MFA degrees were awarded at the Fine Arts Work Center in September, 2007 to the first class to graduate from its Master of Fine Arts program, begun in 2005 in collaboration with the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. The MFA Thesis Exhibition, hung in two parts at FAWC's Hudson D. Walker Gallery and the Provincetown Art Association and Museum, was reviewed in Artscope as "One of Our Favorite Shows of 2007." Visiting artists who gave lectures and critiques to program participants included Joan Snyder, winner of a 2007 MacArthur Genius Award.

This collaboration offers artists working in painting, drawing and mixed media an intensive and flexible program based in, and inspired by Provincetown, an environment renowned for its beauty and artistic heritage. It is the first and only MFA degree program on Cape Cod and is one of about 15 low-residency visual arts MFA programs in the country. MassArt, founded in Boston in 1873, coordinates the staffing and curriculum for the program, while FAWC provides studios, classrooms and other facilities for the student residencies in September and May. While in Provincetown the students live in area guesthouses and other accommodations. The program attracts about 35 applicants per year and 10 are accepted. Three of the artists in the first graduating class are Cape Cod residents.

For further information or to apply to the MFA in Provincetown program, potential candidates should contact George Creamer, Associate Dean of Graduate Education at MassArt, at 617-879-7163. To submit a formal application for the program, download the MFA application from the MassArt web site at www.massart.edu, or indicate in a cover letter that you are applying to the MFA in Provincetown program. The application requirements are the same as the standard Fine Arts 2D MFA application requirements, and include 20-30 slides placed in a carousel. A complete course brochure is available from either FAWC or MassArt.