Priority application deadline: December 15, 2016 (for the most competitive financial aid)
Application deadline: February 1, 2017
UIC Department of Art (M/C 201)
929 W. Harrison St.
Chicago, IL 60607
T (312) 996 3337
[email protected]
The School of Art & Art History at the University of Illinois Chicago is now accepting applications for fall 2017 admission to its highly competitive MFA program. Located in one of the most diverse, public, urban, research universities, the School was founded on the principle that history, theory and practice are intimately entwined endeavors. We are home to world-renowned artists and scholars, who are equally committed to their research, practice and teaching. Our programs ignite intellectual and creative curiosity, empowering students to expand the boundaries of what is possible. All students receive individual studio space in Art & Exhibition Hall, and are actively encouraged to engage departments across the university as well as the cosmopolitan city of Chicago. Students work across media-specific disciplines where individual research and studio work are complemented by collaborative efforts and socially relevant public projects and civic engagement. Students have the opportunity to teach, and all receive partial or full-funding packages.
The Master of Fine Art (MFA) program in Moving Image, New Media Arts, Photography, and Studio Arts is an intimate program, and every student occupies studio space on site in Art & Exhibition Hall. Students receive extensive feedback, critique, and dialogue. The dynamic viewpoints of the faculty and students at our urban public university foster a rich intellectual and artistic ecology.
The curriculum is designed to provide a rigorous theoretical and conceptual background to augment your studio practice and help develop your work within an interdisciplinary context that reflects the global art world. You will work with active, committed and demanding artists and faculty, develop lasting peer relationships, and have opportunities to engage in the classroom with our diverse undergraduates. These experiences will empower you to transform yourself—and the world—through your work.
In addition we are home to Gallery 400, a contemporary art gallery that is an important resource that provides culturally transformative experiences through exhibitions and dynamic programming. Gallery 400’s Voices Lecture Series is a premier forum in Chicago for discourse in the field of art and design practice. Gallery 400 annually presents between ten and 18 lectures. Discussing timely ideas, significant artists, critics, designers, curators, and historians engage audiences in their creative and conceptual processes.
Our renowned MFA faculty include:
Dianna Frid, Beate Geissler, Doug Ischar, Silvia Malagrino, Matthew Metzger, Dan Peterman, Sabrina Raaf, Jennifer Reeder, Laurie Jo Reynolds, Cauleen Smith, Deborah Stratman and Nate Young
Visiting artists and lecturers have included:
Conrad Bakker, AA Bronson, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Theaster Gates, Renée Green, Ernesto Oroza, Steve Reinke, Dexter Sinister, Stephanie Syjuco, Temporary Services, Nato Thompson, Krzysztof Wodiczko, and Andrea Zittel
Alumni include:
Arturo Herrera, Emily Vey Duke & Cooper Battersby, Tom Friedman, Helen Mirra, Maria Gaspar, Latham Zearfoss, Siebren Veerstag, Faheem Majeed, Melanie Schiff, Mary Helena Clark, Min Song, Jesse Malmed
Prospective MFA applicants are encouraged to register for one of our monthly tours to meet current students and faculty and learn more about the program, and attend the MFA end of semester critiques. These take place in early December and May.
Application deadlines
The next term for which you may apply to enroll is fall 2017.
December 15: priority deadline for applicants who wish to be considered for financial aid from the Department
February 1: regular application deadline
The final application deadline for all programs is February 1.
For information, contact:
T (312) 996 3337 / [email protected]
Director of Graduate Studies
Matthew Metzger, Assistant Professor: [email protected]
