MFA
Admissions for the Master of Fine Arts in Art program are currently suspended (Effective Fall 2021).
The Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in Art is the recognized terminal degree in the studio arts. This program is designed to refine the visual art skills of the graduate student in a particular area or areas of concentration by providing the instruction, facilities and time for the student both to develop a significant body of studio work and to expand their intellectual horizons in preparation for a rewarding professional career.
ART HISTORY
The Art History curriculum at ISU serves studio art majors. An Art History minor is available, and many students elect to take Art History to fulfill general education requirements. Survey courses offer a broad global overview of visual art and architecture from prehistory to the present. Upper level courses focus on modern and contemporary art and theory.
Art History is a very interdisciplinary field. Students will become familiar with social, political, and religious contexts as they learn to question the Eurocentric canon of Art History iteslf. Critical thinking is emphasized over rote memorization of dates. Advanced students develop unique research projects, engage with critical theory, learn about art criticism, the art market, and expand their knowledge of professional practice. Some students have gone on to present their research at national and international conferences.
CERAMICS
The ceramics studio is located on upper campus apart from the art department. It is housed in a spacious 7,000 sq. ft. historical rock building constructed in 1939 by the WPA.
Attached to the studio is a fully weatherized 1,500 sq. ft. gas kiln room with a salt kiln, soda kiln, raku kiln and six additional gas fired kilns ranging in size from 20 to 80 cu. ft. The main studio is an open space divided into two separate areas for beginning clay students and intermediate/advanced students. Graduate students have their own studio space located along side of the main studio with 24-hour access.
Studio equipment includes two large spray booths, 15 kick wheels, 20 electric wheels, two slab rollers, a sand blaster, and two extruders. The remaining studio space is divided into a clay mixing room with a Soldner Mixer, Peter Pugger, Walker Pug Mill, Shimpo De-airing Pug Mill, a Bluebird mixer and a large dough mixer. Another room houses seven digital electric kilns and three digital electric test kilns. An adjoining area houses a glaze room with a generous supply of chemicals. The studio environment allows for an atmosphere of experimentation with either handbuilt or wheel thrown forms.
FIBER MEDIA and PAPERMAKING
The mission of the Fiber Media area is to promote excellence through comprehensive educational programming, providing a strong fundamental base that includes cross cultural, historical and contemporary issues in Fiber arts. The Fiber Media area fosters critical thinking by offering a diverse curriculum that includes surface design, weaving, papermaking and alternative processes curriculum that provide students the opportunity to work in 2-D, 3-D and installation formats. The endless possibilities have resulted in innovative, conceptually-based artwork.
Fiber Media students have access to large, well-equipped studios and instruction in traditional and contemporary Fiber techniques. Fiber Media at ISU encompasses Surface Design/Weaving and Papermaking. Current equipment includes: jack looms, counter balance looms, countermarche looms, AVL computerized loom, sewing machines, warping boards, drum carders, spinning wheel, knitting machine, felting machine, screen printing exposure unit, Hollander beaters, Reina drying box, hydraulic paper press, vertical bullet steamer, horizontal steamer, and a vacuum table.
Idaho State Art faculty members consistently participate in international and national exhibitions and encourage students to explore the Fibers field through participation in exhibitions, workshops, and conferences.
METALS
The metals studio subscribes to the principle that significant artwork is the result of internal motivations guided by experimental processes. Working physically and intellectually is a means of materializing one’s thoughts and is integral to the dialogue between maker and material.
The metals facility consists of one large and four interconnected smaller workshops providing specialized areas for smithing, enameling, polishing, and an advanced-level studio. The main studio includes bench and storage space for each student as well as a separate graduate studio. The ventilated studio is equipped with a fine selection of polishing equipment, two sandblasters, a small precision drill press, casting machines, plate chopper, oxygen/acetylene torches, natural gas torches, and a micro torch. Additional equipment includes a complete set up for refractory anodizing, electroplating, and tools for anticlastic raising.
PAINTING and DRAWING
The Drawing and Painting program offers a comprehensive curriculum which stresses knowledge and contexts of contemporary art. An introduction to mediums (pencil, charcoal, pastel, ink, watercolor, acrylic, oil, and encaustic) lays a foundation for intermediate and advanced students to foster individual exploration, strengthen their conceptual base, and expand the field through new media approaches. The digital lab in the Fine Arts Building, broadens students’ palettes to create mixed media works.
The drawing and painting studios are spacious and well-equipped, with both natural and artificial lighting. Storage and locker space is provided for each student enrolled in the studio classes.
PRINTMAKING
Printmaking at ISU provides an experience rich in personal support, challenge, and interaction. The printmaking studio provides an environment for stimulation, experimentation, expression, and creative growth. Our spacious communal studio offers a variety of printmaking techniques including etching, lithography, relief, collagraph, solar plate, serigraphy, and monotype.
We have a Charles Brand etching press and a Whelan etching press, a Griffin etching press and a Griffin lithography press. We have a dark room which houses a large vacuum table exposure unit and a separate solar plate exposure unit. We hold a modest collection of lithographic stones, several sets of viscosity rollers and brayers, a large capacity drying rack, a plate chopper, and an aquatint spray booth. We also have a spray booth, a four arm carousel, and flash drying unit for screen printing.
The Sculptural Studies program offers a comprehensive curriculum devoted to creative practice and exploration of contemporary ideas in visual art. An introduction to various approaches to form and space are covered including (casting, modeling, woodworking, carving, metal fabrication, assemblage, installation, as well as digital fabrication approaches including 3D printing and laser cutting. Intermediate and advanced students engage in individual exploration, developing and strengthening an intellectual framework to guide their ongoing studio practice.
The Sculptural Studies Program currently includes a wood shop, a metal shop and foundry, and access to a digital lab. Storage and locker space is available for each student enrolled in studio classes.