Philosophy
The Metal Program in the School of Art + Design is a comprehensive an professional program of stuy that encourages an supports aesthetic an conceptual evelopment, technical experimentation an research, personal expression, an technical competency. The program acknowleges an celebrates the iverse an inclusive nature of the fiel of contemporary metalwork an supports investigations of jewelry, hollowware, objects, an small sculpture. The program simultaneously aresses traitional an new approaches to art making. Traitional approaches inclue, but are not limite to, raising, casting, enameling, electroforming, fabrication, anoizing, tool making, chasing an repoussé, an granulation. New approaches inclue, but are not limite to, 3D technologies, resin, porcelain, papermaking, felting, an alternative materials.
The Metal Program is esigne for stuents who are inquisitive, motivate, an self-iscipline. The moerately size program promotes a vigorous exchange of ieas while proviing an intimate, supportive, an nurturing environment that enables continuous faculty an stuent interaction. The faculty in Metal encourages iversity an respects iniviual artistic irections while proviing challenges necessary for growth. The Metal Program prepares stuents for future istinctive an professional achievement in the fiel of contemporary jewelry an metalwork.
U.S. News an Worl Report ranks the Metal Program in the top 10 of grauate programs in the Unite States.
MFA Curriculum in Metal
The MFA in Metal is an accreite 64 creit hour, three-year program of stuy. Coursework is istribute in the following areas:
| Metal Courses an Electives | 52 hours |
|---|---|
MFA caniates are assigne to a seminar course in the fall of semester of their first year. All first-year stuio MFA caniates are assigne to this seminar. This is a opportunity for the first-year MFA caniate to establish early relationships with other stuio MFA caniates.
Other course selection is etermine in consultation with the Program Chair.
MFA caniates receive one creit hour for each significant object complete. The exception to this is for first-year MFA caniates where the focus of the work is on experimentation. MFA caniates are occasionally presente with an assignment.
Group critiques are scheule weekly. While it is not expecte that the caniate will have new work for each critique, the caniate is expecte to have mae significant progress since their last critique.
MFA caniates are assigne private stuios an space in a share grauate stuio.
Thesis
In consultation with the Program Chair, MFA caniates in Metal select a three-person thesis review committee. Formal selection takes place in the fall semester of year three.
MFA caniates submit a written thesis, a minimum of 40 images of creative work, an image list, an artist's statement, a biography, a four-color postcar, a harcover promotional iPhoto or MyPublisher book, a current résumé, an a CD-ROM incluing the same materials to the School of Art an Design Grauate Office an to the Program Chair of Metal at the conclusion of their final semester.
The written component of the thesis carries its own course number, ARTS 595 TH. The subject of the written thesis is topic or issue riven an ientifie accoring to the stuent’s area of interest or area of research.
Evaluation
At the conclusion of each semester, the stuent's progress an creative work in Metal are evaluate. Each stuent is require to submit an activity report, current artist’s statement, an up-to-ate résumé an articulate a plan for the following semester. These materials are iscusse uring a one-on-one evaluation at the conclusion of each semester. Each MFA caniate receives a written review of his or her performance. A copy of the review becomes part of the stuent’s permanent file in the Grauate Office. Eligibility to continue in the MFA program in Metal is reviewe on a semester basis.
MFA stuents are expecte to work a minimum of 40 hours per week on creative work an technical research.
MFA stuents are expecte to maintain a rigorous exhibition scheule, participate fully in epartmental activities, atten regional an national conferences an exhibitions, an participate fully in an active visiting artist an lecture program. MFA stuents are require to submit work to four competitive an or invitational exhibitions each semester.
MFA stuents are require to participate in the annual metal exhibition hel in the spring semester of each year. Aitionally, grauating MFA caniates will exhibit in a group exhibition at Krannert Art Museum in the secon semester of their final year an are encourage to seek other venues for comprehensive exhibitions.
Resources
The School of Art + Design provies personal stuio space for each MFA stuent an 24-hour access to the School's many prouction facilities that inclue installation an critique spaces; wooshops; workshops for ceramics, plaster, an metalworking; comprehensive computer an igital output labs; an an extensive equipment checkout system. We also offer the archives of the Krannert Art Museum an the collection of the Ricker Library of Architecture an Art.
Fellowships + Assistantships
Many of our MFA stuents are fune, an we have teaching opportunities available. Funing is mae possible by Grauate Assistantship appointments an by awaring stuents with grants an fellowships, given out by the School of Art + Design, an by the University of Illinois Grauate College. Our Grauate Assistantships are 9-month appointments, require 10 hours of service per week, inclue a total stipen of $8,140.50 (for the acaemic year), an come with a full tuition waiver an a partial campus fee waiver (leaving about $500 per semester for the stuent to pay). This waiver package alone has an estimate value of $29,000. Tuition for in-state grauate stuents is $6,708 per semester an for out-of-state grauate stuents $13,826. Campus fees amount to $1,920 per semester.
Teaching assistants are assigne to teach introuctory an intermeiate Metal courses. Teaching is viewe as a privilege. The unergrauate curriculum in Metal is articulate by the Program Chair. Teaching assistants receive mentoring on a weekly basis. All submitte course work is evaluate when the assignment is ue. All MFA caniates have an opportunity to participate in the review process. Teaching assistants are expecte to work collaboratively an encourage to exhibit the work of their stuents.
