University of Washington MFA Info?

[LeeP]

University of Washington MFA? Anyone know about it? Funding, Studios? Anyone got any info

[stofo]

I lived in seattle for a few years. My wife did her bfa at UW. It is not an amazing school for art. The grad studios are shabby and far from campus. The MFA has a great reputation for ceramics and public art only. I recently read an article explaining that UW is the reason Seattle has a crappy art scene, i believe it.

[Curious12345]

I lived in seattle for a few years. My wife did her bfa at UW. It is not an amazing school for art. The grad studios are shabby and far from campus. The MFA has a great reputation for ceramics and public art only. I recently read an article explaining that UW is the reason Seattle has a crappy art scene, i believe it.

Gah...I've heard this and a couple other people warning me away from the program...I was planning on applying too...good thing my app is paid for yet.

[vermillion]

I lived in seattle for a few years. My wife did her bfa at UW. It is not an amazing school for art. The grad studios are shabby and far from campus. The MFA has a great reputation for ceramics and public art only. I recently read an article explaining that UW is the reason Seattle has a crappy art scene, i believe it.

That's disheartening to hear because I plan on applying to Washington because the painting faculty seems wonderful and one of my favorite artists, Ann Gale is on the faculty there, and the graduate painting I have seen from there seems to be strong.

[PennyChrome]

I did my undergrad at UW and would not recommend the school of art unless you are interested in design. I graduated '08, and they were in the process of strongly phasing out hands-on programs (good bye Printmaking, Fibers, Metals.....Ceramics gets to stay of course, as does Sculpture) in favor of Design programs and scattered interdisciplinary programs (for undergrads). Beware; the Dean of the School of Art is Design Faculty, and it definitely shows.

[presson]

I lived in seattle for a few years. My wife did her bfa at UW. It is not an amazing school for art. The grad studios are shabby and far from campus. The MFA has a great reputation for ceramics and public art only. I recently read an article explaining that UW is the reason Seattle has a crappy art scene, i believe it.

Do you happen to remember where you read that? I'd be interested in reading that article, since I'm applying to the MFA in VCD at UW. Thanks for your help!

[caserole]

Do you happen to remember where you read that? I'd be interested in reading that article, since I'm applying to the MFA in VCD at UW. Thanks for your help!

My info is second hand but I would warn you about the program there too.

I have a friend who got his MFA there because he was lured by scholarship money. He had such an awful experience there that it shattered his faith in art academia and he doesn't even want to teach anymore.

The faculty were incredibly unsupportive, even combative. My friend is a hard worker and very talented imho so I don't see why they treated him so poorly.

[presson]

My info is second hand but I would warn you about the program there too.

I have a friend who got his MFA there because he was lured by scholarship money. He had such an awful experience there that it shattered his faith in art academia and he doesn't even want to teach anymore.

The faculty were incredibly unsupportive, even combative. My friend is a hard worker and very talented imho so I don't see why they treated him so poorly.

Do you remember which MFA program your friend attended? I'm applying to the Visual Communications Design Department and I've heard many good things about its faculty. I'd be interested to hear more about your friend's experience, although it sounds very unfortunate. Yikes, thanks for the reply!

Edited February 1, 2011 by presson

[stofo]

Do you happen to remember where you read that? I'd be interested in reading that article, since I'm applying to the MFA in VCD at UW. Thanks for your help!

Michael Darling, who was a curator at Seattle Art Museum and now a curator at Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago..."UW MFA program is the #! thing holding back the Seattle art scene".

What's wrong with art in Seattle? Our art schools, according to SAM's outgoing contemporary curator. by Jen Graves - Features - The Stranger, Seattle's Only Newspaper

[presson]

Michael Darling, who was a curator at Seattle Art Museum and now a curator at Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago..."UW MFA program is the #! thing holding back the Seattle art scene".

What's wrong with art in Seattle? Our art schools, according to SAM's outgoing contemporary curator. by Jen Graves - Features - The Stranger, Seattle's Only Newspaper

stofo: Thank you for digging that up. The article (and subsequent comments) were quite interesting.

[Curious12345]

I received my BFA from the UW's painting department. It was an awful experience and I should have trusted my gut to get out early but I suffered through. The problem mainly is the egos of the professors, particularly Zhi Lin. He wants apprentices who copy his hyper realistic style, not people who have their own creative vision, and he's eager to verbally beat your voice out of you. At one point, he YELLED at me in the middle of class, in front of everyone, because I asked him to explain what he was doing ( which at the time was grabbing my paintbrush out of my hand and painting on my canvas.) When I yelled back, he demanded that I drop the class and then flunked me when I didn't.

Another is a problem with department politics; the professors are at each other's throats. The professors are so unprofessional that they engage their students in criticizing rhetoric about their colleague. The male professors, mostly graduates from Yale who are stuck in abstract- expressionism, completely disregard the only two female instructors.

I have friends who earned their MFA and they had a terrible experience; no valid feedback, professors hitting on them.

Another problem is the UW School of Art itself is trying to remake itself into a digital arts program. They have added a Ph.D in digital arts but have cut the fibers, metals, printmaking programs. They are gutting the physical arts from their students education. Additionally, The painting department looks upon all other arts as inferior and the professors criticize you if you are interested in other media.

