Overcoming Eurocentrism
Lyssa Palu-Ay (MFA ’01), Dean of JET (Justice, Equity, and Transformation), works to move beyond institutional practices that can unintentionally marginalize BIPOC communities.
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Meet the local female entrepreneurs spearheading a Celtics and Bruins fashion movement inside TD Garden
One of Laura Brodigan's designs available at the ProShop at TD Garden in Boston.
- MassArt in the Media
- Fashion Design Certificate
- Professional and Continuing Education
Laura Brodigan, a Lynnfield native and founder of BROdenim, obtained a certificate in fashion design from Massachusetts College of Art and Design. She is one of the female entrepreneurs spearheading a Celtics and Bruins fashion movement inside TD Garden in Boston.
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MassArt Continuing Education Programs Highlighted in Boston Globe
Photo of Richard Burns courtesy of the Boston Globe.
- MassArt in the Media
- Furniture Design
- Professional and Continuing Education
In a feature story about artistic reinvention in the Boston Globe‘s Thrive Supplement on March 23, 2025, participants in MassArt New England and the furniture design certificate program were spotlighted.
“Richard Burns, 70, likens going back to art school as a senior to finding the “fountain of youth.” He enrolled in the Furniture Design Certificate program at Massachusetts College of Art and Design in 2017, after retiring from a career in software engineering.”
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An Art and Design Homecoming: MassArt New England Comes to Boston
For over 40 years, MassArt New England has been one of the nation’s top summer residency programs.
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Written by Rachael Dubinsky
For over 40 years, MassArt New England has been one of the nation’s top summer residency programs, bringing together professional artists and designers for an intensive, community-focused artmaking experience. Now based on the MassArt campus, the program offers participants expanded resources, specialized studio spaces, and direct access to Boston’s dynamic arts scene, fostering an environment where creativity and collaboration thrive.
Built on the understanding that time and focus for creative work are rare and precious, this program fosters a supportive environment where serious studio art enthusiasts can connect with like-minded peers, learn from expert faculty, and pursue innovative projects.
As the country’s first freestanding public independent college of art and design, MassArt has a wealth of resources and opportunities for exploration, inspiration, and creative pursuits. Classes offered at MassArt New England include Drawing with Thread, Sculpting with Paper Clay Over Wire, The Head Examined (painting), and many more.
“Spending the day in dedicated studios, working side by side in a community of peers is an amazing opportunity and an unforgettable experience” said Dean of Graduate, Professional and Continuing Education Mariah Doren. “Whether you have been coming for years or are joining for the first time- MassArt New England is the place where artists gather and grow.”
MassArt New England participants spend full days in the studio with faculty and peers. Evenings are spent at artist talks, drawing live models, visiting historic, world-class museums, or doing independent studio work. In fact, the MassArt Art Museum (MAAM), the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and the Museum of Fine Arts are just a stone’s throw away from campus.
“It was wonderful to be back in a working community of fellow artists, to share ideas and responses, and to have support for my work,” shared MassArt New England participant Sue Klau.
Whether refining your craft, exploring new artistic directions, or immersing yourself in a dynamic creative community, this residency offers an unparalleled opportunity for growth and inspiration. Learn more at massart.edu/massart-new-england.
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Humankind Versus the Earth at MAAM
People have been antagonizing the environment. Now the environment is pushing back — hard. MAAM Executive Director Lisa Tung explains how the museum’s exhibition, Displacement, explores what has become an existential push and pull.
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Artist, alum, and instructor Clint Baclawski on how MassArt’s creative community invites you to change your perspective
MassArt instructor and director of ‘The Lab,’ Clint Baclawski is an accomplished artist who has won numerous awards, exhibited in the U.S. and abroad, and attended residencies in Venice, Italy, and Wassaic, NY.
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New Online Interior Design Program Launches
Photo: Michael Barnum Studio, LLC.
- Announcement
- Certificate Programs
- Interior Design
MassArt is pleased to now offer an online certificate in Interior Design, making this the seventh certificate program offered by the College.
This program is for students with a range of experience, including beginners. Over the course of eight months, participants will gain a foundation in ethics, environmental stewardship, and the evolution of the interior design field. Critical design thinking is a pillar of this new program where students will learn how to compose material boards, create interior presentation drawings, and read architectural drawings. The program also introduces the business aspects of interior design as well as the discipline’s role in the art of building.
