even more trip pics

more trip pics

the first shots back

The first few images I got back today from my long, long trip to Wisconsin and beyond. More to come very soon...

old school

I was browsing art and design websites while at work today and happened across my old undergrad school's graduate program requirements. It sounds all a little too familiar and in some cases sounds tougher than what columbia has already put me through:) The 5 year time limit thing sounds a little problematic to me, I think I knew about that when I went there but had no real sense of what that actually meant. Time in grad school speeds up. But then to be in it for 5 years would- in a lot of ways- actually set you back. Notice the part about the written thesis/defending your thesis in front of the whole faculty for two hours... candidacy summed up more or less.


from the University of Missouri, Columbia MFA program

Student Evaluation

The full graduate faculty of the Art Department reviews every MFA candidate once each year to determine the rate of progress. If the candidate fails to receive a passing evaluation during the review, which must be an average score of seven (7) or higher, the student is placed on probation for one semester and is required to be reviewed the following semester. If two consecutive unsatisfactory reviews occur, the student is dismissed from the MFA program.

During the semester prior to graduation, the student must receive clearance from their MFA graduate committee to write the thesis and to mount the thesis exhibition in order to graduate. A two-part thesis is required, which must include:

• A thesis exhibition selected and installed by the MFA candidate to display visual, artistic and professional achievement.
• A written thesis that defends the conceptual and philosophical ideas of the visual artwork. Photographic record of the pieces discussed must be included in the written thesis.

Each degree candidate must pass a two-hour oral examination that focuses on the aspects of their academic study related to the thesis and visual work.

The time limit for completion of the MFA degree is five (5) years. Time spent in military service is excluded. For an extension for other reasons the student must petition the Graduate School through his/her primary advisor.

The five-year period will extend from the beginning of the first semester of enrollment in which the student is accepted to the MFA degree program to the date of his/her clearance to graduate.

bloggin

I don't think I'm addicted to blogging but I got scared today. I read this article from the nytimes magazine about this girl who is my age and has become so immersed in the blogging world that it is her job, her social life, her religion. That led me to examine my own blog to see if I was guilty of any of the same patterns or things she was writing about. That led me to examine my fellow photog's blogs to see if they were doing anything or all of the above. Well, it turns out, we all are. And some of us thrive off of it and others like me, well, I don't care much... yet.

On that note, here's a link to a fellow artist's blog/site/whatever thing that I think is the quintessential style of a certain 90's-html-nightmare design (for art nerds). I was made aware of this style last summer by brian ulrich whom I was so fortunate to have as a web design teacher. I've picked up on it ever since. It's kind of extraordinary and weird. It's so engaging, I looked at everything. I just wonder about making things for and putting things up on the internet (by things I mean fine art).

Being discovered via the internet is not how I ever envisioned becoming famous in the art world... google having a stake in everything you put up, i don't know, it seems fishy. I put a copyright stamp embedded in the metadata of my images but wtf does that mean to google? probably nothing.

colorado II

Here's the latest images I've been working on from my Colorado trip. I've been a little slow to post them because a lot of them needed, and still need, a lot of work. I had a little light leak that burned the bottom right side of about a 1/3 of the negs. I've worked with them though and I think I've overcome the problem.

The critiques I've had recently with these photos has revolved around where to go next, literally. I'm gonna stay in the midwest for right now (to find some more "puny" landscapes) but I will be taking at least 2 trips this summer. hopefully one to the new york area and one out west again... maybe wyoming- maybe california, i don't know. I know one thing, traveling is the least of my worries for this project.

colorado I