Priority application deadline: 31 March 2014
Summer Institute for Visual Arts
MA in Studio Art and Theory Program
Drury University
900 North Benton Avenue
Springfield, MO 65802
Established in 2007, the Summer Institute for Visual Arts (SIVA) at Drury University is dedicated to advanced research and practice in the field of contemporary visual arts. Each summer, SIVA offers four Visiting Artist Fellowships to internationally recognized artists and a low-residency Master of Arts in Studio Art and Theory (MART) program for emerging and aspiring artists.
The Summer Institute for Visual Arts is designed to offer the post-baccalaureate participant an opportunity to create significant work in a supportive and collaborative environment. By combining artist residency and graduate program structures, the MART degree program aims to bridge the gap between an academic undergraduate education and a professional art practice. The curriculum consists of three two-month summer sessions of intensive artistic engagement that include studio and theory courses (6 credits of Studio and 3 credits of Theory or Thesis equaling 9 credits) plus an online seminar (Dialogues and Practices, 3 credits) resulting in a total of 30 hours of coursework for which a Master of Arts in Studio Art and Theory degree will be granted.
Each Summer Institute strives to provide participants with both a fertile and challenging environment for aesthetic and critical engagement, and the technical and professional skills necessary for the practice of art in the volatile twenty-first century cultural landscape. Participating artists develop a capacity for independent practice and scholarship under the guidance of Visiting Artist Fellows, faculty and staff, who, as experienced and engaged practitioners, provide first-hand understanding of contemporary art issues.
2014 Visiting Artist Fellows
Bonnie Begusch is a multi-disciplinary artist whose work examines the intertwined relationship between text, tools and perception. She has taught at San Francisco Art Institute and the University of California, Berkeley, where she received the Outstanding Teaching Award in 2011. She lives and works in Berlin.
Mark Clare works to engage, provoke and agitate the viewer’s social conscience through his visual interpretations of the politics of globalization, society and public sphere. He has taught at the National College of Art & Design, Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design & Technology (IADT), and the Limerick School of Art & Design. He currently lives and works in Dublin.
James Gobel creates paintings made of felt, yarn and other fabrics that refer to a range of artistic movements. He is currently an Associate Professor of MFA Fine Arts and Assistant Chair of the Painting/Drawing Program at California College of the Arts in San Francisco.
Andrea Polli is an artist working at the intersection of art, science and technology whose practice includes media installation, public interventions, curating and directing art and community projects and writing. She is an Associate Professor of Art and Ecology and the Mesa Del Sol Endowed Chair of Digital Media at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque.
Eligibility
Only individuals who hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited four-year college or university may be fully admitted in the Master of Studio Art and Theory (MART) program. A candidate needing 30 credits or less to complete the required undergraduate degree may be considered for provisional enrollment.
Additionally, the Summer Institute for Visual Arts may be of interest to those who would like to develop a portfolio for application to an MFA program, or postgraduate (non-degree seeking) students interested in the opportunity to work with our Visiting Artist Fellows. Individuals who already hold a graduate (MA or MFA) art degree may circumvent the curricular sequencing and register for any course with availability.
Fees and housing
The Summer Institute for Visual Arts is an innovative program aimed at providing a viable (accessible and affordable) alternative to traditional graduate art education. The cost for each Summer Institute, including both graduate tuition and on-campus housing, is around 3,670 USD. The tuition costs for the entire three-summer, 30-hour MART degree program is currently less than 10,000 USD.
Interested individuals are encouraged to contact the program at [email protected] and to view our website for more information: www.drury.edu/siva.
