MFA program call for applications and Fiona Connor faculty appointment

Call for applications: three-year Studio Art MFA 
Set in the striking landscape of the San Bernardino Mountains and within close proximity to Los Angeles’ international art scene, UC Riverside’s MFA program offers an intensive environment for advanced research and practice. The program provides a theoretically driven curriculum that prioritizes studio production. An explorative and open approach to both traditional and interdisciplinary media encourages students to experiment and pursue their aesthetic ideas in the media that most benefits their practice. MFA students receive beautiful, generously sized studio spaces (350+ square feet) and have access to excellent state-of-the-art facilities.

The intimate scale of the program boasts an unusually high faculty-to-student ratio of seven to thirteen, allowing for deeply engaging interactions with the nationally and internationally exhibiting faculty members.

Fiona Connor joins art faculty
We are delighted to welcome Fiona Connor to the faculty this year. Originally from Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland,  Connor’s practice is concerned with the social and psychological life of the object, the politics of camouflage and mimesis, and the ethics and aesthetics of the built environment. Through a conceptually rich and materially astute approach, she has developed a sculptural language that unsettles familiar objects and environments by reproducing them.

Faculty
Anna Betbeze, Fiona Connor, Brandon Lattu, Charles Long, Lynne Marsh, Yunhee Min, and Amir Zaki.

Core to our program is the dynamic visiting lecture series, which provides students with the opportunity to be in dialogue with internationally recognized artists, curators, and critics through lectures and studio visits, broadening and intensifying the discourse.

Recent visitors
Frances Stark, Arthur Jafa, Chris Kraus, Jay Sanders, Mary Weatherford, Miljohn Ruperto, Oliver Husain & Kerstin Schroedinger, Young Joon Kwak, Eric Wesley, Kate Mosher-Hall, Malik Gaines, Gelare Khoshgozaran, D’Ette Nogle, Molly Zuckerman-Hartung, Sahar Khoury, P Staff, Paul Sepuya, Sarah Schulman, Stanya Kahn, Matt Connors, Na Mira, Walead Beshty, Lenard Smith, Coleman Collins, Eddie Rodolfo Aparacio, Asher Hartman, Marie deBrugerolle, Margaret Honda, Jim Isermann, Shannon Ebner, Katie Grinnan, Beatriz Cortez, Ranu Mukherje, Megan Plunket, Asha Schechter, Marianna Simnett, Oscar Tuazon, Mara De Luca, Vishal Jugdeo, Michael Hernandez, Eve Fowler, John Knight, Mariah Garnett.

Funding and teaching assistant opportunities
Successful applicants receive excellent financial support through a combination of fellowships, teaching assistantships, and fee waivers that substantially offset the costs of fees and tuition. In light of the escalating financial burden associated with higher education in the arts, this level of support is a defining strength of our program.

International students
International students are eligible to receive teaching assistantships, fellowships, and departmental awards. The UCR Graduate Division also offsets the Non-Resident Tuition Fee for those who complete their MFA degree within the normative three-year timeline. This ensures that International students receive the same support as California residents, making our program accessible and affordable for all.

Campus tours
Virtual:  October 15 at 2pm with Lynne Marsh, December 13 at 12pm with Anna Betbeze / On campus: October 21 at 12pm with Amir Zaki, November 19 at 11am with Brandon Lattu, December 1 at 11am with Yunhee Min. 

MFA Open Studios
December 6, 2025, 12–4pm / May 16, 2026, 12–4pm.

Please see our website for more information and application details.

Contact: artdept@ucr.edu / T 951 827 7878