Studio Arts M.F.A.

In ceramics, artists pursue study in pottery, sculpture, tile mosaics and other areas of interest. Our faculty, facilities and resources encourage and accommodate experimentation with a variety of traditional and non-traditional approaches. Firing techniques supported in the program include high-fire reduction, oxidation, salt glazing, wood, soda, pit and raku. We also support an Anagama kiln.

Ceramic art has deep roots in the Syracuse community. The Everson Museum of Art boasts one of the most comprehensive holdings of American ceramic art in the nation. We have an active and varied visiting artist program, a history of curating exhibitions and an expectation for our graduates of participation in the field on the national and international levels.

Drawing practices in the School of Art seek to redefine the materiality of drawing at a time when digital technologies dominate visual communication. By embracing the representational, abstract, illustrative and conceptual, the drawing intensive aims to serve as a platform for experimental methods, concepts and practices while respecting time-honored histories and conventions. The drawing intensive seeks to promote and disseminate drawing research, with emphasis on contemporary practices and theoretical context.

The painting intensive’s long history at Syracuse University demonstrates a steady and deep commitment to the practice of painting, a discipline that is as relevant now as ever. Our mission is to provide the resources and support that you need to develop your practice and to broaden your understanding of what drives creative endeavors in our increasingly interconnected world. With our internationally known faculty and visiting artists, we offer you a wide perspective on the creative process and what it means to be a practicing artist.

The dichotomies between traditional and contemporary art or figurative and non-representational painting have imploded, encouraging strong, self-motivated, individual work. The artists in our painting intensive represent the global possibilities of what painting can be, whether it embraces traditional, interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary approaches. The resources we offer include individual painting studios, grants for creative pursuits, teaching opportunities and M.F.A. exhibitions in New York City as well as on campus. Additionally, our program is greatly enhanced by being in the midst of an outstanding and diverse university environment.

The print media and graphic art area is a leader in the field of academic printmaking. Mixed media; public artworks; installation; collaboration; and Lake Effect Editions, our professional, in-house publishing entity, contribute to making print media and graphic art well rounded and vibrant.

We have an impressive array of new media tools for the printmaker, and we continue to embrace the needs of those wishing to honor the time-tested methodologies of the field. In our state-of-the-art studios we offer courses in lithography, monotype/monoprint, etching, screenprint, relief, papermaking, letterpress, book arts and digital printmaking. We also present an annual steamroller printing event in the center of Main Campus.

Students and faculty take group trips to New York City for such events as the International Fine Print Dealers Association Print Fair, and they also attend the Southern Graphics Council International Conference each year. Many of our graduates move to New York City after earning their degree, where they find jobs and internships in the multitude of print studios, workshops, art foundations, art galleries and museums that the city has to offer.

Diversity and interaction are the cornerstones of our internationally recognized sculpture intensive in our studio arts program. Our faculty consists of vital artists of national reputation who maintain an active studio experience.

The outstanding sculpture facilities are comprised of workshop areas for traditional and contemporary applications, including those for metal casting, fabrication, plasma cutting and welding; wood and stone carving; plaster; resins; plastics; digital fabrication and 3-D printing; and a state-of-the-art wood shop. We also offer ample workspaces for assembly, project spaces dedicated to installation and performance, gallery spaces for student exhibitions, outdoor casting and large-scale fabrication capabilities and private and semi-private studio spaces for graduate students.

As stated above, our studio arts M.F.A. curriculum gives students the opportunity to work within one of our nationally recognized areas (ceramics, drawing, painting, print media and graphic art and sculpture) or across disciplines, enabling graduate candidates to develop a course of study specific to their research goals. As such, our M.F.A. candidates have the freedom to utilize any or all of our outstanding facilities to manifest their work. Whether time-based, relational, performative, interactive, virtual and/or object-based, students work in an environment that welcomes and encourages experimentation and innovation.

Additionally, being housed within a Tier 1 research university enables our students to have access to an abundance of resources and courses in many other fields of study, including performing arts; humanities; and the social, material, mechanical and biological sciences.