Explore MFA studios, meet artists, and learn more about the Visual Arts + Sound Art programs in faculty-led sessions.
November 16, 2025, 10am
Columbia University School of the Arts will host the MFA Visual Arts + Sound Art Open Studios and Information Sessions on Sunday, November 16. Visitors are invited to explore the School's graduate studios, meet current MFA students, and learn about their studio practices. Morning Information Sessions include conversations with faculty, guided tours of the facilities, and an overview of the program’s curriculum and admissions process.
10am ET: Sound Art Info Session RSVP / 11:30am ET: Visual Arts Info Session RSVP. *Both in-person and livestreamed
11am–1pm: Open House / 2–5pm: Open Studios.
Locations
Information Sessions: Lenfest Center for the Arts, 615 West 129th St, NY, NY 10027. / Open Studios: Prentis Hall, 632 W 125th St, NY, NY 10027.
Free and open to the public. More details.
About the Visual Arts + Sound Art Program
Columbia’s Visual Arts + Sound Art program immerses students in rigorous, studio-based training led by internationally recognized artists. The curriculum emphasizes experimentation, cross-disciplinary dialogue and collaboration, and critical engagement with contemporary art theory. Students are encouraged to push the boundaries of their practice while connecting with New York City’s unparalleled network of museums, galleries, and independent art spaces.
Graduates of the program are active across the global art world—as exhibiting artists, educators, and cultural innovators whose work shapes today’s visual and sonic landscapes.
Visual Arts
The two-year interdisciplinary MFA in Visual Arts fosters a diverse range of creative exploration across painting and drawing, expanded practice | sculpture, printmaking, photography, and moving image. Students take courses across Columbia University and work in collaboration with curators, art critics, independent art spaces, museums, and galleries throughout New York City—one of the world’s most vital centers for contemporary art.
Sound Art
The Sound Art concentration, offered in association with Columbia’s Department of Music and Computer Music Center, supports artists whose work integrates sound with sculpture, moving image, and installation, as well as new media, performance, and conceptual strategies. Students join a collaborative, experimental environment that positions sound within New York’s broader performance and new-media scene.
Application deadline: January 20, 2026
Learn more and begin your application for Fall 2026 on the School of the Arts Admissions and Financial Aid page, or apply directly here.
Columbia University School of the Arts
In the heart of New York City, Columbia University School of the Arts is a community of artists and thinkers shaping the future of visual, literary, cinematic, and performing arts around the world. Learn more about its MFA programs in Film, Theatre, and Writing. For more details on the programs, visit arts.columbia.edu.
