Fine Arts
Pratt’s interdisciplinary 60-credit MFA program offers an advanced experience for artists. Driven by exploration and enriched by the abundance and inspiration of New York City, our critically engaged faculty responds to each MFA student’s individual practice, supporting their development and enabling an intense and transformative immersion in the diverse cultures of contemporary art making. MFA students in Fine Arts come from all over the world and are selected for their creative potential and readiness to fully immerse themselves in our intensive, self-directed program of study.
Facilities
Our MFA facilities are outstanding. Located in the Pfizer Building, graduate students have individual studios for both years of the program. Pfizer is a renovated industrial building that also houses fabrication shops, temporary exhibition spaces, seminar rooms, and a student lounge. Our campus facilities include a fully equipped woodshop, metal shop, print shop, ceramics studio, darkrooms, and digital output lab with high-resolution scanners and printers. There are many opportunities for MFA students to show work and curate exhibitions in a variety of traditional and nontraditional spaces.
Curriculum
Our curriculum is both rigorous and flexible, offering wide latitude for exploration while fostering critical perspectives and a deeper understanding of the histories, issues, and cultural contexts that inform art practices today. With the art world on our doorstep, there are many opportunities to meet prominent contemporary curators, critics, and cultural practitioners. Professional practice education occurs throughout the program, giving MFA students the tools needed to make an impact as artists and cultural innovators after graduation.
Faculty
Our faculty members are active professional artists distinguished by their numerous national and international exhibitions. Many have been featured in major arts publications and have received significant awards such as those from Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation, the Joan Mitchell Foundation, the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, Creative Capital, New York Foundation for the Arts, and more.
Visitors and Events
In addition to a regular schedule of studio visits by faculty members, our Visiting Artists Lecture Series (VALS) brings renowned artists to campus to give public lectures and conduct individual studio visits with graduate students. In the fall, MFA students host an open studio event and, in the spring, second-year students mount individual thesis exhibitions and present their work in a curated exhibition at a Manhattan gallery. Our Pratt Artists League (PAL), the fine arts graduate student club, also invites artists, curators, and critics for visits and organizes open studio events along with additional student-generated programming and exhibitions.
Community and Programming
We have a vibrant, socially-engaged, generous, and lively community! The department holds many discussions around contemporary issues and collaborates with arts organizations to ensure that we reach beyond our gates to actively participate in the cultural life of the broader national and international community. Two initiatives that enable us to do this are Project Third and Pratt Institute Editions (PIE). Project Third is a ten-week summer residency where we invite artists/collaborative groups, whose community work is research oriented and/or motivated by the desire to instigate social change, to inhabit one of our gallery spaces. This enables us to create aligned programming and connect their work to our students. PIE works with artists and alumni to produce limited edition prints in collaboration with our students. We are constantly thinking of innovative ways to make sure that we are part of the cultural conversation and actively include students in developing these initiatives.
Alumni
Our fine arts alumni thrive. Graduates have been accepted into prestigious residencies such as Skowhegan, the Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program, the Elizabeth Foundation, and the Whitney Independent Study Program. Our alumni have exhibited at museums such as the Brooklyn Museum, the Whitney Museum, and MoMA, along with galleries such as James Cohan, Marianne Boesky, Minus Space, and Pierogi. They are in collections around the world such as the Whitney Museum, the National Gallery, and The Panza Collection. Graduates have careers as professors at schools around the country, such as Hunter College, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Cooper Union, and Columbia University. Many also find their place in the world as writers, gallerists, and curators, or working in the community as social justice advocates, educators, and change makers. Others forge new paths and become innovators in many creative fields. Graduating from Pratt’s MFA program is just the beginning!
Optional Dual-Degree Programs
MFA students in Fine Arts may also enroll concurrently in the following dual-degree and certificate programs. These programs require an additional year of study, in most cases.
