MassArt Graduate Program Launches New Photography Scholarship for All Accepted Students
- Press Release
Boston, MA – Monday, November 7, 2022 – Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt) is pleased to announce the MassArt Scholarship for Graduate Study in Photography, established with a seed gift of $500,000 from an anonymous donor. The new fund will expand access to the prestigious MFA in Photography program by offering scholarships to all accepted students starting in the fall of 2023. As the first and only independent public college of art and design in the country founded nearly 150 years ago, MassArt remains committed to providing an accessible, excellent education to its students. This endowed gift marks the first six-figure donation to MassArt graduate studies, an important milestone for the graduate division.
“I am grateful to our anonymous donor for believing in our students, for sharing our passion for photography, and for making a financial commitment that helps to make our world-class photography program more accessible for local, national, and international MFA students,” remarked Lucinda Bliss, Associate Provost and Dean of Graduate, Professional, and Continuing Education. “This new scholarship fund will open doors for students to learn from our renowned faculty, develop their unique studio practice, and leave their mark on the world.”
About the Graduate Photography Program
MassArt’s two-year MFA in Photography, established in the 1980s, embraces the medium as a means of expression and critical research. Experimentation within and without the traditions of lens-based images, bookmaking, contemporary criticism, and the history of photography are all integral to the experience. The welcoming atmosphere in the small, tight-knit community, in combination with first-rate facilities, provides an environment where students converse and experiment as they strive to explore the medium’s possibilities and push its boundaries. Students are afforded opportunities to exhibit their work on campus as well as off campus at MassArt x SoWa, the College’s graduate gallery in Boston’s art and design district. The faculty are dedicated, generous educators who are also renowned, award-winning artists, including Barbara Bosworth (faculty emerita), Matthew Connors, David Hillard, Billie Mandle, Laura McPhee, Matthew Monteith, Abelardo Morell (faculty emeritus), and Amani Willett. Former graduate students teach and exhibit around the globe, actively contributing to the world of contemporary photography. Alumni include Clint Baclawski, Claire Beckett, Tabitha Barnard, Dan Boardman, Claudio Eshun, Qinrui Hua, Kathya Maria Landeros, Brittany Marcoux, Fabiola Menchelli, Eduardo Rivera, Irina Rozovsky, Stephen Tourlentes, and Zhidong Zhang.
“This generous gift to our future students will encourage the exploration of new ideas in the ever-evolving medium of photography,” said Laura McPhee, Professor and Program Director of the MFA in Photography Program. “Linked inextricably to new developments in visual technology and to the way we see the contemporary world, photography in the hands of our students will be used to engender art that reflects and critiques the society in which they find themselves.”
About the Graduate Programs
MassArt offers graduate degrees in nine areas of study, including fine arts, architecture, art education, and design. Small class sizes allow for mentorship with world-class faculty, and collaboration across disciplines is encouraged. Graduate students work in a wide range of media, employing an array of strategies and approaches, and all programs share the common values of innovation, empathy, and social engagement. Technical advancement and practical exploration are grounded in an awareness of historical and global contexts; deepening craft and the exploration of theoretical frameworks develop side by side.
About MassArt
Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt) is a public, independent institution that prepares artists, designers, and educators to shape communities, economies, and cultures for the common good. Since 1873, MassArt has built a legacy of leadership as the first freestanding public college of art and design in the country, and the nation’s first art school to grant a degree. MassArt offers a comprehensive range of undergraduate and graduate degrees in art, design, and art education, taught by world-class faculty.
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Media Contact:
Susie Stockwell
Director of Public Relations and Marketing, MassArt
617.879.7066, sstockwell@massart.edu
