michaelwebster
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Posts posted by michaelwebster
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I didn't mean that you have to have exhibition experience, I was just trying to paint a picture of what experience an "average" MFA applicant has. Its true, exhibitions don't matter at all, the portfolio is really the thing that matters. Interdisciplinary knowledge is really important too, but I was getting a vibe that the original poster didn't really have a strong idea of what the art field is now, and applying to schools "blind" is tough. More specifc experience within the art field (classes, crits, internships, exhibitions, etc.) would result in a far more successful application process, as those kinds of experiences can push your work. I know I did tons of research for years and I still wish I would have made a few different choices on schools to apply to.
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yes, you should be angry, and you should be sending emails to people further up the ladder (deans, provosts, etc.) about this if you don't get anything. I am curious how you were accepted and also on academic probation before even starting school?
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I get the illustration thing a lot, but I have no interest in that. Illustration is inherently commercial or for some sort of purpose, while fine arts is outside of that. There's lots of artists that do illustrative-type work that aren't illustrators, say like Marcel Dzama or Amy Cutler. But really I think people just associate drawing with illustration, and everyone sees painters as fine arts.
Your most recent work looks more and more illustrative, not because its drawing, but because youre referencing more imagery from traditional fantasy genres and building more narratives. I still want to see you go back to more unusual substrates and incorporating other materials. I never thought your work looked illustrative before, but the most recent stuff does seem like illustration to me.
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I have some waitlist questions maybe someone can help with? I already emailed the department head and the person that interviewed me that I was still very much interested, asked what I could improve upon or what I was missing for not being accepted but almost there in waiting limbo. Received the message back of nothing was wrong, just other people were better fit but I shouldn't count myself out yet. No real word on when abouts I will know and I'm not sure how to ask 'how long?!' I do know its a very short wait list and very few people accepted. How often should I send reminder messages to be like 'hey I'm still here! I want you!'? I know its a lot of waiting for an answer but I don't want to be silently waiting, that seems like it'd be detrimental to my hopeful acceptance.
Yes, April 15th is the required date to accept an offer (assuming most offers have some financial support attached) at most grad schools, especially public ones. If they are on the council of graduate schools, they are supposed to abide by the April 15th deadline. Many private art schools aren't in the Council.
http://www.cgsnet.org/april-15-resolution
There is a list of member schools in the link here.
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If you want to teach the most important factor is actual teaching expereince as an "instructor of record." If one school will give you that opportunity, that school will be a better choice. If school 1 only offers you TA posiitons but doesn't let you teach your own class, then you will not be able to teach until you have a really strong exhibiton history and experience, so that may likely be a decade down the road.
If you want to exhibit in international biennials, then option 3 would give you a better jump start towards that, but if you want to exhibit more in metalsmithing and jewelry specific shows or juried exhibitions, etc, then option 1 would be the better choice, because the debt wouldn't hold you back as much.
Small departments means lots of attention from faculty, but also means a smaller amount of connections and learning expereinces. If you are the only metalsmith in the program, as you previously mentioned, then you will not be able to trade techniques with other MFA students like you would if you had more metals colleagues.
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It all depends on what you want. If you want to push yourself and learn the most you could from an MFA, then option 1 is not for you. If you don't want to take out a lot of loans and have to pay them back over years then option 3 is not for you. Option 2 is somewhere in between, but getting another fully funded MFA offer after the post bac would not necessarily happen. You haven't mentioned what you want to do with your degree, whether its making a living from selling your work internationally, on a more regional scope, teaching at some level, or working another job while making art part-time. All are valid, but they would result in different approaches to choosing a school.
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Is SFAI better for performance? It seems that way but I'm not sure.
Following up on dimensionsvariable, SAIC has the only performance art department in the country and from everything I have seen I would also say its a much better school all around. And I am not saying this just because I went there, I will point out the school's flaws as soon as anyone, but SAIC wins hands down in performance.
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JUST GOT THE EMAIL...ACCEPTED TO SFAI! Now it all boils down to funding.
SAIC vs. SFAI
if funding is similar it should be an easy choice if you are interested in performance.
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Bard has a strong curatorial studies program, and it doesn't hurt to possibly cross paths with many curators while in school. But if its all low res then maybe artists don't meet the curators often?
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The Open: Man and Animal by Giorgio Agamben
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I must keep skipping over the C, haha, well yes I meant abstraction.
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I wasn't talking about going back to the evolution towards a universal aesthetics, I am well aware of art history (no need to be condescending), and I am not talking about aestheticisms. I am talking about art historians who have realized that the notion of art as a means of transgression, its attempts at freedom from external determination, and the remanants of avant-gardism place the struggle for pure abstration within the larger scope of modernism rather than define it. Groups such as the constructivists, dadaists, surrealists, and cubism's challenge to perspective are good examples of work that fits a tighter lineage with today's work than the part of modernism whose goal was pure abstration. Many art historians in the 70s-90s really highlighted that split as the difference between modernism and post-modernism, and now many good art historians (for example some I studied under at SAIC) are finding too many bridges across that split to keep believing in it. Too many previous art historians villified Modernism as being all about univeralist pure abstration when in reality that was only a part of modernism.
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I love Conversation Pieces and The One and the Many by Grant Kester. Definitely about sincerety, empathy, honesty, and the ethical questions raised through art practice.