- MFA/Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Art and Design Education
MFA/Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Art and Design Education is designed for MFA students desiring eligibility for a Pre-K–12 teaching certificate. Students take 20 credits in Art and Design Education. With one additional studio elective credit, students can qualify for their provisional New York State Certification to teach fine arts, Pre-K–12, a certification that is reciprocated in more than 35 states. For specific courses, see the art and design education section of this bulletin. - MFA/Advanced Certificate in Art and Design Education
This 23-credit program is open to individuals with an MFA degree, or those currently enrolled in the MFA program at Pratt. For those applicants already holding an MFA degree, the program may be completed in two semesters, and the application requirements are the same as those listed for the MS in Art and Design Education.
Chair
Jane South
Assistant Chairs
Dina Weiss
Joshua McCall (Acting)
Assistant to the Chair
Lisa Banke-Humann
Technicians
Adam Apostolos
Nate Bozeman
Korey Burns
Yasu Izaki
Caitlin Riordan
Federico Savini
Christopher Verstegen
Sky Yoon
Office
Tel: 718.636.3634
www.pratt.edu/fine-arts-grad
Faculty Bios
www.pratt.edu/graduate-fine-arts/faculty-and-staff
FA-511 Directed Research - (1 Credit)
This course focuses on direct research related to previously taken formal courses of study with the instructor in question. To pursue Directed Research, permission of both the faculty member and the Fine Arts chairperson is required.
FA-514 Machine Sewing and Needle Arts - (2 Credits)
This is a graduate-only elective course in machine sewing and needle arts. The course will introduce fundamental sewing techniques needed to execute textile based fine arts, soft sculpture and soft industrial design projects. Students who complete the course will be certified to use basic sewing machinery in designated Fashion Design studios.
FA-600 Seminar: Art Criticism - (3 Credits)
This graduate-level seminar explores concepts and problems of recent art as developed and articulated by contemporary artists and critics.
FA-601 Thesis Statement I - (3 Credits)
This course is focused on producing written documentation to accompany studio work completed in FA-650A/B, Thesis I and II.
FA-602 Multimedia Installation - (3 Credits)
This course explores the integration of diverse elements such as video, photography, objects, performance and traditional studio media (drawing, painting, and sculpture) into traditional studio media (drawing, painting, and sculpture) into environmental installation. Students are expected to have working proficiency with these media and be willing to experiment with their possibilities on both a visual and conceptual level.
FA-605 Art Criticism & Analysis - (3 Credits)
This course is for students pursuing contemporary art criticism, analytic photography issues, or non-traditional critical approaches to contemporary art. Using the analytical tools they have acquired, students will produce an original work of criticism in this course.
FA-611 Directed Research - (1 Credit)
This course focuses on direct research related to previously taken formal courses of study with the instructor in question. The permission of both the faculty member and the Fine Arts chairperson is required to pursue Directed Research.
FA-613 Introduction to Glass - (3 Credits)
This course, taught by instructors at Urban Glass in Brooklyn, offers a broad survey of glass techniques that introduce students to the major areas of glass fabrication including kiln-forming, kiln-casting, cold-working, flame-working, and glassblowing. Students are expected to complete a series of projects utilizing techniques from each of the areas taught.
FA-614A Painting & Drawing - (3 Credits)
This course examines the relationship between drawing and painting through group seminars, individual critiques, and studio practice. Drawing sessions featuring poses of varying duration will allow the student to study gesture, contour, composition and modeling. The drawing seminar will alternate with four-hour painting problems from the figure and from the landscape.
FA-614B Painting & Drawing - (3 Credits)
This course examines the relationship between drawing and painting through group seminars, individual critiques, and studio practice. Drawing sessions featuring poses of varying duration allow the student to study gesture, contour, composition and modeling. The drawing seminar will alternate with four-hour painting problems from the figure and from the landscape.
FA-617 Drawing - (3 Credits)
In this course students explore advanced studio problems in drawing with an emphasis on independent creative work along with seminar discussion and criticism.
FA-618 Site Ideas - (1 Credit)
This one credit course explores site-specific artmaking through the lens of place. Drawing on methodologies for site research as well as theories of place, students will research a given location in the metro area and develop a proposal for a work of art that responds to that site in its historical, cultural and material complexity. As well as documenting their research and methodology in a written paper, students will present an illustrated proposal for their installation to a panel of invited guests.
