<p>Being a non-traditional student ( older) I'm looking into some of the low residency programs. Are there any "serious" low residency programs out there for an MFA in Visual Arts? Since I am already a practicing artist with my own studio I think a low residency program that allows me to work in my own studio would be a good fit for me.</p>
<p>What field of visual arts are you looking for? Also, less time, means less training. You probably won't get the training of a BFA program in an MFA. Thus, unless you are quite skilled in that area, an MFA wouldn't be a great idea. So I ask again, what field are you interested in?</p>
<p>Fine art photography. I specialize in alternative photographic processes such as wet plate collodion photographs, ambrotypes, tintypes, and glass plate negatives for contact printing in albumen. I also work in ultra large format film and contact print in iron processes such as platinum/palladium. My undergrad degree is in Humanities and Fine Arts from a small liberal arts college, Hiram College, where I am currently conducting a wet plate collodion workshop for the advanced photography students. This is then followed by a photographic workshop for the staff at The Cincinnati Museum Center. My resume contains quite a list of exhibits and a few photographic awards. Being somewhat established and self motivated I think a low residency program may work into my schedule a lot easier than an in residency program. I know there is a lot of value to an in residency in that there is great support from the community. But as I said, I am much older than a traditional student and I have a large support group from being involved in the art community here locally. The workshop I'm doing now is part of the "History of Photography Class" which is a passionate subject of mine obviously, considering my approach to how I work in the medium. In a nut shell, what I do conceptually is use classical methods to express a contemporary modern vision. I promote these antiquarian processes because it provides the photographic artist with an entirely different palette of aesthetics in which to work.</p>
<p>Judging from the response to this thread.. there are no respectable low-residency MFA programs.</p>
<p>"Judging from the response to this thread.. there are no respectable low-residency MFA programs."</p>
<p>Ruhlin, that might not be true, it might just be that this seems to be a forum geared for undergrads, not grads that are pursuing MFAs. </p>
<p>I wish I knew more info about MFA programs, but alas, I am yet another BFA kiddo.</p>
<p>Good luck, I know the school that's best for you is out there <3</p>
<p>I know I'm a bit late to respond but...</p>
<p>"Judging from the response to this thread.. there are no respectable low-residency MFA programs."</p>
<p>MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art) offers a low-residency MFA as does SFAI (San Francisco Art Institute); I'm not sure if these are "respectable" enough though...</p>
<p>There are plenty of good low residency MFA programs from more unknown colleges that are really just as good as those from the more prestigious colleges. Why do you want to get an MFA since you already teach and have a studio? The only reason I see to get an MFA is to teach and to advance studio practice and you don't seem to need a degree to do either.</p>
<p>And it really says a lot about a person who says that low residency MFA programs aren't "respectable." Give me a break.</p>
<p>i would recommend that you check out the MICA low residency program. as a disclaimer, i have been a visiting artist in this program and have a partner who is a faculty member at MICA. having said that i also taught mostly graduate students at one of the most prestigious MFA programs in the country for nearly ten years, so i have a strong basis for comparison between traditional and low residency.
simply put, MICA does an excellent job in providing the sense of community, rigorous critical discourse and mentorship that is the purpose of grad programs in general. over the 15 some years i have known the program the quality of student applications has risen tremendously. it is absolutely "respectable and worth checking out.</p>
<p>Hello all, I would like to direct you to a new exciting International Limited-Residency MFA program in Photography at the University of Hartford Art School. It will begin in 2010 and promises to be quite a program. Here is a brief synopsis about it:</p>
<p>"The University of Hartford Art School Low -Residency MFA in
Photography is an exciting new format in which qualified students
can pursue a Master of Fine Arts degree in Photography. It
differentiates itself from existing programs in that the new program
is a limited-residency program. Specifically students attend the
program for 3 Summers and 2 Years. Each summer session meets at the
University in the USA for an intensive 2 week period, during which
students and faculty interact inside and outside the classroom
almost 24/7. In addition during the Fall and Spring sessions the
class will meet at off-site locations (New York City, Berlin/Leipzig
and other sites ) for an intensive 6-9 day period. In the time
between official sessions each student will be in regular contact
with their Thesis Advisor. This model allows for students who are
highly motivated to pursue a higher degree while still continuing
with their lives and other commitments-work, family etc. The program
is a full 60 credit curriculum of study and allows especially
Foreign Students the opportunity to study in the program while still
residing in their home countries the majority of the time.</p>
<p>The roster of faculty will include well-known Professors , Curators,
Gallerists, and others in the field of photography from the USA,
Europe, Asia and elsewhere. The emphasis of the program is for
students to produce a strong body of work with an accompanying
publication and to inform the students of the pedagogical forms/
methods that can be used in teaching photography. Some of the
faculty include: Prof. Mary Frey, Dr.Joerg Colberg ( aka
Conscientious), Prof. Doug Dubois, Adam Bartos, Alice Rose George,
Hellen Van Meene, Alec Soth, Marc Joseph Berg and others. The
director of the program is Robert Lyons."</p>
<p>/// Being a non-traditional student ( older) I'm looking into some of the low residency programs. Are there any "serious" low residency programs out there for an MFA in Visual Arts? ///</p>
<p>Look into Bard College</p>
<p>look into the low res program at the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University. it is fully accredited both nationally and regionally--i think it is the only low res program that has both accreditations--at least it was the only one last time i heard. it has a great faculty and a great philosophy that is focused on each student's personal artistic vision (look around to see how rare that is!) and they will treat you like an artist and prepare you to continue being one AFTER you get your degree---because it is low residency, you will be used to self-directed independent work in a studio that is already set up and operating. traditional residency programs give you a lot and then as soon as you get your degree you will be stranded---how many grads who get degrees from full time programs continue making art after they get their MFA---10%? fewer? </p>
<p>the art institute program has had two recent grads get the mitchell prize---prestigious award given to mfa students nationally---which at least proves that it is "respectable"! </p>
<p>right now a lot of people don't respect low res programs because they know nothing about them</p>
<p>There is a whole world of fine art low-residency programs out there. Some, like Bard College have been around for several decades. Developing and directing the first international low-residency program at Transart Institute [<a href="http://www.transart.org%5D%5B/url">www.transart.org][/url</a>] has been very enlightening for me as to what can and what should happen in post-graduate education. Generally, students are not coming to further media- or genre-specific skills, but to bring their practice to the next level or take it in a new direction, to get a fresh perspective on their work and to become part of an international community. As one graduate, Composer David Dunn put it: I have no lack of opportunities to present my work but my network of association tends to reinforce a particular set of intellectual and aesthetic assumptions that become the set of assumptions. Transart succeeded at prying apart some of those entrenched viewpoints to provide space for new ideas and concerns..." That is what I'd expect from any educational effort.</p>
<p>I suggest you post your query on Grad Cafe's visual arts forum:</p>