Killerdonuts

Unfortunately I have encountered a fair amount to ableist stuff, but it's the type of ableism born out of inexperience (which is not an excuse, just to say that it isn't intentional or overt.) I think you will sadly have that issue in any program since it's so baked into the foundation of MFA programs and academia in general. However, I have a critique class with the chair of sculpture (who is also going to be on my MFA committee) and she is absolutely great! She really engaged, thoughtful, and understanding. While it's completely an unfair burden to put on disabled students, I don't think a lot of the foundational issues will change until we make ourselves known in the programs. For example, I'm aiming to have image descriptions, an audio tours, plenty of seating, and maybe even a touch tour for my MFA exhibition. (We'll see what I can manage to pull together.) Anyway, if you're thinking of reconsidering Tyler this year, I'd be happy to give you some more information about the program, and some specifics about where I have encountered challenges. Also, you might also consider Hunter - there's a least one faculty there who identifies as Disabled - Tina Zavitsanos. She's great!

Hi everyone! I am a first year MFA student at Tyler (painting) and identify as disabled (autistic and have fibromyalgia.) If anyone out there is thinking of applying to Tyler and/or identifies as disabled, I'm happy to answer questions or share my experience so far. Tyler is a GREAT program, but I've definitely encountered some barriers. I'm also the only person in the MFA program who is directly working with themes related to disability identity and culture - though there is A LOT of diversity in the program related to race, ethnicity, gender and sexuality (both among the students and faculty) which is fantastic! Anyway, I want to be available to support any other disabled folks out there, whether you're applying to Tyler or another program, I'm happy to share my experience and try to be helpful. Feel free to send me a message or reply here. (Also happy to answer general questions about the MFA program at Tyler, and the application process. ☺️)

Also waitlisted. ☹️ I don't think the funding will be good enough even if I do get accepted off the waitlist. I might apply again next year - I'll be eligible for in-state tuition at that point. Very bummed.

Update for Tyler Painting from the dept chair: " ...we're still considering all interviewees as we're trying to put together our fall class. Please be patient with us; I assume that we'll have a better picture of what's going on in a week or two." Looks like from the rest of his email that the funding aspect of the admissions process has been delayed and complicated by the pandemic. This will put admission decisions pretty close to the April 15th deadline for folks. ? I got a rejection from the only other program I applied to besides Temple, so waiting a couple more weeks won't hurt me too much, and I'm already planning to move to Philadelphia next week, either way. Sorry to the other folks out there who have to juggle this waiting along with other program acceptances!

Tyler painting folks - any updates? I reached out to Tyler Grad admissions on Friday, but they said everything was through the department, so they couldn't provide any ETA on admissions decisions.

I don't have first hand experience with there program though, just the Art community in Chicago (from nearly 10 year ago at this point.), But if you are thinking about Chicago as a possible home beyond your MFA, Columbia College is well known, respected and connected in the Chicago Art community. It doesn't have the same name recognition on a national or international level as SAIC (depending on your concentration maybe) but if you are interested in staying in Chicago and engaging with the community there as your "home-base" Columbia College is a great option! I lived in Chicago for awhile and met quite a few artists in the community who went to Columbia College, and had great things to say (mostly they were film folks.)

oh no! Let's hope it was just an oversight! ? I didn't feel super confident about my interview either.

I haven't heard anything yet either. Did you get invited to the virtual Artist Talk event with Cecilia Vicuna this evening? I'm planning to attend. I hope the invite was a good sign, but I'm still anxiously waiting.

I would like to add that the connections that MFA students get are top tier schools like Yale or Columbia are not always the kind of connections that best serve many artists' practices. For example, there are a lot of artists working in interdisciplinary approaches using themes related to race, ethnicity, gender / gender expression, disability, or sexuality. Having access to professionals (as faculty, or member of the university's larger art network) is one huge reason to get an MFA. I applied only to two schools - Temple (Tyler) and Concordia. I chose those programs because on top of relly liking the MFA faculty and city, those universities also have some sort of disability studies program, which is central to my developing art practice. Yale or Columbia don't have access to these connections and are not engaging in this theory within the university, so the connections those program provide are of no interest to me. My art practice would not thrive in a program that does not engage with the theory and/or themes which I am exploring. I needed to apply to universities where I could access professionals outside of the MFA program, in addition to Arts faculty, since there are literally no MFA faculty working on the themes I'm explore at any program that fit my other criteria. I know there are other artists who are in similar situations, and need a interdisciplinary approach to their MFA practice.