Learn more about our new Interior Design certificate.
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Adrian Negenborn, ’10, MFA Fine Arts 2D
LP04221, Acrylic on Canvas, 2023
Behnaz Monzavi, ’25 MFA, MFA Fine Arts 2D
Emancipation Wings, Woodcut Printmaking on Eastern paper, 2023
Dara Morgenstern, ’23, MFA Fine Arts 2D
Ext. Columns – Day, Painting, 2022
Nate Heilman, ’20, MFA Fine Arts 3D
Her favorite pony is rainbow dash: the maximum effective range of an m16 is 550 meters, Mixed Media, 2020
Nate Heilman, ’20, MFA Fine Arts 3D
More Than Nothing, Found bricks from the street on my daily walk to the bar, Ikea children’s teacups (*3), spray paint, 2019
Neetu Singhal, ’20, Fine Arts 2D
Multi-Dimensional Love, Acrylic with silkscreen ink, 2020
Li Wang, ’20, MFA Fine Arts 2D
Swimming Day, Painting, 2020
Tara Hayes, ’20, MFA Fine Arts 2D
T Square, Mixed Media, 2020
Halie Smith, ’20, MFA Fine Arts 2D
Last Load, Painting, 2020
Halie Smith, ’20, MFA Fine Arts 2D
Impact 1, Painting, 2020
Hung-Ju Kan, ’20, MFA Fine Arts 2D
Density Versus Emptiness 19-2, 2D Artwork, 2019
Huiquan Jiang, ’20, MFA Fine Arts 2D
Revival, 2D Artwork, 2020
Huiquan Jiang, ’20, MFA Fine Arts 2D
Series Title Xeno, 2D Artwork, 2020
Wendy Jacob, Professor, MFA Fine Arts 3D
Waves and Signs (Balloon), 3D Artwork, 2015
Stephanie Stigliano, Visiting Lecturer, MFA Fine Arts 2D
Earth Cabbage, 2D Artwork, 2016
Nathalie Miebach, ’06, MFA Fine Arts 3D
Antarctic Explorer – Darkness to Lightness, Sculpture, 2007
Ambreen Butt, ’97, MFA Fine Arts 2D
I Am My Lost Diamond, Installation, 2011
Nina Hart Morris, ’17, MFA Fine Arts 3D
Slumped, 3D Artwork, 2017
Felicia Deneane, ’17, MFA Fine Arts 3D
Unkempt, 3D Artwork, 2016
Loretta Park, ’16, MFA Fine Arts 3D
Part of a pair 1(Detail), Fibers, 2014
Joanna Sokolowska, ’15, MFA Fine Arts 3D
Humanscape, 22″ x 12″ x 15″, Sculpture, 2015
Rebecca Scott Newhouse, ’15, MFA Fine Arts 3D
To Halve and to Whole, Papier-mâché, house paint, 2015
Lele Zhang, ’14, MFA Fine Arts 3D
Unprotection, 3D Artwork, 2014
Nicholas Sullivan, ’13, MFA Fine Arts 3D
Chronic, Vinyl, plexiglass, aluminum, 2013
Clive Moloney, ’13, MFA Fine Arts 3D
Chin Drawing, Cling film and light source, 2012
Ji In Lee, ’13, MFA Fine Arts 3D
Vessels, Wheel thrown ceramic bowls, soda and reduction fired, stoneware clay. Wood turned plates and bowls, oak, poplar, and figured maple wood., 2013
Zachary F. Herrmann, ’13, MFA Fine Arts 3D
Portrait1, Vinyl, plexiglass, aluminum, 2013
Courtney Stock, ’17, MFA Fine Arts 2D
Under Control (Detail), 2D Artwork, 2017
, MFA Fine Arts 2D
A Fever Dream of Actually Eating at the Dining Table. It’s stable. I promise. (Detail), 2D Artwork, 2017
Jessica Tawczynski, ’17, MFA Fine Arts 2D, MFA Studio Arts
Matter in Motion (Field), 2D Artwork, 2017
The foundation of our MFA Studio Arts program is an individualized education that helps each student develop artistic vision and voice.
Our full-time, two-year (60-credit) MFA Studio Arts program encourages students to experiment and explore, while refining the technical and conceptual strategies in their work. Students may choose one of three concentrations, in the areas of Painting, Printmaking, or Sculpture.