FA-619 Art in the Cloud - (1 Credit)
This one credit course introduces the history and theory of internet art from its beginnings in the mid-1990s and acquaints them with methods and tools of net art production today. Requirements include writing short reviews of internet artworks, curation an online exhibition, and responding to assigned readings. Students will use image processing tools and HTML + CSS to produce an original web project for the class and submit a short paper discussing their approach and method. Smart phones and tablets may be used in projects
FA-621 Painting - (3 Credits)
This course is designed for graduate students who wish to expand their vocabularies of painterly techniques and possibilities. The course emphasizes monochromatic underpainting and glazing to achieve effects not possible with direct painting. The course is based on figure painting. There will be multi-week poses with a live model, three hours per week, with demonstrations, readings and lectures on both contemporary and historical practice. Regular class discussions and critiques will develop critical thinking and self-evaluation skills.
FA-623 Project in the Public Realm - (3 Credits)
In this studio course students will realize a project in the public realm. Students will develop initial concepts into concrete proposals with the goal of accomplishing a public project. In addition to examining the context, form, artistic processes and experience of locational or site specific art, students will be introduced to the history, methodologies, and logistics of contemporary site specificity. Students will complete one work. This course is open to any media.
FA-627 Digital Projects - (3 Credits)
Digital Projects introduces graduate students to digital image making processes. The objective of the course is to facilitate experimentation with digital tools in relation to aesthetic and conceptual concerns so that students feel confident using this technology for their work.
FA-628 Improv for the Artist - (1 Credit)
This one credit course introduces graduate fine arts students to improvisation, in theory and practice, as a working philosophy applicable to any artistic practice. Students will explore ways in which improvisation can nurture creation, facilitate spontaneous thinking, and foster organic collaboration. Through games, exercises, group work and discussion, we will explore the impact of improvisation on group dynamic and become familiar with our own unique and spontaneous responses to verbal and emotional stimuli. Students will work to integrate improvisational methods into their studio art practices and be able to engage in critical dialogue about this process.
FA-629 Installation Theory and Practice - (3 Credits)
This course provides students the opportunity to create a site-specific installation within an assigned project space using drawing, building and research assignments as an ex-pository tool. Artists will create installations through a series of experiments going beyond the traditions of 2D space into 3D and 4D explorations.
FA-630 Professional Practices - (3 Credits)
This course introduces graduate students to the multifaceted professional art world. Students will interact directly with various participants in that world, including professional artists, curators, critics, and gallery directors. Through these encounters, discussions and assignments students will acquire the strategies and preparedness necessary for promoting a body of work in the art Course Description: marketplace and maintaining a career as a professional artist.
FA-637 Research, Perform, Record! - (3 Credits)
In Research, Perform, Record! Students learn artistic tools to create performances for the camera based onresearch-based strategies and various approaches to lens-based media. The class will explore performancepractices in an expanded sense, including endurance, live, new media, hybrid-media, and for-the-cameraperformances, as well as social practice and public art, to trace genealogies for a research-basedperformance art practice and its relationship to various recording technologies. In this part-seminar andpart-studio course, students will develop a semester-long, research-based, performance-for-the-cameraproject.
FA-641 Ceramics - (3 Credits)
In this course, students pursue advanced studio problems and projects in ceramics while developing their independent creative work.
FA-646 Artist As Curator - (3 Credits)
This course will be an introduction to the practical concerns of working as an independent art curator. Whether as a career path or a means to advance one's own visual arts practice, students will learn to identify and examine the skills required to develop and stage exhibitions from inception to actualization. Students will explore curating from a \"maker's\" point of view, as the artist as curator, learning the most appropriate means to present and install artworks - processes that include and go beyond theorizing concepts, themes, and formal considerations.
FA-648 Drawing Into Sculpture Seminar - (3 Credits)
In this course students explore the relationships between drawing and sculpture within a conceptual framework.
FA-649 Art and Cultural Seminar - (3 Credits)
This seminar is organized around bi-weekly interdisciplinary dialogues between artists and anthropologists, psychoanalysts, sociologists, philosophers and others. These dialogues will be complemented by class discussions and assigned readings. Students will be required to produce a final paper.
