brown06

I like this piece the best: has alot to offer your world and i'd follow in this vain than some of the other pieces that seem less developed. Are you applying this time around? Is that your portfolio?

umm... no i didnt ask for my results, nor would I ever have. I was unable to visit personally so I emailed to say hi (and nothing more) to the professor I was interested in working with, which like Gouache said was recommended on the site.

I emailed Jane personally to introduce myself and then she replied saying thanks and explaining she could only take 1 person this year and so on and so forth

ditto, looking back I can see it wouldn't have been the best fit. For some reason it seemed as though they took at least 2-3 painters, I wouldn't want to be the only painter. Even though I am very interested in interdisciplinary work I would still like peers who work from paint as well.

Ditto I wouldve really loved to as well but its at least a 600.00 buck flight plus other costs.

Ouch I applied, hope Im not in the dismal range!

Yeah....according to one of my professors here, it isnt at all reputable enough and he was pretty peeved that I submitted my app there. That said his standards are a bit high. Hard to tell from the little I know

cool that makes sense. Have any family in Lubbock area? Texas tech has a pretty nice program, I personally love Tina Fuentes' work and they offer good aid, are cheap to begin with, lubbock =affordable, and they have a summer retreat campus for art students.

Those are a pretty vast range. I considered University of Washington but a professor of mine whose very involved in knowing what goes on at these mfa programs urged me not to. He said their art scene in Seattle is pretty horrific, i think there is an article out there about how lacking it is and how its due to University of Washington. Also heard their professors are absent, competitive, and don't much care (Just rumors i heard and not from my faculty so take that with a grain of salt). He did say he sent a few of his post-baccs there previously and stated that the program didn't push their work and as a result their progress did a major back slide. Idk much about University of Oregon and University of Houston. UNT and Tyler are also on my list. I prefer the professors work at Tyler and love their abroad program in Rome, but UNT is by all means more affordable. Depends on why you want an MFA. The faculty here urged me to look past cost and look more to quality as its a terminal degree and where you get your real foundation as an artist. THAT SAID, I am not looking to go to a school at 50k a year and wouldnt consider it. I'm realistic, and know the jobs are sparse in the field and won't go hundreds of K in debt for it, I still think there are top notch schools that fund, even Tyler can fund up to half or more I read--and their fees arent unreasonable and Philly is much more affordable than NYC and Boston. If Tyler is your last choice and alternately the most competitive, why even apply?

Tangentially related to graduate school. Those applying to schools or just any with a lot of extra work want to do some artwork trading? I have a studio full of work from this semester, and looking for some pieces from other artists for my home (: Figured its also a good positive way to interact with members/ peers my age. if you wanna arrange a trade email me or reply to this forum with a link of your stuff.. www.doraeliaruiz.com I also have way more stuff that isnt currently on my website

As with any forum there are people who take it too seriously and spend years on it

hey there stofo, I'm applying to claremont. Can you elaborate on the funding situation? Is there any offered at all? Thanks!

I think to disregard one type of art over another is "laughable". Go Yale.

Oh also they get like 90-100 applicants for 10 spots, so 10% shot is pretty decent for a good UC program

hey if you like interdisciplinary and UC schools with funding why not UCSB? They fund and have a really great department that doesn't focus on any one genre. I'd give my liver to go there but I dont do their typical sort of work, but yours looks like a fit. Also what about UC-Riverside, I know they aid, and they have a brand spankin new art center with awesome studio space.

I applied to their postbacc program and was offered 12k in aid so I visited. It's a decent school but like the poster above said, sucky studio spaces. Its in a sterile area of boston for my taste too. The proximity and relationship with the museum is amazing and they have a plethora of opportunities going on there. Are you into interdisciplinary work? They are very much into that. Most of the school is in one building acrss the street from the museum, its quite large and maze like with lots of open studios to sit in and work from--the place is very very gritty with tons of projects going on everywhere, it looks as if its in cnstruction permanently--maybe thats your thing maybe not. Grad students seem happy and well taken care of. I wouldnt ever consider it for undergrad, far too impersonal for them. I ended up going with Brandeis b/c of the larger studios, less than half the tuition cost, and more personalized attention. But if youre a big city living and working in a scrappy art school setting then you will love it.

www.doraeliaruiz.com Background, Brown graduate, some RISD work, Brandeis Post-bacc Fine art applying to most of the UC's website doesnt have most of my new work--that will change before app time.

look if my portfolio seems to have potential, I am happy. I admittedly have much to learn and up for it.

also i dont disregard all forms of art, in any sense, youll see on my portfolio i also do digital illustrations, i also do some woodworking, upholstering, appliques, bookbinding, playwriting (honors at Brown) the works. I am a painters painter in that I REALLY want to focus on my painting now, and want a department that will allow that--of course I'd do other things and incorporate it, I have and will.

i have a backbone, there could be worse. Also I dont like terms like "naive" and "sunday painter" and "primitive" basically outsider artists find it offensive past 20th century. I am not only looking to impress the committee, I am more concerned with my craft, but if I say that then I get hassled about being an outsider and not concerned with how the art world perceives my work. I am open to criticism and I thanked him for his advice and to be completely frank I am a HFA (high functioning autistic) and my brutish way of stating things really throws people off but it is not intended to be some war of words. I try to work on that but seriously its hard when you feel like u speak an entirely different language from the rest of the world. I am getting a life coach this fall who can perhaps help with social crap like that/this

other than that, thanks for your advice on everything else.

ok well your assumption that bc i am new to art academia and the politics of the art world that I am just a "sunday painter" is really ridiculous. Many dedicated artists are self-taught and not influenced by mainstream art. Like my post said, i am NEW to this, this being the "insider" mainstream art world--not "this" being my craft. Take your elitist politics elsewhere. oh and BTW, I went to Brown and took several art courses at RISD, that's my background.

Not a sunday painter, have been painting seriously for over 10 years, either way my post bacc is going to help with my art education that i missed out on. Brandeis is a highly regarded intensive post bacc program. i dont even GET what makes me sound like a sunday painter in my summary or bio, other than i didnt major in art or go to an art specific school. Ive known many painters who went through the hoops gotten a bfa and dont produce/work/paint 1/10th of as much as I do.

Hey there, I am applying to MFA programs this fall, in the meantime I have enrolled at Brandeis' post bacc program. I have very few art courses on my undergrad transcript and wanted my art to be able to be pushed and grow before going to my mfa. I am really new to this all. Ive been working on contenders for my portfolio like a madperson, painting nonstop. here is my website and portfolio is in there. www.doraeliaruiz.com i really dont know what art schools look for beyond some cohesiveness and whatnot. I mean in light of my "style" what schools should i look into? Some info: i am only interested in painting. I dont at all like schools like SMFA (got into their post bacc with lots of aid, but turned it down bc i hated the schools concept and the location), I lived in nyc for 3 years and refuse to look at any schools there, I think its far too hard to live in the day to day, too many other stressors, the art scene there is NOT my thing or style, feels very avante garde. artists that inspire me are miro, kandinsky, and without sucking my soul out from me, do you think my work has what it takes to get into any mfa's? Very worried reading posts on here about how many years people keep applying and getting fully rejected. Plus my work does NOT resemble any one else's.... Ideally Id love to a state art school with a great reputation and funding or tuition remission b/c this brandeis post bacc aint cheap