This course investigates the theories, principles, and practices of school and community-centered art instruction; focusing on key concepts and skills needed to implement art instruction in field placements and residencies. Topics include: liberatory education theories and practice; culturally responsive/sustaining pedagogies; theories of artistic development for learners across the lifespan; asset-based teaching models; community organizing; trauma-informed and restorative practices to meet social and emotional needs; social justice grounded arts instruction; and evaluation and assessment of arts-based curriculum and programming.

MFACA students investigate the principles and practices of community-centered, social justice grounded arts, projects, and programming including asset-based teaching models for children, youth and adults, curriculum design and implementation, program evaluation and assessment, community organizing, participant and volunteer recruitment and more. Additionally, this study investigates the role the arts have in articulating the identity of a particular cultural or communal setting. During the fall, a month-long, five-day-a-week series of seminars prepares students for the commencement of residencies that begin in early October. Once residencies begin, a series of ongoing seminars continue throughout the fall and spring semesters. The afternoon (1:30-4:30PM) session of Community Arts Seminar I will focus primarily on community arts history, theory, principles, practice and finding connections between theory and practice through personal artmaking and teaching. As artist-educators we learn, develop and grow as teachers and artivists through our own artistic practice. Collaborative art making and working with new and/or unfamiliar materials and processes help us envision new possibilities for working with/in communities and improving the artistic experiences of ourselves and our learners.

Students fulfill a 1,170-1,700-hour, 9-11 month long residency as a full-time resident artist working for one or more of community organizations. Options include: arts/cultural organizations (education and community outreach arms of museums, libraries, theaters); faith-based and youth-service organizations (community and youth centers, out-of-school programs, national membership groups); community associations; and educational institutions. During this residency, students design, implement, or expand arts-based educational programming for youth or adults; create and plan arts-based events in the community; and support the institutional, managerial, and fiscal health of the host organization—providing substantial assistance to the host organization in achieving its goals and mission while gaining invaluable experience in all aspects of community arts work. Throughout the academic year, students participate in on-campus and online review of their work in community, document findings and outcomes, and receive ongoing supervision and support from the MFACA faculty, guest artists, and critics.

Community artists are creators and visionaries whose art-making both informs and enriches their work in community. Students conduct an investigation into community-based art forms and build a portfolio of work that documents their activities and experiences during the full-time residency. Students may pursue any number of traditional or community-based art forms including site-specific, public, or performance pieces; videos; oral histories; murals; special events; and other collaborative ventures. Students exhibit, otherwise showcase and/or apply their work within a variety of possible community-based venues.

Community artists are creators and visionaries whose art-making both informs and enriches their work in community. Students conduct an investigation into community-based art forms and build a portfolio of work that documents their activities and experiences during the full-time residency. Students may pursue any number of traditional or community-based art forms including site-specific, public, or performance pieces; videos; oral histories; murals; special events; and other collaborative ventures. Students exhibit, otherwise showcase and/or apply their work within a variety of possible community-based venues.

MFACA students investigate the principles and practices of community-centered, social justice grounded arts projects and programming, including asset-based teaching models for children and youth, curriculum design and implementation, program evaluation and assessment, community organizing, participant and volunteer recruitment, grant-writing and fundraising. Additionally, this study investigates the role the arts have in articulating the identity of a particular cultural or communal setting. At the beginning of the fall, a month-long, five-day-a week-series of seminars prepares students for the commencement of residencies that begin in early October. Once the residencies begin, a series of seminars continue throughout the fall and spring semesters with a day-long meeting once a week.

Students fulfill a 1,170-1,700-hour, 9-11 month long residency as a full-time resident artist working for one or more of community organizations. Options include: arts/cultural organizations (education and community outreach arms of museums, libraries, theaters); faith-based and youth-service organizations (community and youth centers, out-of-school programs, national membership groups); community associations; and educational institutions. During this residency, students design, implement, or expand arts-based educational programming for youth or adults; create and plan arts-based events in the community; and support the institutional, managerial, and fiscal health of the host organization—providing substantial assistance to the host organization in achieving its goals and mission while gaining invaluable experience in all aspects of community arts work. Throughout the academic year, students participate in on-campus and online review of their work in community, document findings and outcomes, and receive ongoing supervision and support from the MFACA faculty, guest artists, and critics.

MFACA's second year supports: tangible, authentic engagement in community; written and visual research; the application of professional skills, knowledge and competencies; creation of an articulate body of advanced artwork; utilization of self-defined assessment strategies and documentation of creative processes, products and their application. This course of study focuses on the development of work that is consistent with the practices and principles of socially engaged art. All aspects of installation, site-specificity, community integration, audience and presentation of form are to be considered by the student and evaluated by faculty. This culminating study of work focuses on the conceptual development and fabrication of project-based investigations into a cohesive whole: a nexus of form and content. With support of MFACA faculty and guest experts, students take into consideration all aspects of installation, site specificity, community integration and presentation. Between seminar, critiques and studio time, the expectation is that students will invest a minimum of 540 hours for each of these semester-long courses or an average of 36 hours per week for 15 weeks.

MFACA's second year supports: tangible, authentic engagement in community; written and visual research; the application of professional skills, knowledge and competencies; creation of an articulate body of advanced artwork; utilization of self-defined assessment strategies and documentation of creative processes, products and their application. This course of study focuses on the development of work that is consistent with the practices and principles of socially engaged art. All aspects of installation, site-specificity, community integration, audience and presentation of form are to be considered by the student and evaluated by faculty. This culminating study of work focuses on the conceptual development and fabrication of project-based investigations into a cohesive whole: a nexus of form and content. With support of MFACA faculty and guest experts, students take into consideration all aspects of installation, site specificity, community integration and presentation. Between seminar, critiques and studio time, the expectation is that students will invest a minimum of 540 hours for each of these semester-long courses or an average of 36 hours per week for 15 weeks.

The primary expectation for this course is the presentation of a body of work, as part of two related thesis exhibitions, which is grounded in advanced-level theory and practice. Work is subject to evaluation by the thesis committee. Successful completion of the MFA degree includes a professionally conceived and implemented body of work, artist’s talk or other presentation(s), related documentation, and assessment of process and outcome. The expectation is that students will invest a minimum of 135 hours for this semester-long course or an average of 9 hours per week for 15 weeks.