FA-650A Thesis I - (3 Credits)
In Thesis I students establish a rigorous studio practice. Individual and group critiques and a public review will offer clarity and focus going into their final semester. Students pursue a consistent and focused body of work in preparation for preview.
FA-650B Thesis II - (3 Credits)
This course culminates with a Thesis exhibition of creative work. The approval of the Graduate Fine Arts Faculty Committee is required. Prerequisites: 30 credits.
FA-655 Sound Art - (1 Credit)
This one credit course introduces students to the history of sound art from its roots in the early 20th century to its practice and development ion the present day. During the course students will review sound works, develop their skills to create sound works and respond to related readings. Students will gain an introduction to sound design programs that are utilized today as well as the variety of conceptual ways artists utilize sound as an art form and as a component of other hybrid art forms.
FA-657 Theories of the Avant-Garde - (3 Credits)
Theories of the Avant Garde focuses on the history and practice of time-based works such as film, video and performance since the late 1950s. The course will begin with Fluxus Happenings, Environments and Body Art of the 1960s as well as the rise of early Video Art. Performance art of the 1970s and 1980s focuses on political movements of the era, including anarchism, feminism, simulationism, and multiculturalism. These developments will be investigated historically, theoretically, ironically, poignantly and - most of all - critically.
FA-658 Studio in Social Practice - (3 Credits)
This studio introduces students to the history and evolution of Social Practice as an art form and investigates various modes of artistic public engagement. The focus will be on the research and development of socially invested projects.
FA-661 Intaglio Printmaking - (3 Credits)
This course explores a wide range of intaglio techniques, including drypoint, line etching, softground and aquatint. Students will explore both traditional and experimental materials and methods. Regular critiques and discussions will be held during class.
FA-662 Relief Printmaking - (3 Credits)
Students in this course will explore relief printmaking, the oldest and most direct form of printing images on surfaces. Instruction will include carving and printing images from wood, linoleum, and birch plywood, among other surfaces. Techniques will include reduction, multiple block and experimental printing.
FA-663 Silkscreen Printmaking - (3 Credits)
This course offers students instruction in silkscreen printmaking. Techniques covered include photo-emulsion stencil, hand drawn stencil monoprinting and printing on experimental surfaces. Artistic and commercial uses of silkscreen will be discussed, including digital applications.
FA-665 Lithography Printmaking - (3 Credits)
This course offers students instruction in the traditional and contemporary processes of lithography, including stone, plate and mylar printing. The course begins with photo litho techniques using various methods of imagemaking, including photographic, hand drawn on mylar, computer generated and/or manipulated and found objects. Stone lithography concludes the course and focuses on preparing the stone, materials and methods of drawing on the stone, the stone etching process and printing.
FA-669 Contemporary Photo Seminar - (3 Credits)
In this seminar students will investigate contemporary photographic work and critical issues through current museum and gallery exhibitions, magazine reviews and recently published books. Emphasis will be on developing a critical viewpoint and vocabulary, but relevant technical issues will not be slighted. In addition to oral and written reports, students may expect assignments in techniques and procedures not generally used but which are employed by certain contemporary photographers.
FA-670 Project Print - (3 Credits)
This graduate-level course offers students the opportunity to engage in a researched-based, in-depth, large scale print project. Faculty will work collaboratively with students to facilitate project research/development and technical instruction. The course welcomes diversity of practice, innovation, and experimentation and students new to printmaking are welcome.
FA-671 Integrated Practices - (3 Credits)
This studio course offers students a critical investigation of new media, hybrid processes and combinations, and non-traditional strategies of art making.
FA-675 Materials and Methods - (3 Credits)
This project-based course emphasizes material logic in the development of an individualized studio practice within a 2D format. The course promotes an understanding of contemporary and historical material precedents, applications and investigations. Through research and experimental investigation students will further their intellectual and creative expression.
FA-678 Contemporary Abstraction - (3 Credits)
This course investigates the various themes, movements, artists and tendencies in abstract art.
