kwonberry

Similar as well. Probably in the vicinity of 14 individual works and I didn't really have anything in the vicinity of assemblage or installation. It's just a matter of doing your own work justice. I used composite jpegs for video stills/anything that has a durational element.

To be fair isn't the average age of an MFA candidate around 26-28? lol but yeah those of us that are 23-24 fought tooth and nail to get into a program, age shouldn't be a deterrent.

I am. Finishing up my BFA in a few months. I took time off from school between my sophomore/junior years and felt my work and thinking was strong enough to warrant the extra pain that this whole process added to an already stressful senior thesis year.

My first interview prospect was just a casual (loose term) email check and nothing too exciting. A week later I was about to head out to an old friend's birthday and I quickly checked my email to see the words 'congratulations' and 'finalist.' I was basically dumbstruck and couldn't really enjoy myself from the sheer shock.

Since it was my first round I made quite a few mistakes. For those who don't know, an MFA for any visual artist is not a light decision, most spend anywhere from 2 to 10 years between their BFA and MFA, if at all, to develop their ideas, work, mature as a person, etc. I am probably the .1% of art students who was serious about going on to graduate study, not just as a deflection of finishing undergrad pressure. I had taken a leave of absence during my BFA and came back with direction and the notion on the horizon. Pretty much the entire faculty in the art building knew my plans, and in a near unanimous voice they asked "why don't you wait at least a year?" That was pretty much all I got for the entire first senior semester when I was scoping out who could write me letters, as well as from professors who's advice/word I've grown to trust. When I finally got news from UCLA, I contacted my recommendation professors and hastily posted on facebook, and the new unanimous voice was "congratulations" even though my official acceptance hadn't processed yet. It felt like going to a shooting range with a slingshot and everyone just had skeptical eyes until a little luck and determination proved them otherwise. I think long story short, try to stay discreet as much as possible. The hysterical part of this long ordeal was my parents simply saying "give it a shot and see how it goes" the whole way through till I finally got good news. Now they just nag logistics at me like it was a matter of fact that programs with <10% acceptance rates were going to choose a 23 yr old without a completed degree when my competition was 28 yr olds with established practices and CV's that make mine look like a one liner.

I've gotten my departmental "recommended for admission" as well as the letter through the graduate division page, but have yet to receive financial information. It'll happen soon enough I assume, as far as I know they were sending out the emails in packets, maybe they just aren't done? I think moral of the story is UCLA Graduate division, and maybe the University as a whole, is quite fragmented and disorganized, which is nothing new for large scale research uni's.

Thanks. Your work looks fitting for Columbia, good luck with their financial info (last I checked they are pretty stingy in that department)

I visited just last week, from what I remember funding stays more or less intact the two years, with the added benefit (for people like us) of Cali residency. I'm sure Caron can provide the nit picky of it. Don't the options for merit scholarships also open up after a year? I had longish conversations with Cathy, Rodney, Hirsch, Steven (the sculpture tech) and Caron, they are all too incredible to pass up I think are you photo? Also where else are you considering?

Plan on seeing you there, though I haven't received financial info yet.

It's just a never ending waiting game this year... if I were picked for Skowhegan it would be insane not to go but I need to establish residency in cali after finishing this bfa. To be fair I think my luck tank would be completely dry if I got accepted.

Sorry for beating a dead horse, but it feels like an uphill battle for you to apply for painting. Much of painting discourse has, for a long time, become about the material itself, while your concerns feel narrative. One of my professors explained his notion of illustration vs drawing/painting as an act of portrayal vs a material activation, or to bring a preconceived notion alive vs activating new notions. When I think of illustrative artists, Yoshitomo Nara is the first to come to my mind, but the discussions in his work represent his cultural identity as well as a sly nuanced suggestiveness, rather than something opaque. He also branches out his devilish girls into multimedia, while maintaining his vision. Your work, as well as your statement (purely my opinion) reflects an illustrative approach to narrative and historical reference. Much of the work is humorous, entertaining, strong and clearly considered, but divergent from the direction of painting. It's not uncommon for an illustrator to bleed into art dialogue, and vice versa. I feel calling illustration a bluntly 'commercial' practice a bit over generalized. Could you elaborate more one what you think fine arts does 'outside of that?' I think there is a fairly clear distinction between drawing and illustration. (In typing this I see michaelwebster beat me to a few points )

I think USC is in the process of sending out letters, though my bet is if you are a candidate, you already know.

Lol?

Ah yeah I was at their campus for 3 days (I was staying with a friend who's completing her masters in film) I pretty much got the whole pitch from faculty, a few MFA's, and the MFA advisor. At this point its kind of just a waiting game for the USC decision and giving Calarts their due with a skype interview. Their facilities (even the MFA studios imo) as well as incredible faculty (let me repeat, INCREDIBLE FACULTY) completely trumps my interest in USC/Calarts at this point tbh.

Interested as well

turning 24 this week.

Got my official email acceptance at ucla. Can finally breathe easy and not be so bummed I missed calarts interview day

Still undecided on mine. Making me craaaaaazzyyy

This is comforting/vomit inducing as I'll actually be flying out to LA the middle of the week.

Nyu

Had a brief chat with the Grad advisor (I'm undergrad atm) she did say mid March is when everything interview or rejection related goes out. Holding my breath is getting hard with UCLA. waiting on their grad division to stamp me and send me a snail mail, or reject me brutally after some amping up from the actual mfa profs.

Ohh have we been roaming the same halls this whole time?

It was mentioned on my first call then an email notice and now I'm waiting for some official confirmation. Thanks all.

Can't say on SD cause I didn't apply, but I heard from UCLA. I guess I can shed some light on their process for sculpture anyway. I got an email from the area head to talk on the phone and was told I was a finalist, after the interview I was moved to recommend for admission and had to be cleared by the graduate division (I'm assuming the larger administrative body of the University). I can't say for sure if I'm in (knock on wood) or if having gone this long means a rejection for other hopefuls, but that's been my week. Suffice to say it's been nerve racking, exciting, barely ate/slept, and way too many of my peers/teachers here at my school know now lol.

head of sculpture said my application was one of the finalists, So I'm gonna talk to him I'm guessing Tuesday morning. oh so scurred.