Maria Manetti Shrem Art Studio MFA Program

Apply here. Virtual MFA open house: Friday, December 13, 2024, 10am PST. RSVP here.

With the support of a 14 million USD endowment from Maria Manetti Shrem, the Art Studio Program at UC Davis is excited to offer generous funding for incoming graduate students. Our MFA program features spacious private studios, alongside exceptional opportunities for fellowships, awards, and summer stipends. Students will thrive in a vibrant creative community, working closely with internationally and nationally renowned faculty and visiting artists. 

The recently renamed Maria Manetti Shrem Art Studio MFA Program at UC Davis is a two-year, generously funded, critically engaged graduate program that provides an opportunity for interdisciplinary study in the visual arts. Drawing on the vast resources of a research one university, the program offers MFA students the opportunity to engage in intensive artistic work, while interacting with other artists, scholars and STEM professionals across campus. We are committed to delivering an innovative educational curriculum in preparation for professional public engagement in the arts including arts education, exhibition and curatorial practices, and community-based work. The culmination of two years of study is presented in the cross-campus, cross-disciplinary thesis exhibition in the beautiful Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art. 

Three vibrant visiting artist programs offer students first hand exposure to renowned artists, critics and curators. These programs are composed of The California Studio, the Betty Jean and Wayne Thiebaud Lecture, and the Visiting Artist Lectures Series. A select list of recent speakers include Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Cecilia Alemani, Xu Bing, Helen Molesworth, Wangechi Mutu, Tania Candiani, Raúl De Nieves, Latoya Ruby Frazier, Lynn Hershman Leeson, Kota Ezawa, Sky Hopinka, Amelia Jones, Hito Steyerl, among other innovative artists.

The Maria Manetti Shrem Art Studio MFA Program provides substantial financial support through paid teaching assistant positions, as well as awards and fellowships from Art Studio and Graduate Studies. UC Davis partners with prestigious professional programs, including the Headlands Center for the Arts, Dedalus Foundation, and the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. Each year, one graduating MFA student is awarded a one-year residency at the Headlands Center for the Arts, and another graduate student participates in the Tropical Lab residency in Singapore.

Our educational and creative community is committed to empowering diverse perspectives and varied research interests contributing to conversations in social justice, sustainability, public interest and public-engaged scholarship. 

For more information on UC Davis MFA program, visit here.