Herron School of Art and Design Announces NEW Master of Fine Arts Degree

INDIANAPOLIS - Herron's Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in Visual Art and Public Life, set to launch in August 2008, offers a unique opportunity for sculptors, printmakers and furniture designers seeking careers in the visual arts. The degree program focuses on advancing the students' artistic vision and technical ability to the highest professional standards while developing career opportunities. Students are encouraged to work on projects that require professional practice and community collaborations while being mentored by faculty.

Simply put, students learn how to work effectively as a successful 21st century visual artist.

Key components to this MFA program include (1) opportunities for graduate students to gain "real world" training and experience in making public art and commission-based art projects; (2) professional training in collaborative project management and participation; (3) potential for interdisciplinary research by virtue of the graduate programs and resources on the IUPUI campus; (4) access to Herron's newly named Frank and Katrina Basile Center for Art, Design and Public Life.

The Frank and Katrina Basile Center for Art, Design and Public Life serves as a point of contact for businesses, nonprofit organizations and government agencies to develop collaborative partnerships with Herron while providing professional experiences to Herron students beyond the traditional classroom and studio-based projects. The marriage of outstanding public opportunities with artists is integral to the success of the program.

"This multi-faceted education with professional opportunities coordinated by the director of the Basile Center will provide the experiences necessary to prepare students for self-directed, flexible professional careers as visual artists and creative, disciplined thinkers," says Herron Dean Valerie Eickmeier.

Eickmeier believes this new program will help support the cultural life and economic development of central Indiana and enhance the state's reputation as a place where innovation and creative thinking is valued. "Highly talented and creative graduate students will be recruited nationally and internationally providing a multi-cultural dimension to the program."

Other graduate programs at Herron include the MFA in Visual Communication (enrolling now for August 2007) and Masters in Art Education. Herron currently offers Bachelor degrees in Visual Communication, Fine Arts (Painting, Printmaking, Photography, Sculpture, Ceramics, Furniture Design), Art History and Art Education. Herron currently serves 836 undergraduate degree-seeking students and 500 non-art majors.

The MFA website will launch in May 2007. Until then, prospective students are encouraged to send their contact information to herrart@iupui.edu to receive future mailings.

Herron School of Art and Design is a professional school of Indiana University. Since 1952, Herron has been a fully-accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. Herron is located on the campus of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). IUPUI is one of the two primary campuses of Indiana University (one of the leading research universities in the world). With nearly 30,000 students, IUPUI is itself one of the 50 largest university campuses in the nation, with more graduate and professional students than any other campus in Indiana. IUPUI is located adjacent to downtown Indianapolis, the state Capitol and the center for business, culture, tourism, the arts, sports and life sciences research in Indiana.