There is a brand-new photography MFA program I have become involved with, the Hartford Art School Limited-Residency MFA Program. Limited residency here means that unlike in other MFA programs, the photographers work independently, meeting with their advisers and teachers for an intensive on-campus session in the Summer (in Hartford), plus for off-campus sessions in the Fall and Spring. The latter will happen in locations such as, for example, New York City or Berlin/Leipzig (there will be others, yet to be confirmed) - places where there is a strong photography presence, and there will be direct interactions with practitioners there, as well as with advisers and teachers who will travel along.

This approach to obtaining an MFA offers some advantages over the standard one, especially, of course, for photographers who would have problems with leaving family and a job behind to move somewhere for two years to get an MFA. And I’m sure I don’t have to explain what is to be gained from traveling to New York or Berlin, to meet accomplished artists living and working there or to see important museums and galleries.

If you look at the people involved with the program, you will find quite the selection, and of course, it’s a privilege for me to be in this company. Faculty include Robert Lyons (director of the program), Mary Frey, Alec Soth, Doug Dubois, Michael Schäfer, Hellen van Meene, and myself. In addition, there are various lecturers to be brought in, including Adam Bartos, Marc Joseph Berg, Alice Rose George, Thomas Demand, and Ute Mahler.

If you have questions about the program, it’s best to use this form. Enrollment is open now, so if you’re thinking about getting an MFA, here’s a new option for you!