Eraserhead

I agree, it does appear that way. What I heard was that once accepted a printmaker could easily transition to more experimental work, but that maybe showing prints for the application would be a good idea. Which sounds kind of shady to me. Seems like if they were down with non-traditional work in the print area, then they'd just say that. I wonder though, because when you look at the work of faculty from a place like Iowa or Madison you would perhaps be tempted to think they would be "old school" in their thinking, and yet they have print grads doing installations, objects, video, etc. It's difficult when some schools don't show much if any recent grad works on their sites. Printmaking in general seems to be split between "printmakers" and those who use print vocabularies to produce works which maybe don't appear to have anything to do with printmaking at first glance... I'm having a hard time finding many schools that fit the latter description! Likeafire - Have you looked at Univ. of Georgia? Also, I would say perhaps IU Bloomington or Southern Illinois Carbondale, but it sounds like those are "too close to home" for you... Also, Iowa is supposed to be getting a brand new building but I can't find any info regarding when that project is scheduled to be finished. In fact, it looks as though they maybe don't even have all the necessary funds to finish it. Anyone know what's up with that?

Hmmm.... Seems like you're sort of in between here. Most of the people on this board are more knowledgeable about Fine Art and looking for MFA programs, whereas video games are a totally different beast. Yet, there maybe isn't a better board on gradcafe for video game design... It sounds like you're on the right track with lots of projects going on, so if your work is good I wouldn't be too concerned about your GPA... Generally in the arts that is something they will overlook IF your work is really good. Have you checked out conceptart.org or maybe deviantart or any of those communities? There should be some folks there who could be more helpful on the topic of video games. good luck!

Hey likeafire. I'm sort of looking at printmaking programs but also leaning towards ones that are more non-traditional and open to installation, video, etc. Probably not going to be an easy task. Right now I think IUPUI (Herron School of Art) and VCU are closer to what I'm looking for than something like Madison or Iowa, despite their reputations. I was actually doing a printmaking MFA at Ohio U and didn't find it to be a good fit, so I left. But it's a pretty good school if you're a more traditional printmaker because the faculty there is more focused on technical print skills, editions, etc. I also heard from a friend of a friend who is going to MassArt in Boston for print and she says it's a pretty good program. But I wonder what type of thing you're looking for because there's quite a range of philosophies regarding printmaking right now. @ Brian - thanks for recommending Univ. of Delaware. Lance Winn definitely seems like someone I'd like to work with.

I would say the reason PAFA accepts people is actually BECAUSE they are expensive. They're a "for profit" school and are trying to make money. As far as the "scholarships" these schools offer, I think of them the way I think of sale items at grocery stores. They already know what they're going to make after the price reduction, but people will buy it because it looks like it's a good deal. Usually it isn't, unless you know you really need that item. I'm not going to say you shouldn't go to a place like PAFA but I'm not one to follow rankings too closely, either. I did a year in an MFA program that I found out (too late) was definitely not what I thought it was. So I say the most important thing is to find a school that really feels like a good fit for you and your work. Don't accept just because they "make you an offer you can't refuse" because you can and should turn it down if you don't feel like it's a good fit for you. The idea of a school's reputation buying you success afterwards is just misguided at best. It's the quality of the work and who you know. That's one thing expensive schools can offer if you take advantage of the networking opportunities and really rub elbows with the right people. Also, I would humbly suggest being very specific about what you mean when you say "post-grad success" because there are different ways to go with that. If your idea of success is being a hot-shot NYC artist and being world famous and all that, then networking will be very important and you will want a big name school. But if your idea of success is more like getting a job as a professor, then you need a school that offers teaching experience which isn't always on the table at the big name schools. You may get to be a GA but never teach your own class. State schools tend to offer more in the way of Teaching Assistantships as compared to "big name" private schools, but that's not to say they aren't out there, either.

I actually did a year in an MFA program at a state school. In case you think a "full-ride" pays for everything and you'll have ZERO debt, you may want to reconsider. For example, most schools will still require you to pay all the extra fees on your own which can add up to thousands in some cases. Generally, the package you get is a "tuition remission" which is either partial or full, depending on many factors. There are usually multiple levels of funding for grads, some partial and some full assistantships. If you get a teaching assistantship (generally only at state schools) that will bump your stipend up a bit more than if you were just a graduate assistant (which means you just help the professor or in the gallery or something, you don't teach a class of your own). But besides fees and supplies, college towns are notoriously expensive in terms of rent, plus there's the phone, internet, utilities and food. I ended up taking something like 15K in a year just for that stuff, even with a "full-ride" and a decent stipend. I actually went to grad school under the impression that I wouldn't be getting anything in funding, but when I got there they handed me an assistantship and a tuition remission along with everyone else. I figured I'd have to suck it up the first year and work my ass off to "prove myself" and get funding the second year, but I was pleasantly surprised. Somehow they managed to "scrape up the money in the department." Things do change and sometimes people change their minds. After a year, I quit the program because of serious philosophical differences and my own personal life issues that needed sorted out, so I imagine they had extra funds for some new first-year grad or enough to add another one. On the issue of "profit making" you need to understand that the "big name schools" are almost all "for profit" schools and that IS a big part of why you pay so much to be there. The faculty may be famous or quasi-famous and therefore expensive. If you go there you need to focus on networking because that's what you're paying for. But then, I don't see the point in going to a big expensive school if it's not in one of the major cultural cities (New York, LA et al.) because the network you build in a big city is always going to be denser and better than one in a more provincial locale. Getting an MFA is kind of worthless if you don't want to teach, because right now the opportunities are even more limited than ever and you don't need an MFA to be anything except a professor. Heck, I went to one of the "Art Institutes" years ago and the instructors there didn't even have MFAs! So it isn't even always necessary to have the degree to teach! But if you want time and a space to work, don't go to grad school, do a residency like everyone has already said. Or just live with your parents or a couple of roommates so you don't have to work full-time and can focus on making stuff.

Brian, you might want to look into Ohio University. I actually spent a year in the printmaking MFA program there and it didn't work out for me, but looking at your work I think you'd fit in much better than I did. The print faculty tends more towards image making and they have pretty decent facilities and Takach presses. But print grads don't get individual studios the first year, which was horrible for me because I was more interested in installation. However, if you want access to good litho stones to draw on or are going to spend most of your time printing, then the collective grad print studios would be perfect. I can't give an absolutely stellar endorsement of the program since things got pretty complicated for me there and I'm still not sure what to make of it, but check it out and if you want to know more I'd be glad to try to answer any questions. Oh, they also give pretty good funding, stipends for GAs and TAs, and you'll likely get to (or be required to) teach your own classes in 2nd and 3rd year, plus travel grants are available for SGC and things like that. As for me, I wonder if anyone could recommend a good state program (or one that offers VERY generous funding) in either printmaking or painting/drawing or something totally interdisciplinary? I'm looking for a place that offers teaching experience as that's what I really want to be doing in the future. I'm not interested in making editions or really in printmaking at all except possibly some screenprints or digital prints, but my BFA is in print and I'd be happy to TEACH printmaking. That's just not where my work is at right now. thanks and best of luck to everyone! J