Studio Arts MFA Concentrations
Students are encouraged and challenged, and through rigorous study, creative exploration, and critical discourse, each artist’s body of work deepens and evolves, along with the student’s ability to place their work in the context of contemporary practice.
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MFA Painting Critique with Cecilia Vasquez.
Dialogue and critique are key components of an education in the studio arts, and at MassArt critique is viewed as a creative act. The rich dialogue among students, faculty, visiting artists, and critics takes place within the framework of core classes, electives, presentations, and excursions off campus. Our approach illuminates new pathways for each artist’s work, helping students to build a sustainable practice, and to develop perspective and empathy as artist citizens of the world.
Students are encouraged and challenged, and through rigorous study, creative exploration, and critical discourse, each artist’s body of work deepens and evolves, along with the student’s ability to place their work in the context of contemporary practice.
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The Printmaking department’s Master Print Series, featuring visiting artist, Kiki Smith.
Faculty member, Fred Liang observes student work in a class critique. Photo by Tony Luong
Majors have studio space in the Print Studio
The Printshop in the 2D Fine Arts/Printmaking department.
In our MFA Studio Arts program Sculpture concentration, you’ll explore sculptural mediums using our exceptional facilities in glass, clay, wood, and metal, and more.
MassArt’s full-time, two-year (60 credit) MFA Studio Arts program is committed to an expanded understanding of the sculptural medium.
With the support of faculty working across a range of media and disciplines, students engage in rigorous experimentation and collaboration, and the resulting work–from clay vessels to collaborative performance–reflects a highly personal investigation. Students with an expanded sense of practice are also encouraged to explore technology, performance, and the moving image as possible vehicles for their ideas.
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MFA students have their own studio spaces with areas dedicated to collaboration and critiquing with fellow graduate students.
A Wood Carving class in the Woodshop with faculty member Annie Meyer.
Dialogue and critique are key components of an education in the studio arts, and at MassArt critique is viewed as a creative act. The rich dialogue among students, faculty, visiting artists, and critics takes place within the framework of core classes, electives, presentations, and excursions off campus. Our approach illuminates new pathways for each artist’s work, helping students to build a sustainable practice, and to develop perspective and empathy as artist citizens of the world.
Adrian Negenborn, ’10, MFA Fine Arts 2D
LP04221, Acrylic on Canvas, 2023
Behnaz Monzavi, ’25 MFA, MFA Fine Arts 2D
Emancipation Wings, Woodcut Printmaking on Eastern paper, 2023
Dara Morgenstern, ’23, MFA Fine Arts 2D
Ext. Columns – Day, Painting, 2022
MFA Learning Outcomes
Students who complete the Studio Arts MFA program are expected to be able to demonstrate the following learning outcomes.
- Create a 21st century studio practice based on personal vision to develop a body of work that is unique and reflects an authentic perspective
- Demonstrate technical and formal proficiency in chosen media, alongside openness to investigations in other disciplines
- Locate one’s work within contemporary art, art history, and larger cultural contexts
- Strengthen visual analysis and verbal articulation skills as a foundation for critical dialogue and conceptual frameworks.
- Develop awareness of the diverse cultural, historical, and experiential dimensions in one’s own artwork and in that of others, as tied to geography, time, and larger ideologies
- Demonstrate best practices in the studio, including well-being and safe use of tools, equipment, and materials
- Acquire professional skills for sustainable studio practices beyond the educational context, including the ability to present, write about, and discuss your work.
Faculty
Catarina Coelho
Visiting Lecturer, Fine Arts 2D
Elizabeth Mooney
Associate Professor, Painting
Anjali Srinivasan
Associate Professor, Glass
Ready to take the next step?
Pursue your passion for art and creativity. Our Studio Arts Certificate connects you to a community of visual artists and gives you the momentum needed to start your artistic journey.
Program Start: Fall or Spring
How to Enroll: Register for a class
Program Length: 9 months (part-time)
Location: Online via Zoom, or in-person
Total Cost from: $4800
“Learn through doing” – our Studio Arts Certificate provides a flexible, hands-on approach to developing essential skills for visual artists. Create your own path through a broad range of artmaking courses. Start with a basic drawing class, then choose studio classes that appeal to you, including painting, printmaking, sculpture, and more.
