Got the following email to pass along to y’all.
Good Evening-
I apologize for the incredibly broad target of this message but I have no effective way to filter the list. If this is not applicable, please discard.
We at Kent State University are looking for the very best graduate candidates and would like to deepen our pool of applicants. Therefore, we are sending on last solicitation for MFA applicants for the 2014-2015 A.Y. Please forward this to former students who you think may benefit from pursuing a graduate degree in Glass at Kent State University.
The glass program at the School of Art is a reflection of glassmaking practices throughout history, including both traditional and contemporary achievements. The relatively recent studio glass movement (since the 1960s) has transformed our understanding of glassmaking from primarily a craft to a valid and lively branch of contemporary art. The glass program explores both paradigms, tracing the story of glass over thousands of years. The program aims not only to illuminate the legacy of past artists, but to foster artists who will be on the forefront of redefining studio glassmaking into the future.
The Glass program at Kent State University recognizes and values the traditions of glass, including both historical and contemporary achievements. Glass has transcended from being solely craft, and is now recognized as a valid and lively branch of contemporary art/craft; and it is upon this that our program builds. Students are challenged to explore glass conceptually and technically, as both an idea and a material, and push to the parameters of the medium within contemporary art contexts. Explorations in interdisciplinary and mixed media approaches are encouraged and we look for serious students who are dedicated, highly motivated and creative thinkers.
In the Master of Fine Arts degree program, students are encouraged to develop a sound knowledge of concepts and techniques in the discipline. The curriculum is based on the belief that successful creative work results from spending time with one’s ideas and receiving constructive and supportive criticism from faculty and peers. We endeavor to create an atmosphere where students pursue ideas and engage in an extended scholarly dialogue. A major determinant of the success of this program resides in the healthy interaction of students and faculty. Applicants are accepted into the program based on the quality of the work presented in their portfolio, a demonstrated commitment to artistry and an interest and understanding of glass as expressive form.
The School of Art offers study in a comprehensive range of studio disciplines, as well as art education and art history, at baccalaureate and master’s levels – its MFA is the only terminal visual arts degree in Northeastern Ohio. Additionally, regular travel-study classes to New York, Chicago, Florence, and China provide our students with first-hand immersion in larger art world conversations, while annual Kent Blossom Art workshops invite visiting artists to lead intensive study for KSU and other students. All programs will be moving into a newly renovated, centrally-located Center for the Visual Arts in the course of 2014-2015, offering new opportunities for multidisciplinary synergies and new collaborations.
Kent State University, located 46 miles southeast of the greater Cleveland metropolitan area, offers liberal arts and professional degree programs within the College of the Arts in Art, Music, Theater, Dance, and Fashion Design and Merchandising. The campus offers easy access to world-class visual and performing arts centers in the region, including the Cleveland Museum of Art, MOCA Cleveland, SPACES Art Gallery, the Akron Art Museum, The Butler Museum of American Art, the Sculpture Centre of Cleveland, Zygote Press, the Transformer Station, Severance Hall, the State, Ohio, and Hanna Theatres, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
For further information regarding the MFA program, contact:
Kathleen Browne, Professor
Graduate Coordinator
kbrowne@kent.edu
Phone: 330-672-2910Lisa Everson, Clerical Specialist
Assistant to the Graduate Coordinator
lheld2@kent.edu
Phone: 330-672-1351Regards-
M. Sean Mercer
Associate Professor of Art, Glass
Kent State University
330-672-9314