Wood Concentration MFA Program at VCU

The MFA program in the Depart­ment of Craft and Mate­r­ial Studies at VCUarts is a diverse and vibrant commu­nity that fosters rigor­ous indi­vid­ual research. With a strong empha­sis on crit­i­cal and creative think­ing, acad­e­mic program­ming is designed to culti­vate curios­ity and encour­age explo­ration of the multi­dis­ci­pli­nary language of clay, glass, wood, fiber, and metals.

Our cross media approach encour­ages mate­r­ial explo­ration and grad­u­ate students are encour­aged and empow­ered to engage with craft through histor­i­cal and contem­po­rary discourse. They explore mate­ri­als rooted in craft while pursu­ing a deep inves­ti­ga­tion of their prac­tice and contem­po­rary crit­i­cal issues through fear­less inno­va­tion and transformative creativity.

The depart­ment is housed in a state-of-the-art facil­ity that provides both analog and digital equip­ment and resources. Students have access to well- equipped studios to stretch the limits of their prac­tice within an immer­sive learn­ing envi­ron­ment ranging from the tradi­tional to the most exper­i­men­tal approaches in art making. The depart­ment shares the facil­i­ties with the depart­ments of Sculp­ture + Extended Media, Paint­ing + Print­mak­ing, and Kinetic Imaging.

Recog­nized by its peer insti­tu­tions, the School of the Arts at Virginia Common­wealth Univer­sity (VCUarts) is among the top schools of art and design in the country, a ranking that is based on grad­u­ate program­ming. VCUarts lives within a public, urban research univer­sity that offers a range of areas of study. Boast­ing a stellar roster of faculty members and visit­ing artists, the school attracts students of the highest caliber from across the country and around the world.

• Highly compet­i­tive 2‑year MFA program provid­ing students time to pursue inde­pen­dently determined goals
• Gener­ous funding oppor­tu­ni­ties to receive full tuition support + stipend, paid assist­ant­ships, research and travel grants
• Access to distin­guished visit­ing artists through presen­ta­tions and one-on-one studio visits
• Oppor­tu­ni­ties to teach undergraduate courses
• 4‑hour studio access and state-of-the-art facilities

“The energy of this inter­dis­ci­pli­nary depart­ment housed in the build­ing with sculp­ture, paint­ing, and print­mak­ing depart­ments is palpa­ble. I have only been here a short time, but I have seen a student body that is talented, kind, and curious. A faculty, staff, and commu­nity that are gener­ous with their time and energy and willing to share their knowl­edge. Our depart­ment empha­sizes the devel­op­ment of indi­vid­ual voice supported by strong tech­ni­cal skills, acad­e­mic rigor, crit­i­cal think­ing, and exper­i­men­ta­tion. I welcome and encour­age all types of diver­sity in my classes and attempt to live my life in a way that promotes the equal­ity of all people. I create a nurtur­ing envi­ron­ment and foster cama­raderie, not compe­ti­tion. I want to help my students take the next step in knowing them­selves and what they make. To achieve this, I get to know each student indi­vid­u­ally, tailor­ing my guid­ance to meet their needs. And I make sure there is as much joy and laugh­ter as possi­ble along the way.” — Annie Evelyn, Assis­tant Profes­sor in Wood

For ques­tions contact evelyna@​vcu.​edu

IG: @vcuartscraft

FB: VCUarts Craft/​Material Studies

https://​arts​.vcu​.edu/