Do my referees need to be professors?

[MikaLi]

I'm preparing my application materials for art history PhD programs. I have two professors who agreed to write me reference letters, and I am thinking about a rather unconventional third referee….I wrote my Master's dissertation on two artists, one of whom know me well- we met regularly for about a year and discussed his work in his studio. Since he knows me and my research study very well, I think that a reference letter from him might be very useful. Currently, he is teaching in an MFA program in a big university in my country, so he is not entirely a non-academic referee, isn't he?

What do you think? does the committee will accept a reference letter from an artist who was the subject of my thesis?  

thanks

[Atlantis]

Hi - this is exactly what my situation was like. I had my undergrad supervisor write a reference letter, and the supervisor of my first MA. Both of them Professors. My third reference was by an artist with whom I had worked, and for whom I had written catalog texts etc. Eventually, I applied in seven places, and got offers from UChicago and Michigan. Princeton, Yale, Harvard, Columbia and the Courtauld rejected me though. So it may be that some more conservative departments may frown upon it, but that's speculation. And my artist was not affiliated with any academic institution at all. It also sort of depends who the other two people are. My MA supervisor is an academic wunderkind, now Art History superstar, so that certainly counted for something, too. 

[losemygrip]

Rule of thumb would be that one of the three recommenders could be outside art history (but somehow related), such as an artist or a professor in another discipline.  I had a favorite French professor who wrote letters for me years ago. 

 

Most important is getting people who will write good letters.