Art: Environmental Art & Social Practice (M.F.A.)

Degrees

The Environmental Art & Social Practice program offers a Masters of Fine Arts degree.

Important: Transcripts and letters of recommendation are required of all applicants.

A curriculum vitae or résumé is required:

Two writing samples are required:

Please provide two writing samples that consider topics relevant or related to Environmental Art and Social Practice. This is an opportunity to present to the admissions committee your interests as a researcher and writer by explaining, informing, or elaborating on points that allow the reader to clearly understand your written inquiries. The extension of each paper should be five to eight pages (1250-2000 words), double-spaced with 12 pt. font, and use appropriate citations for quoted material. The writing samples can include previously submitted papers or new essays.

A portfolio is required:

The digital portfolio may include up to 20 images or up to 10 minutes of video.
Your portfolio should represent your best work and support your statement of intent for applying to this program.
If you come from a non-art background, and do not have an extensive art portfolio, consider including documentation of projects and experiences and/or plans for future projects that demonstrate your direction and potential to develop as a practitioner of environmental art and social practice.
Format and submit your portfolio as a web page and provide a URL; you may submit as a pdf (if you are not including time-based work) by uploading the portfolio pdf file to Google Drive and sharing the link to that file in the application. Include title, date, media, and dimensions of each work when relevant, and a brief description if you feel it is necessary to understand what we are looking at.

A statement of purpose is required:

What do you want to do in this program? Your response might include both abstract goals and ambitions (educational, artistic, environmental, political…) and/or concrete project plans. Ground your intentions in relation to your previous work and experiences, as documented in your portfolio, and discuss the connections to future plans.
If you have a background in art, how do you see this MFA program offering you opportunities that other MFA programs might not offer? If your background is in a different discipline, why are you pursuing art as a new direction, and what is driving that change?
Your statement of purpose should be 500-1500 words in length.

A personal history statement is also required:

Required of all applicants. This statement will be used in conjunction with your application for graduate admission and financial support. Note that the personal history statement should not duplicate the statement of purpose.
UC Santa Cruz is interested in a diverse and inclusive graduate student population. What do you want to tell us about yourself that we should know? How have aspects of your personal background (familial, educational, social, economic, etc.) contributed to your intention to pursue environmental art and social practice, and to study for a graduate degree? How has your perspective been informed by your life experiences, challenges, or opportunities? How might you contribute to social or cultural diversity at UCSC and in your work as an artist?
Your personal history statement should be 500-1500 words in length.