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On September 5, 2005, at 6:00pm, ten artists assembled for an
orientation in the Stanley Kunitz Common Room at 24 Pearl Street. Two had traveled
far from the Pacific coast of Oregon and from Memphis, Tennessee while two others
had embarked on the trek to Provincetown from their nearby homes in Truro and
Hyannis. The rest hailed from the Boston area, Connecticut and Vermont. They were
the first class in the new innovative low-residency MFA Program co-sponsored by
Massachusetts College of Art and the Fine Arts Work Center that was to begin the next
day. Whether they had traveled cross country or just up Route 6, all had made the
decisive step to expand their training and take their work to new levels.
I chose this program after looking into a variety of low-residency programs and being
accepted into another MFA Program. I felt it was more focused on the process
of creating and I liked the idea of working with artists from other regions rather
than just my own state, getting a broader view of what is happening in the art
world. During the very first week of creating in my FAWC studio, I came to look
at my work with new eyes, willing to take risks on the edge of my comfort zone.
Once I embraced the challenge brought on by a variety of critics, I felt liberated
creatively and know my work will never be the same. I am looking forward to what
two years can do for my artistic growth.
Sal Strom, Newport, OR
The ten MFAWC students, many of whom are already pursuing careers in the arts,
were chosen by the Boston-based MassArt from thirty applications. To maximize
their productivity and to benefit fully from their interactions with others, the twoyear
program requires that they work at FAWC seven days a week during four 24-day
residencies, in September and May. After completing their first September session in
Provincetown, they returned home to work under the supervision of approved mentors.
In September 2007, they will return for a final two-week session to present their thesis
shows at the Provincetown Art Association, participate in thesis reviews and submit
their written theses.
The incorporation of so much studio time is a special, if not unique, feature of
this low-residency program. This plus the inclusion of an outstanding group of
teachers and visiting artists are the reasons I chose it. Other low-residency programs
did not seem to have the combination of these features. We see new
faces once or twice a week and they provide critiques of our work. That's a rare
opportunity for a student.
Kay Clarke, East Haddam, CT
The MFAWC faculty consists of prominent resident and visiting artists, many of whom
are affiliated with MassArt and/or have participated in FAWC's Summer and Fall Workshop
Programs: Joel Janowitz, Michael Mazur, Mary Heilmann, Mira Schor, Jim Peters,
Roger Tibbetts and George Creamer. To coincide with the inception of the program, the
Hudson D. Walker Gallery at FAWC displayed an exhibition of faculty work. Visual
Arts Coordinator and Summer Gallery Manager Maryalice Johnston described how "in
concert, the work replicated the diversity, richness and changing nature of our contemporary
art world."
George Creamer, the Dean of Graduate Education for the MFA program at MassArt and
MFAWC faculty member, was gratified by the success of the first Provincetown session.
"It culminated two years of hard work by individuals at FAWC and MassArt. Within
twenty-four hours of the program's start, the faculty and administrators could see that it
was running smoothly, and, most importantly, that ten artists' dreams were being met.
It was hard not to get caught up in their excitement. I could not have envisioned a more
productive start for this program."
The Fine Arts Work Center is a special place that lends itself to serious investigation,
reflection and discovery. It provides a very "real" working experience for
artists. One feels its long legacy of artmaking as particular inspiration.
Cathleen Daley, Weston, MA
Jim Peters, the faculty member and long-time FAWC associate who most closely
observed the work accomplished during the first Provincetown session, said that he
was "impressed and excited not only by how successfully it condensed a well-rounded
education into such a short period but also with how the students were so open-minded,
receptive, proactive and supportive of each other's work. After working in isolation for
so long, it's a great challenge to have your work scrutinized by so many people. In this
very short time I think they all made great progress toward fulfilling the goal of a graduate
education, to learn to develop one's own value judgments. I'd also like to note that
the FAWC studios in which they worked were the best I have ever seen in a graduatedegree
program."
I am looking to expand my reach and appreciate the opportunity to have extensive
contact with certain painters over the next two years' mentors, teachers and peers
who are willing to look at each other's art and discuss it in a critical yet supportive
fashion.
Susan Lichtenstein, Belmont, MA
The MFAWC program began at an auspicious time; this first class benefited from the
recently completed expansion of the facilities at 24 Pearl Street. Students attended
classes and worked in their FAWC studios, but lived at local guesthouses. The pre-
Memorial Day and post-Labor Day seasons, while vibrant times to be in Provincetown,
do not attract the huge summertime crowds. The students' presence therefore benefits
the local economy and community, an ever-constant FAWC priority. Further, the program
is part of Campus Provincetown, the successful endeavor to employ education to help
stimulate the off-season economy in Provincetown.
I help do custodial care for an elderly relative, so to have this time for myself, free
from everything, to be able to just stay in a studio late into the night if I want, felt
so intoxicating. This life-changing experience has already influenced my work
before I even get home.
Carole Ann Danner, Hyannis, MA
FAWC's partner in the program, Massachusetts College of Art (established in 1873)
was the first and remains the only freestanding public college of art and design in the
US. Today it is the leader in arts education in Massachusetts and recognized nationally
for offering broad access to a quality professional arts education, accompanied by a
strong general education in the liberal arts. A major cultural force in Boston, MassArt
offers public programs of innovative exhibitions, lectures and events. The college's
state-of-the-art main campus is located in Boston's Fenway Cultural District beside the
Isabella Stewart Gardiner Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts. The MFA program at
MassArt began in 1974, and offers five full-time fine arts concentrations and part- and
full-time tracks in design. It draws students from leading national and international
colleges and enrolls approximately 75 students annually. An equal-sized post-graduate
art education program and an expansive Bachelor of Fine Arts program with over 1,300
students are also offered at the Boston campus.
Potential candidates interested in applying to the MFAWC program, or needing further
information should contact George Creamer, Dean of Graduate Education at MassArt,
at 617-879-7163, or Nadia Savage, at 617-879-7162. To submit a formal application for
the MFAWC program, download the MFA application from the MassArt website at
www.massart.edu and indicate in a cover letter that you are applying to the MFAWC
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. The application
deadline for the next class will be in March 2006.
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