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In the past few years, there has been much discussion over the necessity (or even the feasibility) of a graduate degree in art, considering the expense versus the average income of artists. But what if you could get a free MFA?
The Division of Art at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas offers up to six full fellowships each year, supplemented by teaching assistantships. Funds are also available for supplies and travel. SMU has some really good teachers and a really good program of visiting artists, critics, and curators (yes, grad school is about learning, but it’s also about contacts).
A series of programs are also offered off campus, including the MFA Site Seminar, a weeklong retreat held alternately in an international location and on the SMU campus in Taos, N.M. SMU offers a New York Colloquium, during which students spend two weeks of winter break exploring museums and galleries. Exceptional graduates are selected for a series of post-graduate fellowships, including an exchange program with E.N.A.S. in Dijon, France, which includes a studio, stipend, and exhibition to further their work and research.
So, if you’re good, you can get in for free. If you’re really good, they may pay for your travel to NYC and other places. If you’re really, really good, you can milk it for even longer—in France.
But get on it! The deadline for applications is February 1st.