You should be able to view your completed slideroom submission, you just can't edit it. Try logging in to your slideroom account for USC, and on the left side of the screen, you'll see a selection for "completed." Click on your application, and it'll probably show the final "confirmation" page. But above the confirmation number, you should see a few links for the different application sections, one of which is " portfolio" (If you end up applying to residencies or grant applications in future, you might consider keeping a Google drive folder with the images you submitted to that specific opportunity, so you have a record what artwork you submitted.) I hope that works! I didn't apply to USC, so I'm just basing those instructions on my experience with other MFA program slideroom accounts. Good luck with the interview!

I got the same email from the Dept Chair (Painting.) I emailed him late Wednesday asking about the status of application decisions and he replied on Friday with that same update. As previous posters have noted, I think Tyler likes to offer TAships and Fellowships that cover at the very least 50% tuition plus a few thousand dollars in stipend. My guess is that they are trying to find funding for the candidates they want to accept, and there might be a delay because of changes in funding (award amounts or nomination / application procedures or something like that.)

The majority of artist in the US don't make a full living off of their artwork. Most artists work multiple jobs, as arts administrators especially, while also maintaining an art practice. I don't know a lot about the visa system in the US, but you might need to have a full time job with an employer who will sponsor you. You could definitely get a full time arts administration job with an MFA degree (and then you can work on your art practice in addition to a full time job - that is common here.) This is not at all a bad approach to a career in the Arts. Art administration gives you the chance to learn about managing an arts organization (nonprofits, galleries, museums, etc) which will give you valuable insight in to the field. And artists should be able to engage with the arts community on multiple levels, beyond just the creation of their own artwork. I know this doesn't help you for this round of applications, but if you choose to apply again next yeat, you might look at Canadian universities, like Concordia, OCAD, UBC, or Emily Carr. Canada has a specific program from international students who graduated from Canadian university to get Permanent Residency. (You can apply for an extension of your visa for up to three years after you graduate, to look for full time work.)

I used to work as a program coordinator at The New School - the university which Parson is within. (I worked at the Liberal Arts college. The New School is a private non-profit university. However, similar to SVA, they depend on a lot of international students from wealthy familues (mostly from China) to attend and pay full price. The number of students they have that are eligible for Pell Grants (undergrad) is very low. They also are having a LOT of internal issues right now related to lay offs of lower paid administrative staff (I was one of them) while the president and senior leadership took only minimal pay cuts during the pandemic. I can't speak for Parson specific stuff, but the university as a whole has some major structural problems. There were many student, faculty, and staff protests this past year. I will say that the faculty (at least the faculty I worked with at the other college) are overall good people. And the staff are great. They have a great art collection! (I had a Louise Bourgeois drawing hanging in my office, and I was a lower level administrator.) They also just established an Office of Equity and Social Justice, though they often talk more than they act. And their disability advocacy is nearly none existent, accept for some very hard working staff who make things happen without resources and support from above. I did meet some fantastic fellow staff there though! And the location of the campus is right near Union square and The Village.

Any word from Tyler, folks? ? They are my top choice and still no word after a late January interview. Trying not to think about it every minute of every day. ?

Hi emailed the Concordia MFA studio art folks after seeing @ZellFin post, and this was the reply: "Thank you for the application. Decision letters will be sent in early March. Thanks for your patience." I applied for Drawing & Painting. Feels like a rejection might be coming my way, if they told @Zellfin they were accepted when they inquired via email, but didn't tell me my application status. Bummer...but still holding out a little hope. (Hoping Tyler will come through)