Courses of Study 2023-2024 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Art – MFA Creative Visual Arts
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Master of Fine Arts, Creative Visual Arts (M.F.A. Visual Arts)
The two-year Master of Fine Arts in Creative Visual Arts (M.F.A. Visual Arts) is an intensive, intimate, and diverse community that supports both interdisciplinary and medium-specific practices, augmented by access to the breadth of fields of study across the university.
• Instruction mode: In person
• Program location: Ithaca, New York
• Length of program: 4 semesters; 60 academic credits; full-time study
M.F.A. Visual Arts Degree Requirements
The M.F.A. Visual Arts curriculum is flexible enough to accommodate the needs of individual students and enable them to take advantage of Cornell’s vast opportunities and resources. Students complete a minimum of 15 credits each term, including the required studio and graduate art seminar. Additionally, each spring semester, students enroll in 3 credits of professional practice. Students complete their remaining credit requirements by enrolling in electives. Students can choose electives from across all of Cornell graduate-level offerings to support the development of their studio practice.
Students matriculating in Fall 2023 must complete the following curriculum and degree requirements:
Year 1: Fall semester curriculum
Minimum Total: 15 credits
Year 1: Spring semester curriculum
Minimum Total: 15 credits
Year 2: Fall semester curriculum
Minimum Total: 15 credits
Year 2: Spring semester curriculum
Minimum Total: 15 credits
Total minimum credits: 60
*Students are required to complete two electives and are encouraged to enroll in additional electives in support of the development of their studio practice.
M.F.A. Visual Arts Requirement Areas
Studio Practice Requirement: 4 classes; 36 credits
1. First-year M.F.A. Studios: 2 classes; 18 credits
Upon entering the program, students commence on a rigorous investigation of their art and ideas within their studio practice. During the first year in the program, students participate in ART 7001 and ART 7002 , studio visits rotation with full-time art faculty, meeting each faculty member for a studio visit at least twice during the span of the year. It is during these pivotal conversations that the students refine and hone in on what’s most crucial to them in their studio practice, and figure out which faculty should be invited to be on each student’s thesis advising committee, which will start to meet regularly in the second year of the program.
2. Second-year M.F.A. Studios: 2 classes; 18 credits
Second year students enroll in ART 8001 and 8002 . As a final deliverable for ART 8002 , students produce a written artist statement and present a thesis exhibition of the studio work completed during their residency. Late in the semester, graduate students exhibit their work at a gallery in New York City.
Graduate Art Seminar: 4 classes; 12 credits
ART 6000 - Graduate Seminar: Contemporary Theory and Art is an integral component of the M.F.A. Visual Arts curriculum which addresses the range of contemporary art practice and its cultural contexts as an intellectual field of study. The purpose of the seminar is to generate an ongoing engagement with informed and committed discourse, one which parallels developments in the student’s creative work. For this four-semester sequence of classes, topics may include art practice as a form of cultural identity and political agency; post-colonial critique and nonwestern conditions and contexts; contemporary subjectivities under recent historical conditions; rethinking forms and media in dialogue with history; and the status of exhibition and technology in society.
Professional Practice and Field Work in Contemporary Art: 2 classes; 6 credits
ART 6100 - Professional Practice and Field Work in Contemporary Art focuses on developing each student’s individual needs in preparation for a life-long artistic and professional practice. In this class, students workshop artist statements, grant, and residency proposals and hone writing skills with emphasis on both professional and creative modalities. IN addition to one-on-one meetings and studio visits, students meet as a group to develop and cultivate our community with activities such as field trips to NYC to visit artist studios, galleries and museums, and other art destinations. The course will culminate in the development and curation of a group show in New York City. We will write the press release for the show, establish a title and theme, work with the gallery on social media publicity and outreach, design a poster/flyer and all other aspects of curating/installing and publicizing an art exhibit.
Elective Curricular Plan: 2 classes; 6 credits
M.F.A. Visual Arts students are required to complete at least two electives of 3 or more credits, and are encouraged to enroll in additional electives to support the development of their artistic practice. Students can choose electives from a wide range of graduate course offerings across the university and within the college, including the Art and Architecture departments.
Per University and New York State policy, only graduate course work can be applied toward the M.F.A. degree requirements. This means that undergraduate level courses (1000–4000 level) cannot be applied toward the M.F.A. elective requirement. Students may apply one graduate-level independent study course (at the 5000 or higher) to count towards their elective requirement with approval of the M.F.A. Director. The independent study course must be taken for a letter grade.
Total Academic Credits: 60 credits
M.F.A. Visual Arts Learning Outcomes
- Students will cultivate and develop unique and individual ideas appropriate for expressions in various studio/post-studio forms and demonstrate comprehensive technical knowledge and skills in their area of practice becoming competent and reflective practitioners.
- Students will exercise professional standards in their understanding of theoretical, art historical and contemporary issues in the visual arts appropriate to their creative practice, as demonstrated in ongoing written and oral discourse.
- Students will refine general professional skills supportive of their studio/post-studio practice, such as research, presentation and exhibition.
M.F.A. Visual Arts Policies
Students are expected to follow all university, college , and program policies. Failure to comply with any policy or petition decision may result in review by the program committee.
Good Academic Standing
To be in good academic standing in the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning, a M.F.A. Visual Arts student must:
- Successfully complete a minimum of 12 academic credits each semester; and
- Earn a minimum semester grade point average (GPA) of 2.7; and
- Follow the prescribed program curriculum and comply with all university, college, and program policies; and
- Earn no letter grade lower than C- in studio work.
Grading
- All studios and courses within the Art department should be taken for a letter grade. This includes ART 7001 /7002 /8001 /8002 , ART 6000 , and ART 6100 .
- Students can enroll in elective courses either as S/U or for a letter grade.
Residency Requirement
- The M.F.A. Visual Arts is a four-semester, full-time program of study.
- M.F.A. Visual Arts students are required to be in residence for the duration of the program.
Transfer Credit/Advanced Standing
Transfer credit for graduate work done elsewhere or during the summer session is not applicable towards the M.F.A. Visual Arts degree requirements.
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