The Department of Art two-year MFA program provides graduate students with the opportunity to explore studio production, field exploration and theoretical work in a flexible structure that encourages individual development within an interdisciplinary context. The department stresses the importance of a rigorous understanding of the conditions in which art is produced. Students are exposed to methodologies of inquiry that foster innovative and problem-solving skills necessary for artistic development and creative production.
Students are given the opportunity to work one-on-one with our accomplished faculty who are actively engaged in a range of disciplines and areas that include art and cultural theory, art history, film, video, architecture, digital media, print media, photography, performative studies, painting, spatial arts and related fields in the Humanities, Sciences and Engineering. The department’s joint affiliation with the Media Arts and Technology Program (MAT), www.mat.ucsb.edu, expands the department’s digital media studies. The program provides graduate students with direct exposure to visiting professional artists for individual studio critiques in conjunction with an intensive curriculum which includes theory, studio critique seminars, professionalism, a range of directed media research courses, and the department’s visiting artist lecture colloquium.
Our unique program offers two post-grad positions on a competitive basis. Each year, one graduating MFA student is selected by our faculty as the College of Creative Studies Teaching Fellow for the following academic year. This honor includes teaching 3 courses, studio space, and access to the Department laboratories. The second position we offer to our graduating MFA students is an Artist’s Residency. This honor includes a solo exhibition, a speaking engagement open to the public, studio space, and access to the Department laboratories.
The department wishes to attract motivated students who will benefit from interaction with a diverse and challenging faculty. The environment offers focused research in a compelling natural setting while gaining exposure to the opportunities presented in the urban centers of Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Prospective applicants are encouraged to visit the UCSB Department of Art MFA Program website at: www.arts.ucsb.edu/graduate
Application deadline: January 5, 2016
Please contact ctalley@hfa.ucsb.edu for all inquiries.