School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

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School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Established: 1876
Type: Private
Dean: Deborah H. Dluhy
Faculty: 50 full-time
Undergraduates: 700
Postgraduates: 100
Location: Boston, USA
Campus: Urban
Affiliations: Tufts University
Website: www.smfa.edu

The School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (also known as the Museum School or SMFA) is an undergraduate and graduate college located in Boston, Massachusetts and is dedicated to the visual arts. It is affiliated with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in partnership with Tufts University and Northeastern University. SMFA is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD), a consortium of thirty-six leading art schools in the United States.

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[edit] Overview

The School does not have a mandatory foundations program nor does it have majors. Instead students are ecouraged to build foundations and acquire skill sets in numerous disciplines. Students are allowed to design a program of study to suit their own goals and needs.

One of the unique attributes of SMFA are there are no grades in studio classes; credit is awarded through a "review board" which is a review of all of the art work that a student has done during the semester. Review Boards are led by two faculty members of the students' choice and two fellow students. There are many opportunities for students to exhibit their artwork at both the main building and the Mission Hill building; there is the annual December Sale, the juried "Student Annual Exhibition," as well as various galleries and spaces that are available to students around the School buildings and in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

The School's main campus is adjacent to and just to the west of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Most classroom space is located there, as well as the Cafe des Arts, the library, the School's store and the Grossman Gallery. The Mission Hill building, located about a quarter mile from the main building, recently has been renovated and includes studio spaces for Graduate and Post-Baccalaureate students as well as classrooms, workshops, the Writing Center, and the Registrar's office. The school shares on-campus housing at The Artist’s Residence Hall, located just down the street at Massachusetts College of Art.

[edit] History

The Weems Center, part of Graham Gund's expansion, looking down from the third floor.

From 1876 to 1909, the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, was housed in the basement of the Copley Square building. When the Museum moved to Huntington Avenue in 1909, the School moved into a separate, temporary structure to the west of the main building. The permanent building, designed by Guy Lowell, was completed in 1927. The 45,000-square-foot (4,200 m2) red brick building provided improved classroom, studio and library facilities.

In 1987, a newly renovated and expanded school building, designed by architect Graham Gund, more than doubled the size of the existing structure and provided an auditorium, enlarged library, expanded studios and classrooms, a spacious new entrance, cafeteria, and increased gallery and exhibition spaces. Gund's expansion included the central atrium, known as the Weems Center, that connects the two buildings.

In November 2008, the school decided to remove alternative photographic processes from the curriculum and is currently fading out analog color photography.

[edit] Academics

Degree programs available at the Museum School include:

  • Bachelor of Fine Arts: A 4-year BFA in Studio Art, with a self-designed curriculum, offered through Tufts University.
  • Bachelor of Fine Arts: A 4-year BFA in Studio Art, with a self-designed curriculum, offered through Northeastern University.
  • Bachelor of Fine Arts in Education: A 4-year BFA in Art Education, offered through Tufts University.
  • Combined Degrees: A dual degree program (BFA/BA or BFA/BS) in which you major in Studio Art at SMFA and another major of your choice at Tufts University.
  • Master of Fine Arts: A 2- to 3-year MFA in Studio Art, with a self-designed curriculum, offered through Tufts University.
  • Master of Fine Arts: A MFA in Studio Art, with a self-designed curriculum, offered through Northeastern University.
  • Master of Arts in Teaching (Art Education): A 1 year (beginning in May, ending in May of the following year) MAT in Art Education, offered through Tufts University.
  • Post-Baccalaureate Certificate: An intensive graduate certificate one year program, this is an opportunity for those who wish to obtain an MFA to strengthen their portfolio or those who wish to set up their own studio practice. Many people in this program have undergraduate degrees in non-art related fields, others are changing careers, and many are recent art school graduates looking to further their education.
  • Diploma: A four-year, all-studio program for both high school graduates and career changers interested in spending concentrated time in the studio.
  • Fifth Year Certificate: A program only open to graduates of the Diploma Program that provides one year of access to the school's resources and equipment while working as a professional artist.

[edit] Noted artists affiliated with the school

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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