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.
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.”
For over 40 years, MassArt New England has been one of the nation’s top summer residency programs.
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.
Brett Poza returned to MassArt to pursue an MFA at 60—bringing with her decades of experience as an art therapist and a lifelong commitment to storytelling.
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MassArt alum Nancy Callan returns with Blown Away judge Katherine Gray, showcasing collaborative glassblowing and inspiring students through hands-on demonstration and mentorship.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Students who complete the Studio Arts MFA program are expected to be able to demonstrate the following learning outcomes.
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.
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
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
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
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.
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.