In regards to the naming, most of the good art historians I have read have mostly abandoned post-modernism unless they leave it between scare quotes. Many have realized that art made in the 1960s-1980s was not the colossal shift that Greenberg and Fried made it out to be, and that we are still dealing with most of the same frameworks that artists were dealing with at the beginning of the 20th century. So instead of jumping on the trend bandwagon many are going back to using Modernism for our current time. Now I don't know about other fields, just what I have been noticing in art writing lately.
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First week in February I was accepted by UGA and University of Florida via phone! I was also contacted by University of Nebraska and accepted via email!
How early is too early to ask for the sweet deets on funding?
I would do it now.
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Hello all, I was hoping someone could offer some insight into my situation. SAIC has denied me acceptance into their MFA program, yet are asking me to apply to their post bacc in studio program. Meanwhile I've already been interviewed by the Hoffberger School of Painting at MICA and am scheduled for another interview by Mount Royal School of Art at MICA. The Associate Director of Graduate Admission's whom I met during the first interview has informed me that "Congratulations on that--it is relatively rare for candidates to be selected as finalists for both programs." Obviously I have to wait to hear back from the other five schools before making a decision. My question is, how much should I be considering SAIC's post bacc program?
I agree with the previous post. If you get accepted to a school you like, the post-bac isn't worth it. Its great to get an extra year with grad students and great facilities, but its expensive. Its only worth it if you have a lot of money in the bank. Anyone who is wealthy I recommend an extra year as a post-bac.
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Has anyone heard from Columbia College Chicago or Bard (not ICP-Bard) yet? I know Bard interviews. Not sure about Columbia College, though.
It looks like a few of us are waitlisted at UIC (Seems like they have a total of about 4 or 5 people in their incoming classes.) Anyone have any insight into when we might hear back about our status?
If you are waitlisted you will only get notification if someone turns them down. Since most schools require April 15th as a deadline, you might hear back around then.
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Hey folks,
Speaking of funding, have any of you people started focusing on finding any outside scholarships or grants ect? when I visited RISD, they made it abundantly clear that we should be searching for some sort of outside aid. Does this mean RISD doesn't provide as much aide as other schools or is it because it costs more to go there?
All art schools are expensive and don't have much funding. There was an article published a few years ago of the most expensive colleges based on what students actually paid, after financial aid was disbursed, and art schools filled most of the top of the list.
The reason for this is poor graduates = poor endowments.
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I got a letter dated Feb. 4 regarding an interview with SAIC sculpture department. So I'm assuming those who received the email should be getting a letter as well.
I also just got a letter today accepting me into the SAIC Art and Technology Studies program!
I feel the ATS program is more in-line with my work than the sculpture department, so that's good.
Michael, do you know anything about the ATS program? It looks fairly new, right? Now that I got in, I'm looking to confirm what I found in my research and get a solid idea of what the whole program's about.
Also, I'm trying to figure out how much I should mention the ATS acceptance in my interview. I could see that playing both in my favor and against me. On one hand, it reinforces my viability, but it could also mean that the Sculpture program feels they could move me down the list, because I might be going to SAIC anyways. That's ok, but of course, I'd like to get into as many programs as possible, to keep options open. Ideas?
I'm going to be visiting friends in Chicago in a couple days, and I'm going to see if I can get a tour while I'm there. So exciting!
I don't think the ATS program is super-new, but once shared space with the sculpture dept. Lots of students get interviews or acceptances from multiple departments, but there is usually only 1 free ride per dept, so you may want to mention your acceptance in hopes of upping your chances for that. ATS and sculpture have a lot of overlapping, so either way you will be in class with some of the same people. The different depts have somewhat different resources and reputations. PM me if you want to hear my take on these. and I would like to see your work if you have any online.
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Is that video really Yale MFA? Most of the paintings were so very very horrible! I thought it was a joke.
Everyone that was rejected from Yale--- be very glad!
I did love the paintings at 7:30 though.
If you thought Yale was horrible I hope you didn't apply to any schools ranked in the top 10 for painting, because the work in that video is indicative of the current discourses of painting.
Do not be worried about a 3.4 GPA, I would start worrying a little if you were under 2.0. GPA does not really matter.
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Just got an email about the interview day for SAIC's Sculpture department. Sounds simultaneously interesting and like absolute mayhem.
Its only mayhem if you are applying to multiple departments.
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I shouldn't make a difference.
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Sometimes quieter people come across as being wiser. Maybe because they think more before they speak, and don't just say the first thing that pops in their head like ....me.
If you are so shy that you don't say anything at all, then that would definitely be a problem. Try to push yourself to open up to people, but not so much that you seem fake.
Also, the best strategy to make people like you or think you are intelligent is to ask THEM questions about themselves. (not during a formal interview though!) You could think of some questions ahead of time to ask people and then you won't feel awkward during those moments of silence. Plus, asking questions makes THEM talk, which is good if you are shy.
Shy isn't bad as long as you seem excited to be there and you have interesting things to say during your interview.
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Most schools expect you to be there all day when you go to interview, so you chat with the grad students before or after your interview, and during lunch meet with other faculty. Some schools also have less formal parties, dinners, or exhibitions that can be useful to see, but aren't required.
Last year my dept. hosted a house exhibition that was a good time.
MFA for Alt. Photo Processes?
in Visual
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I would look for photographers who work in similar processes and see where they went on their CV. You might not find a whole department of professors who work in alt. processes, but what you need is at least one good professor.