FA-680 Contemporary Art (1960-Present) - (3 Credits)
In this seminar, students examine the major developments in art since 1960, including lyrical abstraction, pop, minimalism, conceptual art, earthworks, post-minimalism, and other movements.
FA-685 Photography for Non-Major - (3 Credits)
Photography for Non-Majors is designed for students who have an interest in learning basic photography techniques and concepts in the context of their major areas of emphasis. The course will explore both traditional darkroom techniques and digital photography methods. The class will culminate in portfolio presentations/critiques and a research paper.
FA-688 Critical History of Photography - (3 Credits)
This course introduces students to the critical issues surrounding the invention of photography and its development as a medium and a phenomenon during the 19th century. The course will focus on photography's relationship to the other arts as well as to the events it recorded.
FA-691A Painting and Drawing IA - (3 Credits)
In this studio course students pursue work in their chosen area of emphasis. Through group and individual critiques with faculty, students will test their expressive concepts, research methods and technical possibilities. Instruction is rooted in the investigation of drawing and painting with their specific language and history. The course encourages an investigative approach and interpretation, innovation, and experimentation.
FA-691B Painting and Drawing IB - (3 Credits)
This studio course continues to foster the student's individual development while focusing on the relationship of one's own artistic practice to the greater cultural environment. Students will sharpen their practice by engaging in critical dialogues about their work with peers, faculty and visiting artists. In this particular section a special emphasis will be placed on learning the paradigms and cultural context of contemporary painting and drawing. We will examine the variety of practices that are available to contemporary painters and drawers.
FA-691C Painting and Drawing II - (3 Credits)
In this studio course students continue to pursue advanced work in their chosen area of emphasis. Through group and individual critiques students will further refine their concepts, research and technical capabilities. Students should be working toward the creation of a consistent and focused body of work in preparation for Survey and Thesis the following year. Instruction is rooted in the investigation of drawing and painting with their specific language and history. In the area of painting and drawing there will be individual tutorials with an emphasis on personal style and advanced inquiry into the language of painting and drawing./
FA-692A Integrated Practices Ia - (3 Credits)
In this studio course students pursue work in their chosen area of emphasis. Through group and individual critiques with faculty, students will test their expressive concepts, research methods and technical possibilities. The area of Integrated Practices fosters an interdisciplinary approach to creative inquiry, studio, and post-studio practice that provides space for investigating emerging and unconventional forms of visual and conceptual expression. Students will be challenged to work across multiple disciplines and fields of knowledge, both visual and non-visual.
FA-692B Integrated Practices IB - (3 Credits)
This studio course continues to foster the student's individual development while focusing on the relationship of one's artistic practice to the larger cultural environment. Students will sharpen their practice by engaging in critical dialogues about their work with peers, faculty and visiting artists. The area of Integrated Practices, fostering social exchange through interactive media such as installation, site-specific and research driven processes, digital and web-based media, and collaborative or community oriented projects, offers a critical examination of the interrelations between artists, their works, and their intended audiences.
FA-692C Integrated Practices II - (3 Credits)
In this studio course students continue to pursue advanced work in their chosen area of emphasis. Through group and individual critiques students will further refine their concepts, research and technical capabilities. Students should be working toward the creation of a consistent and focused body of work in preparation for Survey and Thesis the following year. In the area of Integrated Practices students will continue to work across multiple disciplines and fields of knowledge, utilizing different systems of inquiry both visual and non-visual in the development of practice.
FA-693A Sculpture IA - (3 Credits)
In this studio course students pursue work in their chosen area of emphasis. Through group and individual critiques with faculty, students will test their expressive concepts, research methods and technical possibilities. Though a series of studio prompts, readings and exploratory writing, emphasis will be placed on challenging the student's pre-conceived understanding of sculptural concepts and methods.
FA-693B Sculpture IB - (3 Credits)
This studio course continues to foster the student's individual development while focusing on the relationship of one's artistic practice to the larger cultural environment. Students will sharpen their practice by engaging in critical dialogues about their work with peers, faculty and visiting artists. We will examine the various paradigms, cultural and contemporary contexts in which the student's sculptural practice operates.