Needless to say: Would not recommend the UW painting department.

Now I'm REALLY glad I didn't apply.

[caserole]

Do you remember which MFA program your friend attended? I'm applying to the Visual Communications Design Department and I've heard many good things about its faculty. I'd be interested to hear more about your friend's experience, although it sounds very unfortunate. Yikes, thanks for the reply!

He was in sculpture

[Cobalt]

Wow, I'm really glad you started this thread.

I also applied to UofW and had no idea of these issues, so

this has been really helpful. Thanks!

[aura54]

Yes thanks for starting this thread. I applied but haven't heard back yet, this will inform my decision if I am accepted, and if not - then I'll feel better about it!

[I Paint Faces]

So... I just got into the painting and drawing program at University of Washington and was wondering if anyone had anything positive to say about the place. I was under the impression that UW was a great school (rated equal to SMFA and others on the U.S. News Report for grad schools), competitive to get into, and that Seattle is a great place to make art. However, everything I've seen on this forum has been really disheartening. I live in Maine and I'm thinking now that it is crucial for me to go out there and see it for myself at this point (especially before I attempt to convince my boyfriend to rip up his roots and join me), but does anyone have anything else to share about the program, positive or negative?

[KMS]

Hello to anyone who might stumble upon this thread. I did, as I was trying to make a decision between several good departments for an MFA in painting. Lucky for me, I visited UW and didn't make my choice based on what I saw on this forum. I am posting this here as a service to others who might be going through the same process as I was, and who might benefit from this knowledge. 

 

This place has been great, and I find the faculty to be professional, intelligent, dedicated to their work, and interested in their students' learning. Of course this is not a place for everyone -- the best way to decide if a school is for you is to visit if you can (after you have been offered admission -- don't bother visiting before you apply, as that would be a waste of time). 

 

I'd like to clarify a few points.

1) There are printmaking facilities here, though no MFA specifically in printmaking. 

2) If you get along with most people, you will probably get along with the faculty just fine. They are good people. 

3) This is a great place for people who think deeply and who like to engage in interdisciplinary academic research.

4) This is an excellent department for people who are self-starters, and who are able to discipline themselves to spend long hours in the studio.

5) You may do well at UW if you are really dedicated to painting and drawing.

 

Anyway, I have been really happy here. If you are making an admissions decision, go ahead and visit. Or email some of the MFA students in the department! This may not be the place for you, but it is a great school.  

 

[cadred]

The MFA in painting & Drawing at UW is TERRIBLE.

This program is so disrespectful to the students that if you ask me, they don't deserve ambitious students. If you take your artistic practice seriously, you'll find yourself struggling very much in this place. The art scene in Seattle is pretty bad in general, artists mostly don't stay here, and I think UW, being the major MFA program in the city, can definitely be blamed for it. The photomedia and 3D programs seem much better than the painting program, I can only speak from my experience as an MFA painting student.

The painting studios are very spacious and nice, but other than that, this program has very little to offer. In the painting dpt, there are no group crits, no seminars, no discussion, nothing. All you get is 30 mins twice a semester one on one visits with each faculty, who couldn't be less interested in the students. I mean, their studios are right across the hall from you, and yet they do everything they can to avoid you. You'd be lucky if your teacher even says hello to you when they pass by you in the hallway. They make sure you know that they are artists first and teachers second, but man is that an understatement. They actively try to avoid you, and due to this lack of involvement, when one of them does come into your studio, you can expect a very generic feedback. Most students won't make any personal connection with any faculty member, and even deep into your second year you'd likely feel like your faculty doesn't know what your work is about. They had Denzil Hurley who was a great teacher, but he retired. I think teaching graduate students is a privilege, and it's sad that these are the people who get paid to hold these full time positions, while so many great teaching artists are fighting for low-paying adjunct positions.

Since there's no departmental seminar or anything, there isn't a setting that puts the students in discussion with each other, so if you're lucky to click with your classmates, you might enjoy some occasional peer feedback. However, it has happened that peers wouldn't engage or speak to each other throughout the entire program. You can work in your studio with your door closed and not interact with anyone except your 1on 1s with faculty for the entire two years. The only seminar that does exist is a combined seminar for all MFA students, but these classes are often poorly run.

It's a VERY traditional program, which was surprising given that the teachers came from Yale, SAIC, etc. The feedback you'll get is almost exclusively aesthetic, so don't expect any concept development. In general, the teachers are very prescriptive and old fashioned, they all teach undergrad and grad, and I think they are much more comfortable with teaching technical skills to beginner undergrad students, than working with grads.

I read here and elsewhere ppls reviews from ten-fifteen years ago saying that the faculty was old fashioned, combative, close-minded, not involved with the students, and boy I couldn't believe it remained the same till today. Also, the administration and faculty don't really speak to each other, so don't expect to have anyone to speak about your issues with. No one will ask for or respond to your feedback here.

Overall it feels like the faculty is comprised of a bunch of people on a tenure track waiting to retire while doing as little as possible until they finish.

The program does give out a lot of money,  including full rides and undergrad teaching experience (though most of your undergrad class will not be art students), so I'd recommend *considering* it only after you visited and if offered near full to full funding for coming here. Otherwise definitely avoid this program cause it's bad.

Edited January 26, 2018 by cadred