Photography

MCAD’s MFA Program recognizes and supports diverse approaches to photography. Explore both traditional and contemporary tools with 24/7 access to state-of-the-art facilities, and the city of Minneapolis as your backdrop.

Situated within an interdisciplinary graduate program, students working in a range of practices have access to mentors selected from the MCAD faculty and/or the professional community of the Twin Cities. See the Recent Mentors to get a sense of who our students are working with.

Allison Bolah ’14 and mentor Katherine Turczan

Regional Resources

The Twin Cities’ thriving arts community also has several organizations supporting photography:

Walker Art Center –internationally recognized multidisciplinary contemporary art center
Minneapolis Institute of Art — Mia’s collection of photographs spans 1860s to the present. Representing more than 800 photographers and 11,500 works of art, the collection has outstanding examples of twentieth-century American photography, with particular depth in the genres of documentary photography, photojournalism, and pictorialism. Visit the galleries and Photography Study Room to learn from the collection firsthand.
Minnesota Museum of American Art — showcases the unique voice of American artists from the 19th century to the present.
Weinstein Hammons Gallery — has worked with internationally recognized artists working in all media, with a special focus on modern and contemporary photography.
MPLS Photo Center — created and exists to foster community and enrichment opportunities among local/ regional photography enthusiasts (amateur and professional)

Grace Olson ’19

Equipment & Space

M/LAB is a 13,282-square-foot space fostering innovation and collaboration. You can check it out on our virtual building tour. It contains:

Media Center (check out photography, film, digital, animation, lighting, sound, VR/AR, and exhibition AV technology)
Black Box Gallery
Analog and digital print studios
Film and animation production studios
Digital photo lab
Sound recording and mixing studio
Web and multimedia studio
High-tech classrooms
2 multi-use production studios

Regional Funding

Additionally, MCAD’s MFA program can help you apply to Minnesota’s outstanding regional sources of funding. For some awards, you can apply during the summer between your first and second year to receive funding in the months after graduating.

Jerome Foundation Grants
Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program
Metropolitan Regional Arts Council Grants
Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grants (can apply as a student, but project cannot be associated with your degree program)
McKnight Foundation Grants
Midway Contemporary Art Visual Arts Fund
Art(ists) On the Verge (AOV)
Silverwood Park Annual Call
Creative City Challenge
Red Eye’s Works-In-Progress Program
and more (the funding environment in MN is ever-evolving and growing)

Lokho Kotile ’23

Visiting Artists

Visiting artists, designers, and critics are a central element of Graduate Critique Seminar. Each week a visitor is invited to present their work and critique 2-3 students’ work during class. By the time a student has completed the MFA Program, they will have seen at least 30 different visiting critics. Additionally, the MFA Program regularly invites artists for clusters of studio visits.

Kay Heino ’23

Professional Practices & Career Development

Each semester, we host a series of talks/workshops focused on professional practices (alumni are invited to attend, and we feature alumni as speakers when possible). Topics range widely and are selected based on current student interests and suggestions.

The Twin Cities is one of the most vibrant and diverse arts communities in the US. Current students can take an MCAD van to visit studios, galleries, and related organizations.

Riju Ghosh Dastidar ’23

Travel

Each year, the MFA program takes a trip to either New York City or Los Angeles where we visit MCAD alumni studios and offices, in addition to all the rich art and design resources these cities offer.

MCAD MFA students are also invited to apply for summer abroad experiences via the WorkArt Fellowship Program (Germany), Burren College of Art’s Summer School (Ireland), DIS Study Abroad in Scandinavia (Copenhagen or Stockholm),or USF’s Paris/Venice/London program (alternating locations depending on year). International travel is an optional added cost for MFA students (not required).

Alexis Schramel ’23

Selected Alumni Achievements

You can view an on-going list of MFA alumni highlights here. Some recent call outs include:

Shun Jie Yong ’18 – MN Center for Book Arts – Jerome Foundation Book Arts Fellowship 2019
Christopher Selleck ’16 – MN Artist Initiative Grant 2019
John Matsunaga ’16 – MN Artist Initiative Grant 2019
Erika Ritzel ’06 – MN Artist Initiative Grant 2018
Monica Haller ’05 – McKnight Visual Artist Fellowship, 2016; Guggenheim Fellowship 2010
Amanda Lovelee ’10 – Featured on MN Originals