How to apply (and not apply) to an MFA program

For those of you who aren't regular readers of my blog, let me introduce myself. In addition to being an artist, I'm an assistant art professor at The City College of New York. We have a very affordable and good quality MFA in studio art program that I certainly encourage artists to apply to... but first, I'd suggest reading the rest of this post.

When applying to an MFA program, here are issues to consider or address:

• Is the program right for you?
  
  Most MFA programs are geared towards contemporary art. If your interest (and portfolio) is mainly in traditional styles, then make sure you're applying to a program that will support that. For more traditional styles you might consider the New York Academy of Art or an MFA in Illustration (instead of Studio Arts).
  
  If you're uncertain about this, immerse yourself in contemporary art: go to museums and galleries, read art magazines, read contemporary art blogs, read art criticism. If you're at this research stage (i.e., not certain what contemporary art is and whether you want to make it), you should hold off applying to an MFA program.
  
  
• Does your portfolio include classroom assignments?
  
  Having a BA or BFA in art doesn't necessarily mean you're ready for graduate school. Look at your portfolio... does it include classroom exercises or is it all self-initiated projects? Believe me, the people reviewing your portfolio can spot the classroom assignments. The fact that you haven't done enough of your own work to fill out 20 slides means you're not ready. Wait a year to apply and spend it developing (and showing) new work.
  
  
• Is your work mainly focused on developing technique?
  
  If you're at a point where you're mainly focused on building your technical chops, then you're probably not ready for grad school. Of course every artist is always striving to be better, but grad school is a place where the focus shifts from "how?" to "why?" Your portfolio should demonstrate that you're grappling with more than just technique.
  
  
• Does your portfolio have cohesion?
  
  Your portfolio shouldn't consist of 20 unrelated works... ideally it would show 2-4 series of works, each series exploring some particular concern.
  
  
• Did you think about the ordering of your slides?
  
  Lead with your strongest work. Your first image or two is particular critical. If you wait until the middle of your portfolio to bring out the good stuff, you may have already lost the admission committee's attention.
  
  
• Are your slides good?
  
  Make sure your slides look good. They should be well framed, well lit, and in focus. They will probably be projected, so it's a good idea to try them out on a video projector (or slide projector if they're actually slides) and see how they look at larger sizes.
  
  
• Do you provide context?
  
  The admissions committee will only have a few minutes with your work and they may need a little help understanding your work. It's a good idea to explain the issues you're exploring so that the committee isn't left wondering what's the intention. You can include it in the essay/statement or possibly include a little blurb for each entry on the slide list.
  
  
• Does your artist's statement/essay indicate that you want to make art?
  
  When writing about why you want to enter an MFA program, write about wanting to be an artist. Wanting to start an arts non-profit may be a very altruistic goal, but an MFA is not the right place to pursue it (instead, check out degrees in Arts Administration, like Goucher's MA program).
  
  You might want the MFA so that you can teach at the college level, but it's best to leave that off the essay. The admissions committee wants to admit ambitious artists, not people who see an MFA as a kind of teaching certificate.
  
  If you see an MFA as simply a hurdle towards teaching rather than an opportunity to deepen your artistic practice, then you really should rethink going to graduate school. You'll probably be frustrated by the program's expectations and challenges regarding your art... also, you should ask yourself why you want to teach if you think so little of the education.
  
  This isn't to say that the MFA program won't support students' desires to teach--just that the admissions essay isn't the place to discuss it.