Funded MFA in Studio Art

About: The Newcomb Art Department at Tulane University is devoted to the study and production of visual art within the context of Tulane University’s strong tradition in the liberal arts. The Art Department fosters a collaborative and rigorous environment that promotes creative and critical inquiry, exploration, and innovation in studio arts practice. The Department emphasizes a multi-disciplinary approach to contemporary art-making and supports myriad forms of expression with concentrations in Sculpture, Glass, Ceramics, Photography, Printmaking, Digital Arts and Painting & Drawing.

The Newcomb Art Department offers an MFA degree in a small, intensive, interdisciplinary, two-year residency program that emphasizes close interaction with dedicated faculty and peers, and engagement with New Orleans’ unique cultural landscape. The graduate curriculum is focused on individual studio practice while also engaging students in cross-disciplinary seminars on art theory, pedagogy, and practice-based research as well as courses in the history of art. All admitted graduate students receive a full tuition waiver and a generous assistantship stipend. Teaching and teaching-assistantship opportunities are available to all admitted students each semester.

Located in New Orleans, a vibrant and culturally rich city in the Gulf South, the Newcomb Art Department draws from a diverse and exciting range of artistic and cultural production. Local resources include Prospect New Orleans, an international art Biennial, the Joan Mitchell Center, the Contemporary Arts Center of New Orleans, the New Orleans Museum of Art, and the Ogden Museum of Southern Art.

Facilities: Graduate students are provided with a private studio and 24-hour access to world-class facilities in the Woldenberg Art Center. Sculpture houses a fully equipped wood shop overseen by a full-time manager, a metals area/foundry, mixed media space, and digital fabrication capabilities. Ceramics includes large general studio workrooms as well as specialized clay, glaze and plaster mixing rooms, critique/computer and kiln rooms. Glass houses both a hot and cold shop, as well as a steel fabrication area. Printmaking has facilities for intaglio, lithography and silkscreen as well as its own darkroom. The Digital Arts studio includes 14 workstations with the latest software, 5 scanners, along with medium and large format printers. Photography includes graduate and main darkrooms, film processing, a lighting studio, lecture and demo rooms and an advanced digital imaging room. Painting and Drawing maintains four large classrooms with entire walls of natural north light and color-balanced lighting overhead. The Carroll Gallery serves as the Newcomb Art Department’s exhibition space, and is dedicated to presenting professional exhibitions by students and faculty, including the annual MFA candidacy reviews and MFA thesis exhibitions. The Newcomb Art Museum features national and international exhibitions and programs that utilize the critical frameworks of diverse disciplines in conceptualizing and interpreting innovative art and design.

Studio Art faculty: Teresa Cole, Aaron Collier, Jer’Lisa Devezin, AnnieLaurie Erickson, Angie Jennings, Jeremy Jernegan, Anthony Baab, William DePauw, Christian Stock, Wesley Chavis, Megan Hillerud, Kristina Knipe, Diana Antohe, and Jonathan Traviesa.

Past visiting artists and critics: Hugh Hayden, Catherine Opie, Shimon Attie, Mickalene Thomas, Darby English, Jenni Sorkin, Hank Willis Thomas, Helen Molesworth, Arlene Shechet, Jessica Stockholder, Jason Lazarus, Curtis Mann, Hannah Whitaker, Cameron Shaw, Tanyth Berkeley, Dan Cameron, Miranda Lash, Paul Chan, Mel Chin, John F. Clark, Holland Cotter, Luke DuBois, Eve Fowler, Pat Steir, Robert Storr, Katy Grannan, Craig Drennen, Dana Hoey, Susan Kismaric, Nicola Lopez, Lothar Osterburg, Eric Parker, Alexis Rockman, Jeff L. Rosenheim, Thomas Roma, Jennifer Steinkamp, Swoon, Marcia Vetrocq, Pawel Wojtasik, and Lisa Yuskavage.

Application information: The Newcomb Art Department is accepting applications in Sculpture, Glass, Ceramics, Photography, Printmaking, Digital Arts and Painting & Drawing (or applicants may select multiple areas if making interdisciplinary work). The application deadline is January 10, 2025. Please note that the GRE is not required of MFA applicants in Studio Art. Further information and application guidelines can be found here. The application process can be completed online here.

Image credit: Katie Shanks, Studio Play, 2023. Welded Steel draped with Sespe Ridge Landscape Blanket (quilted custom printed fabric of photo-weavings), dimensions variable as installed approximately 30 x 60 x 15 inches. © Katie Shanks.