Friend o' TOP Charles Mason writes:
The University of Alaska Fairbanks' Department of Art is soliciting applications for its MFA program in photography. Past or current students have worked in collodion, photogravure, and platinum printing, crossing over in both film and digital.
UAF has excellent darkroom and digital lab facilities. It is a three-year project-based MFA degree, and a secondary topic is required. Tuition waivers and T/A stipends are available to many grad students.
The program is headed by Charles Mason, who’s been in Alaska since 1984 and has been teaching photography and photojournalism at UAF since 1990. Fine Art and Documentary photographers are welcome to apply. For more information about the application process please visit this link. Applications will begin to be looked at after March 15.
I never got an MFA (sadly—the lack of it prevented me from doing what I really wanted to do, teach), but I have fond memories of the three years I spent earning my BFA. I might point out that part of the value of school programs like this is that they allow you to work more concertedly on photographic projects than you probably ever will otherwise, before or after. That extended concentration is something to be prized—even though you're paying them instead of the other way around, it can be the next best thing to a Guggenheim. Hmm, maybe I should do this myself....
Mike
Original contents copyright 2016 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.
(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:
John Krumm: "I bet it would be awesome. When I lived in Alaska I was spoiled with excellent low-angle light almost year-round, and public, unfenced land everywhere. I earned my BA in English from the University of Alaska, Anchorage. It's a small University system but the state attracts some serious teaching talent."
John Hagen: "I studied as an undergraduate Photojournalism student at UAF with Charles Mason as my mentor. Great school in probably the second-best place on the planet to make photographs. If one cannot take off a whole three years to earn their MFA, I strongly recommend attending weekend workshops in photography. Oh, and the best place to make photographs is wherever you are right now."
It feels like I already got my MFA from reading TOP everyday for the last eight years.
[ :-) That's very kind of you to say, Dave, thank you. --Mike]
Posted by: Dave Raboin | Tuesday, 23 February 2016 at 11:30 AM
You comment about extended concentration makes me think: what prevents people from just taking time off work and doing this by themselves, thus saving the tuition?
Taking a year or years off feels "expensive" to me, even though it would be objectively cheaper. Missing out on being surrounded by people similarly immersed is certainly one thing you wouldn't get, but is there a way to achieve that by some other means?
This kind of reminds me of your lottery posts: I think this sort of thing is more achievable than many people realize.
[I wouldn't underestimate the value of instruction, the structure of assignments and deadlines, and the input of classmates. Doing it alone wouldn't be quite as hard as taking time off to give yourself a college education on your own, but halfway there I'd guess. --Mike]
Posted by: Euan Forrester | Tuesday, 23 February 2016 at 11:49 AM
I'm certainly all for people taking time out to do their projects. So far we've been able to make this program very inexpensive for students. They receive a tuition waiver and a stipend for teaching. The point of the MFA program is, as Mike noted, in the end to be able to teach. So that result is quite different from taking a year off to do project work. And, as a colleague likes to remind my students. Nowhere else in your life will you have this kind of concentrated time to do and critique of your work as you when you're studying in an MFA program. :-)
Posted by: Charles Mason | Tuesday, 23 February 2016 at 12:25 PM
Paying them rather than the other way around might, in fact, concentrate the mind better.
Posted by: Patrick | Tuesday, 23 February 2016 at 01:01 PM
Charles Mason, my fellow participant in "Rip It Up" back in 2006. :-)
Posted by: Ben Rosengart | Tuesday, 23 February 2016 at 02:29 PM
Mike, I don't think the lack of a MFA has cramped you very much as a teacher. True, you weren't in a classroom, but I think you're a very fine teacher indeed, all the same.
Just my 2 kopecks worth.
With best regards,
Stephen
Posted by: Stephen S. Mack | Tuesday, 23 February 2016 at 09:49 PM
After reading your writing for many years, including The 37th Frame and Sunday Photographer, I think it's fair to say that you are a teacher.
Posted by: Paul Van | Wednesday, 24 February 2016 at 05:11 AM
My only visit to Fairbanks was in the dead of winter (February), and it was -20F, at least. But the aurora borealis at night was spectacular, and in the middle of the display one night the UAF crew at Poker Flat launched a brace of sounding rockets into it.
Posted by: Chuck Albertson | Wednesday, 24 February 2016 at 11:28 AM
Sadly, the budget kerfuffle in Alaska currently with the low price of oil and previous inability to not spend on megaprojects like sailors on shore leave has left the state budget (and the UA system budget as a result) in a bit of dire straits. Hopefully our governor and elected state representative-persons can find a reasonable path through the hard times that doesn't result in both slashing and burning, but we shall see.
I say that as:
1. an Alaskan for the past 11 years
2. having only come to photography after moving up here
3. a UAA alum myself (M. Sci Engineering - hi John Krumm!)
Posted by: Zach Zaletel | Tuesday, 01 March 2016 at 01:34 AM