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gentlebreeze

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    MFA

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  1. I have little to contribute about this other than to say... I dread doing this. I am just in solidarity with others who similarly dread it. You are not alone.
  2. Not just NYC! Graduate Portfolio Days Sunday, Oct. 9 San Francisco, California San Francisco Art Institute Saturday, Oct. 29 New York, NY Parsons Sunday, Nov. 6 Chicago, IL School of the Art Institute of Chicago Does anyone have any idea which schools will be attending the Graduate Portfolio Days? Is it every one of the programs on the list of schools that has a graduate program/major listed on this site - http://www.portfolioday.net/content/view/24/38/ or a more narrowed list than that? Unfortunately the website doesn't have nearly as much info about the graduate days as the undergrad ones. Sat, Oct 29: New York GRADUATE Portfolio Day, Parsons The New School for Design Time: TBA
  3. For me - an MFA would be for the purposes of feedback from other students and faculty, and the time/space to make work in a full time learning environment. The connections/networking opportunities/facilities and instruction are a close second. Teaching credential is a bit less critical to me, because I already have that. For what it's worth, I have a BFA and have never had any difficulty finding very well-paying work, regardless of the economy. After the BFA and before my first professional degree I found more than ample work, all related to my creative practice and using those skills in some way, though not 100% as what some might call a "practicing artist" (sometimes that, sometimes more design.) I live(d) in a place where there's a lot of work along those lines; I'm sure it's more difficult and competitive to do so in other parts of the country/world where there is not a large visual arts related creative sector... or maybe it's easier to be a "big fish in a small pond," I don't know. I come from a background that might be considered socially/educationally "working class," and financially, below the working class. (one parent that was considered "white trash," and the other a "fresh off the boat" immigrant, to put it in terms of how I was made fun of as a child.) I have always attended school on scholarship, and plan to do the same from MFA. And I do think it is completely possible to support oneself using one's skills in some capacity - perhaps not necessarily 100% with the art you make in studio and certainly not right away) but it's not like you have to have some other totally unrelated side job.
  4. Well, from what I understand, Yale's department does allow a variety of approaches. I am thinking about graduates like Shannon Ebner, David Benjamin Sherry, Walead Beshty, etc. (just in terms of the last decade, and who have gotten quite a lot of recognition) in addition to what (I think) the more common stereotype is, the sort of "uncanny suburbia" shot on a Mamiya 7, that a lot of people do. Yale faculty seems a little more skeptical of conceptual or nontraditional projects, initially. It's like "guilty until proven innocent" instead of the other way around, attitude wise, if that makes sense. If you make a weak showing of "conceptual" work you will get excoriated. Whereas a weak "photographic" edit might get more of a ho-hum review, "this is pretty bleh, not much to say here, do better next time." But when a conceptual project (i don't mean one singular project, but one's "Project" as an artist) is well done, it is supported and the artist/photographer who made it is supported. It's more like - a student couldn't show up to a crit and expect the panel to automatically think the work is interesting or had merit because all there is to say about it was, "It's a performance" or "Here's my identity politics statement" or "I was referring to ArtistName's x y z" or "I'm interested in this political thing that's going on." I do think that the program tends to attract applicants who want a more traditional approach, but when someone who deviates from that gets in the program and the work is genuinely interesting, they can do what they want to do.
  5. I guess I would disagree with you on multiple levels - it's a different approach to photography, and I think it's a valuable one, even if singular. Fom what I understand *all* of the other top mfa programs (versus more commercially oriented ones like SCAD, Brooks, etc.) foster the more conceptual/interdisciplinary approach. Those who want to work in that mode can go to myriad other schools, and those who want a straight photo approach with strong critics and a rigorous discursive level can try for Yale. I do think that the Yale/Papageorge pedagogy is a valid way of working in photography today, and isn't a matter of being "cutting edge" or not. Basically, there's room for all, and it would be a huge bummer to see the last top-flight straight school offering this track to disappear.
  6. I do want to somewhat be involved in academe (preferably as an adjunct/visiting critic situation) but I already have a different degree that qualifies me for that, outside of Penn. There are a few most likely "sympathetic" faculty at Penn that I would tend to gravitate toward. Would it be OK if I pm you for some advice?
  7. Would you mind elaborating further on this opinion? Are there any specific sub-specialties within their MFA program that you consider particularly weak or strong versus the rest? I am applying to UPenn for various reasons (would be willing to discuss further in Private Message). Overall, I consider it my safety school amongst the other programs where I'm applying.
  8. I should clarify - I mean they don't seem to want the department to change from how it is, to something more conceptual/interdisciplinary.
  9. Not in the case of Papageorge. The students pretty much love him, and they deliberately choose Yale because of the department being, for lack of a better term, "traditional." But it is rumored that he and Robert Storr are at an impasse because of pedagogical differences. Storr has a very different, more conceptual or multidisciplinary ambition for the direction of the photography department, whereas Papageorge advocates the straight photography approach. From what I understand, this is not what the students want. Maybe it's a gripe of incoming/potential students who want to do what they want to do under the Yale name, but not the ones who actually go because they want to go with Yale being as it is. In every academic department, there are going to be flaws. Of course there are general reservations and complaints about Stockholder and Halley, but nothing out of the ordinary that you probably hear within every institution that has its share of bureaucracy (aka every institution). Most of the students in those respective departments seem to respect both.
  10. Stockholder, Fitzpatrick, Halley, Benson, etc. would have looked at portfolios in their respective departments of people who are starting this Fall (2011). Because all of these people except Tod Papageorge are leaving-for-good, aka not teaching this Fall and beyond, I doubt they will be looking at people's portfolios who are applying for 2012. However, Papageorge is still going to teach after his sabbatical this fall (he will be at Yale in the Spring, when applications are being reviewed) so I'd assume he'll participate in the Photo MFA admission process. Who knows though. Hopefully someone here will attend the open house and they will answer these questions in November. None of this is definite, and who knows who may be "pulling strings" from afar. Admissions are so opaque/elusive/political.
  11. Maler - your stuff reminds me of work I have seen coming out of MassArt, RISD, PNCA, Cornish, and California College of the Arts. Also MICA, which you mentioned. Have you thought about those?
  12. I can't speak to every question here... In addition to Jessica Stockholder leaving sculpture, so is Daphne Fitzpatrick. I heard that one of the other existing faculty is going to be the interim head while they do a search that could take a while, but I'm unsure if that is the case. I ha e heard the same for what will happen in Painting with Peter Halley but again don't know if that is true. In photo, Tod Papageorge is technically on sabbatical this fall and will be back in the spring. During the sabbatical, Gregory Crewdson will be the acting chair of photo - this is definite for this year. After that, I don't know. Yale might not even know yet. Richard Benson is also retiring from Yale photo. Both are very beloved by their students as critics and mentors. so I don't think the above person's comment about the current faculty only teaching for prestige is accurate. As far as I know, there is definitely an "internal politics" issue with Storr et al. He does not get along with everyone.
  13. I can't really comment on the linked paintings of that particular artist. But I will suggest you look at Doron Langberg, Kyle Coniglio, Tom Betthauser, Hilary Irons, Didier William. While they are not producing what you would call "Realism" the technical ability is certainly undeniable.
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