MFA Program in Sculpture

The Graduate Sculpture Program at VCU is a major force in the School of the Arts and beyond. This is best measured by the fact that we attract challenging, talented and curious students from around the globe. In addition to that, US News and World Report ranks our Sculpture MFA program first in the United States. Our students are drawn by the ever-increasing visibility of the department's alumni and the reputation of a highly diversified and talented faculty.

The department's 8 full-time faculty and active visiting artist program represent a variety of directions and philosophical attitudes. We have a deep investment in our visiting artist program, importing significant artists, critics, curators and culture-makers on a regular basis.

Through a broad range of solutions, students are encouraged and expected to exploit the limits of their potential, challenge the notions of contemporary art and become a contributing force to the evolution of our culture. All of this takes place in an environment charged with high expectation regarding self-motivation, intellectual capacity and responsibility.

Through studio reviews, seminars, critiques and research, students build an awareness of the contemporary and historical definitions of art that will influence their creative work. In addition to their own investigations, graduate students participate in and contribute to the undergraduate program through teaching assistantships, critiques, etc.

Graduate students are provided with generous studio spaces, state-of-the-art equipment and the time, support, and encouragement to pursue their independently determined goals.

Prospective graduate students are welcome to visit VCU's Sculpture Department to tour our facilities, meet faculty and graduate students, and get a general sense of the place at NOON on the following Fridays. Please call to make a reservation so we know to expect you (804-828-1511).*

November 2, 2007
November 9, 2007
November 16, 2007
November 30, 2007
December 7, 2007
January 11, 2008
January 25, 2008

*If you are unable to visit us on one of these dates, please call and we will try to make other arrangements.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE, M.F.A. SCULPTURE

DEADLINE: Jan 15 + Feb 15

UNDERGRADUATE PREPARATION
Applicants must have earned an undergraduate bachelor’s degree. Visual Arts applicants should have completed a minimum of 36 semester hour credits in art, and 20 credits of sculpture or related course work at the undergraduate level.

PORTFOLIO FORMAT
Portfolio should include 20 images of representative work conveying your commitment and recent development, three of which must be drawings that reflect your work and serve as a window into your process. (Sketchbook images are fine). Present work chronologically with oldest work first and newest work last. You may submit still and/or moving images. Present your work in only one format: digital images or slides. Digital images are submitted online. Slides are mailed to the School of the Arts Dean’s Office.

Digital Images:

• 20 images
• Image Format: .jpg or .png or .gif
• Image Resolution: 1280 x 1024 pixels at 72 dpi
  
• Image Maximum Size: 4 MB
  
• Video Format: Quicktime (.mov)
  
• Video Maximum Size: 200 MB maximum each. Each video clip counts as a single image. Total time for all moving images cannot exceed 5 minutes.
  
  
• Online Description Statement: When uploading your images online, use the “Description Statement” to provide additional information to help us understand each image presented. Use this area to describe anomalous sizes (square footage, etc.). Be specific when describing materials used in each work.

-OR-

Slides:

• 20 slides, numbered 1 through 20
• Arrange your slides in chronological order (slides of older work first).
• Information must be written directly on the slide mount, including name, slide number, and arrow to indicate top of work.
• No labels on slides, please.
• Slides will be projected one at a time.
• Loosely rubber-band slides together in 2 bundles of 10 in descending numerical order, with slide #10 and #20 on the top of each bundle.
  
  
• Documentation List: Identify each numbered image with the following: title, date, size, materials. Use the “Documentation List” to provide additional information to help us understand each image presented. Be specific when describing materials used in each work.
  
  
• SASE: Please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for the return of slides.

APPLICATION CHECKLIST

 Admission Application

 Signature Page x 2 (online application only)

 Three letters of reference

 Two official transcripts from EACH college or university previously attended

 VA In-state Tuition form Virginia residents only

 Application fee: $50 US to Virginia Commonwealth University

 Portfolio (digital images submitted online or slides mailed to the School of the Arts Dean’s Office)

 Online Description Statement (digital images) or Documentation list (slides)

 Artist’s statement (replaces " Statement of Purpose" requirement of application)

 Resume

 S.A.S.E. (return of slides only)

DOMESTIC APPLICATION SUBMISSION PROCEDURE

• A. ONLINE APPLICATION
            https://ssb.vcu.edu/proddad/bwskalog.P_DispLoginNon
  
  
  1. Online Application Form
     Fill out as directed.
  2. Three Letters of Reference: Your references can upload letters in support of your application on the following website: http://app.art.vcu.edu/reference
     
     We do not accept paper applications from domestic applicants.
     
     
• B. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS
  
  
  1. Signature Page from online application procedure. (Displayed at the end of online application process. Print one for your records and one for submission with supplemental materials). Clearly mark this page as SCULPTURE MFA.
  2. Official transcripts x 2 from each institution attended.
  3. VA In-state Tuition Form (Virginia residents only).
  4. Application fee (check for $50 to Virginia Commonwealth University if not paid online).
     