Learn Online or In-Person
Classes may be taken online or in-person at MassArt’s world-class Boston facilities. While some classes are offered regularly, each semester has a unique set of classes. At the end of the program, the Studio Art Capstone is an opportunity to refine your portfolio and enhance your ability to share your artistic vision.
The Studio Arts Certificate can be completed in 9 months. Classes are available both on MassArt’s campus and online. Check the Studio Arts category of the PCE catalog for current offerings. For classes outside the Studio Arts category, please email us at ce@massart.edu
Structure
- Eight 7-week classes (non-credit)
- One beginning drawing class (required)
- Studio Arts Capstone (required)
A full semester class (3 credits) counts for two classes
Short workshops (under 7 weeks) are not applicable to the certificate
Classes, if taken multiple times, may only be applied to the certificate once
Schedule Scenarios
The Fall and Spring semesters consist of two 7-week sessions. Winter and Summer semesters follow a more intensive schedule, but may include classes that can be applied to the program.
Fall
Session 1: September – October
Session 2: October – December
Winter
First 2 weeks in January
Spring
Session 1: January – March
Session 2: March – May
Summer
May-August
- Demonstrate an understanding of fundamental techniques with a range of media
- Demonstrate awareness of the expressive, formal, and conceptual aspects of art practice
- Develop knowledge of historical and contemporary models of art making
- Develop the skill to discuss and assess your own work and the work of others
- Cultivate an awareness of the social and global issues woven into the field of art and design
- Complete a portfolio of creative work
Program Costs and Enrollment
Application: No application required
Each 7-week class costs: $600-$670
Total cost from: $4800
Three-credit classes: $1575 (counts as two classes)
Supplies: Costs vary. See FAQs for details.
Choose “Workshop and Enroll in Certificate Program” when you register for any Studio Arts class to enroll in the certificate program.
FAQs
An application is not required. Choose to enroll in the program by clicking the “Workshop and Enroll in Certificate” button at checkout.
No, you pay “as you go.” When you register for a class, you’ll pay for that class.
Unfortunately, this program is not eligible for financial aid.
In general, to make consistent progress you should spend as much time on your work outside of class as you do in class.
Take any eight 7-week classes from the Continuing Education offerings to earn the certificate. Full semester 3-credit classes count for two classes, so you could take four full semester classes. Short workshops (under 7 weeks duration) are not applicable to the certificate. Classes, if taken multiple times, may only be applied to the certificate once.
Studio space on MassArt’s campus is not available for this program. Students work in their home studios, or at MassArt during a class they are enrolled in.
If you aren’t sure what you could take for your skill level or purpose, please email us at ce@massart.edu.
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MassArt Collaborates with Public Libraries to Bring the Power and Possibilities of Creating Art to the Commonwealth’s Youth
- Campus News
- Faculty in the News
- Sculpture
- Visual Storytelling and Comic Arts
Summer program connects MassArt faculty and students with children and teens for free Summer Art Workshop Series
Where better for children to learn how to make four-panel comic strips than in a public library? MassArt Comic Arts Instructor LJ Baptise will be making sure that happens at the Salisbury Public Library north of Boston on Monday, July 29, from 1:00 to 2:30 PM. It’s part of the Summer Workshop Series, a collaboration between the Massachusetts College of Art and Design and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. The aim is to increase access to art education over the summer.
MassArt faculty and student ambassadors are leading the workshops, giving children and teens an opportunity to learn about the creative process and explore art as a possible career path.
“As a public college, making an art and design education accessible to all across the Commonwealth and beyond is at the heart of our mission,” says President Mary K. Grant. “We’re excited to see how this program may spark a new interest in art and design.”
Previous workshops this summer included a session led at the Charlotte and William Bloomberg Medford Public Library by our Fashion Design Chair and Professor Jennifer Varekamp, who gave youth insights into sustainable fashion and led an interactive project where each participant contributed their own creative ideas while learning how to work toward a more sustainable future.
At the Woburn Public Library, Fine Arts 3D faculty member Marjee-Anne Levine, along with MassArt student ambassadors, helped kids carve their own designs into scratch blocks – pre-formed molds made of resin-bonded sand. From there they melted aluminum on site, poured it into the blocks, and watched it solidify. Each participant walked away with their own custom cast aluminum art.
The Summer Art Workshop series is sponsored, in part, with funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences.
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