Call for applications 2023: MFA in Studio Art at Tulane University

Tulane University’s Newcomb Art Department is dedicated to the study and production of visual art within the context of Tulane’s rich liberal arts tradition. The Art Department supports creative and critical inquiry, discovery, and innovation in studio arts practice by creating a collaborative and demanding environment. With concentrations in Sculpture, Glass, Ceramics, Photography, Printmaking, Digital Arts, and Painting & Drawing, the Department promotes a multi-disciplinary approach to contemporary art-making and encourages a wide range of forms of expression.

The MFA program at Newcomb Art Department is a small, intensive, multidisciplinary two-year residence program that stresses close connection with devoted teachers and peers, as well as involvement with New Orleans’ unique cultural context. Individual studio work is emphasized in the graduate program, but students also participate in cross-disciplinary seminars on art theory, pedagogy, and practice-based research, as well as courses in art history. All approved graduate students are granted a complete tuition remission as well as a significant assistantship stipend. Every semester, all admitted students have the opportunity to teach or work as a teaching assistant.

The Newcomb Art Department, located in New Orleans, a vibrant and culturally rich city in the Gulf South, draws from a varied and stimulating range of artistic and cultural activity. Prospect New Orleans, an international art Biennial, the recently established Joan Mitchell Center, The Contemporary Arts Center of New Orleans, The New Orleans Museum of Art, and The Ogden Museum of Southern Art are all local resources.

Facilities: Graduate students are given a separate studio as well as 24-hour access to world-class facilities at the Woldenberg Art Center. Sculpture has a fully equipped wood shop, a metals area/foundry, a mixed media room, and digital fabrication capabilities, all of which are directed by a full-time manager. Ceramics comprises both large general studio workrooms and specialist clay, glaze, and plaster mixing rooms, as well as critique/computer and kiln rooms. A hot and cold shop, as well as a steel manufacturing section, are all located in Glass. Printmaking has intaglio, lithography, and silkscreen facilities, as well as its own darkroom. The Digital Arts studio has 14 workstations with the most up-to-date software, five scanners, and medium and large format printers. Graduate and primary darkrooms, film processing, a lighting studio, lecture and demo rooms, and an advanced digital imaging room are all available for photography students. Painting and Drawing preserves four big classrooms with natural north light on all walls and color-balanced lighting overhead. The Carroll Gallery is the exhibition facility for the Newcomb Art Department, and it is dedicated to presenting professional shows by students and professors, such as the yearly MFA candidacy evaluations and MFA thesis exhibitions. The Newcomb Art Museum presents national and international exhibitions and activities that conceptualize and interpret new art and design via the critical frameworks of several disciplines.

Studio Art faculty: Teresa Cole, Aaron Collier, AnnieLaurie Erickson, Kevin H. Jones, Jeremy Jernegan, Gene Koss, Blas Isasi-Gutierrez, Christian Stock, William DePauw, Anthony Baab, Diana Antohe, Jonathan Traviesa, and Shabez Jamal.

Past visiting artists and critics: Catherine Opie, Shimon Attie, Mickalene Thomas, Darby English, Jenni Sorkin, Hank Willis Thomas, Helen Molesworth, Arlene Shechet, Jessica Stockholder, Jason Lazarus, Curtis Mann, Hannah Whitaker, Cameron Shaw, Tanyth Berkeley, Dan Cameron, Miranda Lash, Paul Chan, Mel Chin, John F. Clark, Holland Cotter, Luke DuBois, Eve Fowler, Pat Steir, Robert Storr, Katy Grannan, Craig Drennen, Dana Hoey, Susan Kismaric, Nicola Lopez, Lothar Osterburg, Eric Parker, Alexis Rockman, Jeff L. Rosenheim, Thomas Roma, Jennifer Steinkamp, Swoon, Marcia Vetrocq, Pawel Wojtasik, and Lisa Yuskavage.

Application information: The Newcomb Art Department is accepting applications in Sculpture, Glass, Ceramics, Photography, Printmaking, Digital Arts and Painting & Drawing (or applicants may select multiple areas if making interdisciplinary work). The application deadline is February 1, 2023. Please note that the GRE is not required of MFA applicants in Studio Art. Further information and application guidelines can be found here. The application process can be completed online here.