     MAIL TO:
     Graduate School
     Virginia Commonwealth University
     P.O. Box 843051
     Richmond, VA 23284-3051
     
     
• C1. ONLINE PORTFOLIO UPLOAD
  
  
  1. Initiate upload http://app.art.vcu.edu
  2. Submit 20 images as directed.
  3. Upload Artist Statement as pdf (same as that submitted for “Statement of Purpose” in VCU eServices portion of application).
  4. Upload Resume as pdf.
     Both Artist Statement and Resume pdf’s should be uploaded in the same fashion as the image upload.
     
             -OR-
     
     
• C2. ONLY if submitting Slides:
  
  
  1. Application Identification Page with name, SCULPTURE MFA, and date of birth
  2. Slides
  3. Documentation list
  4. Artist Statement (copy of that submitted for “Statement of Purpose” in VCU eServices portion of application)
  5. Resume
  6. S.A.S.E.
     MAIL TO:
     
     VCU School of the Arts
     Dean's Office, Graduate Studies
     Attn.: Mary Eisendrath, Graduate Coordinator
     PO Box 842519
     Richmond, VA 23284-2519

INTERNATIONAL APPLICATION SUBMISSION PROCEDURE
Please note:

• To be considered for direct entry, a TOEFL score of 600 (250 or better for computer-based exams), or IELTS score 7 or higher must be submitted.
  
  
• Applicants with a score of 550 – 600 (213 – 250 for computer-based exams) or IELTS 6.0 – 6.5 may be admitted provisionally with an English language deficiency. If approved by the Sculpture Chair, these students can take English language classes at VCU in the summer before academic enrollment. Pending successful completion of the ELP requirements, these students will be enrolled in the Fall class.
  
  
• Applicants with a TOEFL score below 550 (213 for computer-based exams), or IELTS score below 6.0 will not be considered.

INTERNATIONAL APPLICATION SUBMISSION

A. APPLICATION + SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS:

1. Application Form. Follow all directions for graduate admission for international applicants http://www.vcu.edu/oie/ia/ia_app_grad.html
2. Letters of Reference x 3
3. Official transcripts x 2 of each institution attended
4. Artist’s Statement (replaces “Statement of Purpose” required on application).
5. Application fee (US$50)
   MAIL TO:
   
   Graduate School
   Virginia Commonwealth University
   P.O. Box 843051
   Richmond, VA 23284-3051 - USA
   

B1. ONLINE PORTFOLIO UPLOAD:

1. Initiate upload http://app.art.vcu.edu
2. Submit 20 images as directed
3. Upload Resume PDF
   
             -OR-
   

B2. ONLY if submitting SLIDES:

1. Application Identification Page with name, SCULPTURE MFA, and date of birth.
2. Portfolio
3. Documentation list
4. Resume
5. S.A.S.E. (with international postage)
   MAIL TO:
   
   VCU School of the Arts
   Dean's Office, Graduate Studies
   Attn. Melanie Christian, Graduate Coordinator
   PO Box 842519
   Richmond, VA 23284-2519

DEADLINES

• Jan 15 to be considered for University Graduate School Fellowship (and all other support including teaching assistantships, working fellowships and scholarships).
  
  
• Feb 15 to be considered for teaching assistantships, working fellowships and scholarships.

GRADUATE COURSES IN SCULPTURE - Required:

500 Graduate Sculpture: Studio. Semester course; 4 credits. May be repeated.
Degree requirement for graduate students in the Department of Sculpture. Emphasis on individual creative production with periodic exposure of student's work and ideas to the critical attention of the faculty.

500 Graduate Sculpture: Critical Issues. Semester course; 4 credits.
Degree requirement for 1st semester graduate students in Departments of Sculpture and Painting. This course examines diverse critical and aesthetic issues as they pertain to a select group of highly innovative, genre-bending international artists. Related readings include canonical art historical texts and contemporary art criticism, fiction and fact.

600 Graduate Sculpture: Group Critiques. Semester course; 4 credits. May be repeated.
Degree requirement for graduate students in the Department of Sculpture. Regular group critiques with peer group and faculty. Regular individual meetings with faculty.

690 Graduate Sculpture: Seminar. Semester course; 4 credits. May be repeated. Degree requirement for graduate students in the Department of Sculpture. Weekly seminar for exploring recent developments in contemporary art and culture. Students discuss the ideas and attitudes manifest in the art around them.

GRADUATE COURSES IN SCULPTURE - Elective:

500 Graduate Sculpture: Individual Critiques. Semester course; 4 credits. May be repeated.
This elective course involves regular individual meetings with a single faculty member. (This can at times be a semester-long visiting faculty member).

591 Professional Practices for Fine Artists. Semester course; 3 credits.
Elective available to Painters, Sculptors and Photographers. This elective course prepares the graduate student for professional rigors to come. Guest specialists address various dimensions of the art world.

591 Topics in Sculpture. Semester course. Variable credits from 1-4. May be repeated for a maximum of 12 credits.
This elective course delivers technical information on specific subjects. See schedule of classes for specific topics offered each semester.

Students are additionally eligible to select graduate level courses offered in VCUarts studio programs, Art History, or other departments throughout the university.