Painting Program advice

[liszt85]

Hi,

I'm from India and have been accepted to Northwestern Linguistics and am awaiting decisions from Psych Depts of OSU, Minnesota twin towers, Berkeley, McGill, McMaster and Rochester BCS. My wife will accompany me on aF2 visa. She has completed her masters in physics (me too) and would like to study painting now. She has been painting for a while now but only by looking at other photos/paintings, etc. She is now working on originals.. I do not know anything about MFA programs.. How should one go about preparing for a MFA application? How do you build your portfolio and what other skills would you need (critical theory, etc..) to satisfy entry requirements for a MFA? Also which of the above universities would offer good opportunities for painting as well? Any advise woulde be appreciated.. She would spend as much time as possible prepaing and maybe apply to a MFA program after a year or so..

[brosenth1984]

Hi,

I'm from India and have been accepted to Northwestern Linguistics and am awaiting decisions from Psych Depts of OSU, Minnesota twin towers, Berkeley, McGill, McMaster and Rochester BCS. My wife will accompany me on aF2 visa. She has completed her masters in physics (me too) and would like to study painting now. She has been painting for a while now but only by looking at other photos/paintings, etc. She is now working on originals.. I do not know anything about MFA programs.. How should one go about preparing for a MFA application? How do you build your portfolio and what other skills would you need (critical theory, etc..) to satisfy entry requirements for a MFA? Also which of the above universities would offer good opportunities for painting as well? Any advise woulde be appreciated.. She would spend as much time as possible preparing and maybe apply to a MFA program after a year or so..

MFA programs are extremely competitive (as i am sure can see on the posting boards by all the rejections), and so from what you are saying, it doesn't seem that she is really ready for an MFA program. Most MFA candidates in painting have done an undergraduate degree in painting, and have spent several years afterwards making paintings before anybody will look at them. Plus an MFA is a terminal degree (like a Ph.D.), and so one really needs to demonstrate that level of commitment before than can be considered by a program (e.g. she needs to be exhibiting places, coming up with all of her own ideas, etc.). If she wants to embark on this new path in life, i would suggest she apply as an undergrad to schools in the area where you are going. All of them have studio art departments, or maybe a certificate program at one of the art institutes or something, at least to get the ball rolling on her work...

[liszt85]

THanks for the advice! I think I understand. If I decide to go to Northwestern, I think there are quite a few good ug options she could try out!

[ArchStanton]

Hi,

While it is true that MFA programs are extremely competitive, I would not completely rule out going for the Masters degree. If your wife's art is focused and evocative, and ideally if she has a history of showing works in galleries, then it is entirely possible that she would be accepted. I have met plenty of successful artists, designers and architects who came from other disciplines. What they all had in common is a very strong portfolio, and a proven history of exhibits or working in art-related fields. Otherwise a bachelors would probably be the better choice.

Also, I don't know which OSU you were refering to (Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Ohio State?) but Oregon State does not offer a masters in painting, the closest MFA painting program being about an hour away. She would also find it difficult to apply to an MFA program this late in the year, most schools having deadlines around February for the following Fall.

As far as preparation goes, the portfolio is generally the main focus, with schools wanting to see concentrated work with some sense of direction. To what degree of focus depends on the particular school. While the idea is to have a strong sense of direction, it is also important to have experimented with other directions, even if they played only a minor role. The reason is one will be challenged to consider these alternative directions and to have good reason for not following them. Consider it like a hypothesis which needs testing and revising.

As far as critical theory, its important to have read up on current issues in the arts, to have some context of contemporary art theory, to be able to relate your own work to this body of knowledge, and to be able to write/research and talk about these issues. Programs can vary widely in how much emphasis is placed on theory, both in the application process and during the program. Finally, an exhibition history is highly recommended for any program, even if the exhibitions are small, local events.

[SunshineState]

NO TO UNDERGRAD - she has an edge being from another discipline, believe it or not. Make work for a few months. Have a professional photographer take pictures of it. Portfolio - yes. that's all in the application requirements, the specifications are all different and quite rigorous. Those programs are prestigious and may take a few attempts applying to get into.

Northwestern or Berkeley are the only on that list with prestige in art. That said, if she can get fully funded anywhere, apply to all.

Critical theory - yes, you do need that in a good MFA program, but it's not everything. You need to be able to write about your work (does she have work to write about?)
 

What does she want to do with her art? If she just wants to paint, why go to school? This is the attitude or premise to assume. There has to be a reason she wants to pursue the discipline.