MA Aesthetics and Politics program seeks applications

California Institute of the Arts’ (CalArts) MA Aesthetics and Politics program—a uniquely structured two year graduate experience for students seeking to engage in an intensive critique of the relations between culture, politics and society—is seeking applicants for fall 2021. Whether you’re a working artist looking to sharpen your theoretical acumen, an aspiring academic looking for a crash-course in contemporary critical discourse, or a cultural commentator seeking to better understand the vast and shifting aesthetic and political underpinnings of our historical moment, CalArts’ MA Aesthetics and Politics Program can offer you the time, mentorship, and professional development opportunities you need to reach the next level in your academic, or artistic life.

Centered in the storied creative laboratory that is CalArts—an electric community of boundary pushing visual and performing artists—the program’s rigorous core courses are supplemented by enriching electives, and a stimulating arts focused environment. With an incredible and newly expanded faculty roster, a stellar (now streaming) lecture series with a special focus this semester on the surveillance of blackness, and currently fully remote classes, there’s never been a better time to check out the program, whether you’re a Los Angeles local, or living on the other side of the globe. This academic year, we’re honored to be hosting literary scholar and cultural historian Saidiya Hartman as our Theorist in Residence for what promises to be a vital public discussion.

Institute scholarships, teaching opportunities, and post-graduate teaching fellowships are available to qualified domestic and international applicants. For more information on the program and how to apply, contact Seth Blake at sblake [​at​] calarts.edu, or drop into his weekly virtual office hours.