850 West 37th Street
Los Angeles, California 90089
United States
We encourage potential applicants to attend one of the fall virtual graduate programs info sessions on November 3 and December 1, 6pm. These informative virtual “open house” events feature an overview of the program, application requirements, introduction to faculty members, and a virtual tour of the Roski Graduate Building located in the Los Angeles Arts District. For details and reservations visit us here.
A key feature of USC Roski School graduate programs is the unparalleled access students have across diverse fields of study. As one of the world’s leading research universities and home to highly regarded professional schools, USC offers vibrant interdisciplinary platforms for education and experimentation.
Roski MA Curatorial Practices graduate students benefit from working side by side with MFA Art and MFA Design students in a new facility designed to encourage an open exchange of ideas and experiences. The graduate facility includes a dedicated MA seminar conference room, an open-plan design studio, individual MFA studios, a makerspace, classrooms and project spaces; along with the 2,000-square-foot Roski Graduate Gallery. The building is located in the Los Angeles Arts District—home to dozens of museums, galleries, design firms, artists and designers. Within walking distance of the Graduate Building is the Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Hauser & Wirth gallery; and The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA.
The USC Roski MA in Curatorial Practices and the Public Sphere is an intensive graduate program in the practice and history of curating, studied through the lenses of critical theory, art history and visual culture. During two years of full-time academic seminars and professional training, students explore a range of curatorial practices applicable to diverse institutions and curatorial formats.
In three consecutive Practicum courses, students conceptualize and curate their own exhibition/curatorial project and produce a publication or alternative public interface. Additionally, students complete scholarly research and write on a topic of their choice for the MA Thesis.
Led by Director Jenny Lin, MA students work closely with USC Roski’s acclaimed scholars, curators, artists, and critics including Andrew Campbell, Amelia Jones, Suzanne Lacy, Karen Moss, and Anu Vikram.
MA candidates also benefit from courses taught by MFA Art faculty, led by Director Jennifer West, and including artists Edgar Arceneaux, Nao Bustamante, Patty Chang, David Kelley, Mary Kelly, Suzanne Lacy, Keith Mayerson, Thomas Mueller, and Ruben Ochoa.
USC Roski graduate students form expansive practices by working closely with renowned faculty in both the MA Curatorial Practices and the MFA Art programs. In addition to the USC Roski faculty, students have one-on-one access to international artists, performers, curators and critical thinkers through the Visiting Artists and Scholar Seminars that include talks, classes, and studio visits. Recent participants include, among many, Kelly Akashi, Ron Athey, Judy Baca, Tanya Bruguera, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Cecilia Fajardo-Hill, Coco Fusco, Theaster Gates, Lynn Hershman Leeson, Simon Leung, Julie Mehretu, Julio César Morales, Pepón Osorio, Legacy Russell, Candice Lin, lauren woods, and Crenshaw Dairymart.
Recent Roski MA alumni work in galleries and museums including, among others, the California African American Museum, LA; China Art Palace, Shanghai; Getty Research Institute, LA; Hauser & Wirth, LA; Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA); Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE); Ben Maltz Gallery, LA; Otis College of Art and Design, LA; Prospect New Orleans; Rhizome, NYC; Saatchi Art Gallery, Santa Monica; The Underground Museum, LA; Vincent Price Art Museum, East Los Angeles College; and the Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC.
Funding is available on a competitive basis. Visit here for admission information. For more details, contact: anbartol [at] usc.edu.
