Deadline: January 6, 2016
Graduate open house: November 20, 2015
Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design
University of Michigan
2000 Bonisteel Blvd.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
The Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design at the University of Michigan urges creative practitioners and design professionals to submit their candidacy for two Stamps graduate programs: the MDes in Integrative Design and the MFA in Art. Applicants interested in fall 2016 consideration must apply by January 6, 2016.
Two-year programs with generous merit-based financial support, the Stamps MDes and MFA programs provide students with a close-knit creative community with access to the human, scholarly, and facility resources of a large top-tier research university. The program and graduate studios offer an ideal environment for individuals whose creative practice intersects with outside fields of study.
MFA in Art
Led by Professor David Chung, MFA students enjoy close working relationships with recognized faculty artists. In addition, many MFA students also choose to pursue a one-year Museum Studies certificate program through the University of Michigan’s Rackham Graduate School as part of their postgraduate pursuits. Recent graduates of the MFA program have seen great success in their creative practice and their professional lives. Catherine Meier (MFA 2009) is enjoying a robust exhibition schedule this fall; Charles Fairbanks (MFA 2010) was awarded a 2012 Guggenheim Fellowship in Film and Video; and Cosmo Whyte (MFA 2015) was just named a full-time professor at Morehouse College in Atlanta.
MDes in Integrative Design
The newly launched MDes in Integrative Design program, led by Associate Professor John Marshall, pairs a close-knit cohort of graduate student designers with researchers and industry partners at the University of Michigan to tackle issues around a “wicked problem” over the course of the two-year degree. The 2015 cohort’s focus is on 21st-Century Healthcare.
With a team of 12 Stamps faculty, the 2015 MDes cohort is collaborating with University of Michigan W.K. Kellogg Eye Center, a learning collaborator supported by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Guardian Industries, and up to 32 partner faculty from across campus—including the School of Public Health, the School of Information, and the Medical School—to test possible responses, actions, and solutions regarding 21st-Century healthcare. In the process, the MDes cohort is exploring the practice of design: decision-making, collaboration, team management, production materials and techniques, and the technical and aesthetic requirements of the field. The aim is to integrate multiple fields of study and areas of expertise with design methodologies to ensure a holistic, adaptive approach. While the “wicked problem” will vary from cohort to cohort, the uniquely collaborative and highly connected approach will remain constant.
Visit Stamps online for MDes and MFA application information and to learn more about our November 20 graduate open house.
Further stories and campus visit information can be found on our website. Email queries are also welcome.
The Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design at the University of Michigan
The Stamps School offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in art and design. The School’s unique open curriculum emphasizes interdisciplinary study, requires international educational experiences, fosters community engagement, and draws on the resources only available at a top-ten research university.
