom link.

Participating Departments: Craft/Material Studies, Kinetic Imaging, Painting + Printmaking, Photography & Film, Sculpture + Extending Media, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Art History, Art Education