Program Description
Painting Area Overview
The intention of our area is simple - to facilitate intellectual development and the practical making of work, as defined by the needs, interests and affinities of each individual student. Painting is both a rich and formidable tradition that is steeped in history, and an evolving, expansive and dynamic field of activity. We encourage permeability within and outside of our discipline to remain responsive not only to paintings' venerable traditions, but also to its increasing hybridity and ongoing redefinitions. The diverse practice within our program mirrors both the definition of what painting "is" and what it can be. Our approach is resolutely pluralistic.
MFA in Painting
The MFA concentration in Painting is a three-year program intended for the focused development of a highly personalized, critically viable body of work achieved through immersive studio practice and the refinement of analytical, conceptual and contextual skills. The diverse practice within our program both reaffirms the conventions of painting and redefines it as an approach - form is not legislated. Within this broad range of possibility, the ability to understand and locate one's work within broader social and cultural contexts is fundamental and shared. The vast resources of a major research university and a flexible program that has critical discourse at its core enhance this potential.
The Painting MFA is structured to balance intensive, self-motivated studio practice with a complement of skill and theory based studio, art history and critical studies courses, as well as courses outside of the School of Art. Peer group support is recognized as a powerful catalyst for personal development and is central to our program. A mentoring faculty of professional artists, historians and critics is complemented by internationally known visiting artists, critics and curators, extending the sense of community well beyond the university and the dynamic art scene of Houston.
MFA candidates have 24-hour access to their own private 225 square foot studios and shared access to a computer lab. Please refer to facilities for a complete description of studios and equipment. Support is available through financial aid, scholarships, internships, assistantships and teaching fellowships.
Painting Area Internships
Advanced graduate painting majors with a 3.0 studio art GPA are eligible for internships in area museums, alternative spaces and commercial galleries, including DiverseWorks Artspace, Lawndale Art Center, The Station, The Contemporary Arts Museum, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Interns gain invaluable insight into the operations of for-profit and non-profit visual arts venues as gallery assistants, curatorial and research assistants, exhibition preparators, and education and outreach program assistants. Internships are an invaluable practicum supplement to academic programs and studio practice.
Painting Area
Visiting Artists / Critics / Curators:
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Reed Anderson Polly Apfelbaum Phil Argent Derek Boshier Mark Bradford Luca Buvoli Michael Byron Jane Callister Francis Colpitt Abraham Cruz Villegas Rochelle Feinstein Robert Goldman Joanne Greenbaum Alison De Lima Greene Georganne Deen Kim Dingle Christian Eckart Inka Essenhigh Francesca Fuchs Jeremy Gilbert-Rolfe Michelle Grabner Jane Hammond Doug Harvey Joe Havel Jim Hodges Dennis Hollingsworth |
Jim Iserman Chris Jagers Emily Joyce Toby Kamps Slovita Kerese Brad Killam Ken Little Connie Lowe Miltos Manetas Annika Marie Carlo McCormick Melissa Miller Bill Morrison Paola Morsiani Valerie Cassel Oliver Saul Ostrow John Pomara John Reed Lane Relyea Jim Richard Susie Rosemarin Michael Smith Buzz Spector Danielle Tegeder Marilyn Zeitlan |