FA-693C Sculpture II - (3 Credits)
In this studio course students continue to pursue advanced work in their chosen area of emphasis. Through group and individual critiques students will further refine their concepts, research and technical capabilities. Students should be working toward the creation of a consistent and focused body of work in preparation for Survey and Thesis the following year. Sculpture students will continue to deepen and broaden the advances made during the first semester. Through group and individual critiques students will further refine their concepts, research and technical capabilities.
FA-694A Printmaking IA - (3 Credits)
In this studio course students pursue work in their chosen area of emphasis. Through group and individual critiques with faculty, students will test their expressive concepts, research methods and technical possibilities. The area of Printmaking will focus on the complex historical perspective of prints/printed matter and the expanding role of printmaking in contemporary practice. Students will be challenged to investigate the medium(s) with creative inquiry, innovation, experimentation, and conceptual understanding.
FA-694B Printmaking IB - (3 Credits)
In this studio course students pursue work in their chosen area of emphasis. Through group and individual critiques with faculty, students will test their expressive concepts, research methods and technical possibilities. In the area of Printmaking, students will explore perspectives and paradigms of prints and printed matter and how it informs their practice.
FA-694C Printmaking II - (3 Credits)
In this studio course students continue to pursue advanced work in their chosen area of emphasis. Through group and individual critiques students will further refine their concepts, research and technical capabilities. Students should be working toward the creation of a consistent and focused body of work in preparation for Survey and Thesis the following year. In the area of Printmaking, students will focus their practice and begin alignment of their material and conceptual investigations.
FA-699A Symposium I - (3 Credits)
SYMPOSIUM courses span the second semester of the first year and the first semester of the second year of the MFA programs. This pedagogical core provides MFA candidates with a broad and deep engagement with the interdisciplinary field of contemporary practice with an eye to their development as artists, thinkers, and effective communicators. These courses are taught collaboratively and across disciplines. MFA candidates meet in small groups with individual faculty and also collectively with all four faculty members for lectures, presentations, visitors, and some discussion. Symposium 1 is designed for MFA candidates in their first year. Herein, candidates will develop tools and methods to engage and reflect on their own practices and the practices of others. These tools and methods are structured in 2 modalities: internal and external.
FA-699B Symposium II - (3 Credits)
SYMPOSIUM courses span the second semester of the first year and the first semester of the second year of the MFA programs. This pedagogical core provides MFA candidates with a broad and deep engagement with the interdisciplinary field of contemporary practice with an eye to their development as artists, thinkers, and effective communicators. These courses are taught collaboratively and across disciplines. MFA candidates meet in small groups with individual faculty and also collectively with all four faculty members for lectures, presentations, visitors, and some discussion. Symposium 2 is designed for MFA candidates in their second year. Herein, candidates will utilize the tools and methods they encountered in Symposium 1 to engage and reflect and present their own practices and the practices of others. These tools and methods are structured in 2 modalities: internal and external.
FA-700 Thesis In Progress - (0 Credits)
FA-9601 Experiential Ed Internship - (1 Credit)
Internships are learning experiences in the work place that relate to your major and career goals. Interns are able to take the skills and theories learned in the classroom and apply them to real-life work experience. You have the opportunity to learn new skills and concepts from professionals in the field and test career goals and explore career options. Students also gain a more objective understanding of the experience through corollary meetings and by recording their observations and completing exploratory assignments.
FA-9602 Experiential Ed Internship - (2 Credits)
Internships are learning experiences in the work place that relate to your major and career goals. Interns are able to take the skills and theories learned in the classroom and apply them to real-life work experience. You have the opportunity to learn new skills and concepts from professionals in the field and test career goals and explore career options. Students also gain a more objective understanding of the experience through corollary meetings and by recording their observations and completing exploratory assignments.
FA-9603 Experiential Ed Internship - (3 Credits)
Internships are learning experiences in the work place that relate to your major and career goals. Interns are able to take the skills and theories learned in the classroom and apply them to real-life work experience. You have the opportunity to learn new skills and concepts from professionals in the field and test career goals and explore career options. Students also gain a more objective understanding of the experience through corollary meetings and by recording their observations and completing exploratory assignments.