MassArt’s Low Residency MFA program is ideal for working artists and educators who thrive in a cross-disciplinary, collaborative environment.
Our Low Residency MFA program is an 60-credit terminal degree, earned in two academic years and three on-campus summer residencies.
During intensive seven-week summer residencies, MFA students work in studios on our Boston campus in the city’s arts district, employing a wide range of media and an array of technical and conceptual strategies. Diverse visiting artists and critics meet with students one-on-one and encourage them to think about their work in the context of contemporary practice.
Students work closely with faculty in studio and research courses, as well as in intensive two-week workshops designed to offer fresh inspiration and new technical and professional skills.
Hannah Zimmerman, ’20 MFA, MFA Low Residency
I said Too Much or Maybe Not Quite Enough, Painting, 2020
Jake Zapor, ’20, MFA Low Residency
Fracture, Flow (1), Illustration, 2020
Charity Be, ’22, MFA Low Residency
Feucht (Work-in-Progress), Installation, 2022
In the Fall and Spring semesters, students work one-on-one with local mentors who advise their studio practice. Online courses in research, writing, history and theory guide students in placing their work in the context of historical and contemporary practice. A range of electives are offered in collaboration with other MassArt programs, including education courses in pedagogy, and studio electives in a range of media.
The MassArt faculty introduced me to a depth of critical thinking and changed the way I think about and understand art.Leslie Fandrich MFA Low Residency ’18 & MFA LR faculty
Each January, students meet remotely for a winter colloquium, a thematic exploration in the form of presentations and workshops, followed by studio reviews. The colloquium builds community, expands students’ creative network, and introduces a fresh lens through which students are asked to view their practice.
Students conclude their degree with a third summer residency, focused on the refinement and presentation of thesis work. After final reviews, MFA candidates mount a curated thesis exhibition and offer formal artist talks for members of the MassArt community and the public.
Low Residency MFA Learning Outcomes
Students who complete the Low Residency MFA program are expected to be able to demonstrate the following learning outcomes.
- Develop a professional studio practice, with personal content and vision
- Advance technical knowledge and skill across media selected by the student
- Develop the ability to critique peers’ work across disciplines
- Understand one’s work in relation to contemporary art and art history
- Develop awareness and understanding of the diverse cultural, historical, and experiential issues expressed and inherent in one’s own artwork and in that of one’s peers
- Develop presentations skills including public speaking and written artists’ statement
- Exhibit one’s work in a professional setting and in a professional manner
- Develop knowledge of major historical and cultural characteristics of specific times /places. Infer relationships between society and art
- Recognize various types of texts used in art historical analysis, and evaluate their content and effectiveness. Use various ideas, approaches and facts in the analysis of art. Formulate, research and argue a hypothesis. Articulate verbally and in writing, theoretical and critical perspectives on art
- Recognize the impact of historical works of art on contemporary art
- Draw connections between various artworks, artists and concepts, across a range of disciplines
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