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Coordinates: 44°15′19″N 72°34′3″W / 44.25528°N 72.5675°W / 44.25528; -72.5675

Vermont College of Fine Arts offers three distinct graduate programs, awarding Master of Fine Arts degrees in Visual Art, Writing, and Writing for Children & Young Adults. The student to faculty ratio at VCFA is 4-to-1.^[1]. The faculty and alumni of VCFA have won many literary awards, including Newbery Honor Awards^[2] and a National Book Award.^[3][4]. VCFA is the only graduate school in the United States devoted solely to low-residency graduate degrees. The college’s campus sits atop a hill above downtown Montpelier, the capital of Vermont and the smallest state capital in the United States.

College Hall

Mission

Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) mission is "to create a student-centered environment that fosters democratic participation in the education process. VCFA encourages innovative experiential learning that nurtures its students' knowledge, skills, critical thinking, and creativity--all necessary ingredients to become lifelong students, dedicated teachers, and committed artists in a variety of disciplines.VCFA is dedicated to creating an environment in which collaboration rather than competition is the guiding spirit. At VCFA, students are regarded as unique individuals who will take charge of their educations and collaborate with faculty mentors to create programs of study ideally suited to their individual needs and desires."^[1]

Academics

Graduate programs offered:

• Masters of Fine arts in Visual Art
• Masters of Fine Arts in Writing
• Masters of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults

Certificates offered:

• Graduate-level picture book certificate^[5]

Low-residency

The low-residency structure allows students to attend graduate school while living at home. Vermont College requires "four six-month semesters of intensive one-on-one work under the guidance of a faculty mentor and five ten-day on-campus residencies, each of which consists of workshops, lectures, readings, panel discussions, student-teacher conferences and critiques, presentations of works in progress."^[1] The students create their own individualized program of study with their faculty mentors. A faculty member works with five or fewer students through "written correspondence, online communication, oral tapes, and/or telephone conferences" during the semester at home.^[6]

All programs feature writers-in-residence or artists-in-residence who give lectures and readings. Artists and writers-in-residence have included Jean Valentine, M. T. Anderson and Jane Yolen, who was the inaugural writer-in-residence in the Writing for Children and Young Adults program.^[5]

MFA in Writing

Established in 1981, the VCFA MFA in writing program offers degree tracks in fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry as well as a secondary concentration in translation.[6] The MFA in Writing requires 2 theses: a critical thesis and a creative thesis in addition to a giving a lecture and public reading.[10]

Each faculty member supervises five writers through written correspondence, online communication, oral tapes, and/or telephone conferences during the semester. Students in VCFA’s MFA in Writing Program convene with other writers twice each year for 10-day on campus residencies. They participate in small, faculty-guided workshops in which each writer’s work is examined. Special workshops are offered in translation, the novel, and other focused topics. In addition to workshops, daily seminars, lectures, and discussions, as well as readings by faculty, graduating students, and visiting writers, students engage in formal and informal exchanges.

The faculty of the MFA in Writing Program have published more than 300 books and have won almost every major literary award. More than two-thirds of the faculty teach at other universities.[11]

The MFA in writing program is rated as one of the top five low-residency MFA programs in the United States.^{[7] [8]}

MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults

Established in 1997, the VCFA MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults Program was the nation's first MFA program focusing on writing for young readers. In the program students pursue studies in the writing of picture books, middle-grade or young adult literature and come to campus twice a year for 10-day residencies. After the residencies students begin faculty-guided independent-study projects. During the independent study project students are supervised and maintain a correspondence with faculty and peers.

The MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults requires 2 theses: a critical thesis and a creative thesis in addition to giving a lecture and public reading.[10] Candlewick Press, Houghton Mifflin/Clarion, and Harcourt Trade Publishers have established scholarships and prizes for students in the Writing for Children and Young Adults program..^[9]

MFA in Visual Arts

The Master of Fine Arts in Visual Art Program at VCFA allows students to earn a 60-credit MFA degree over a period of two years through a combination of ten-day, on-campus residencies followed by six-month semesters of self-designed artistic practice. Students work in their home studios in between residencies. Whether on campus or at home, students participate in a discourse structured around their visual culture research and studio projects. Through this process of exchange, students explore their interests and make connections that help position their work within broader social, historical, and intellectual debates.

Since its founding in 1991, the MFA in Visual Art Program has been based on the principle of individualized learning. While in the program, students complete a series of interdisciplinary writing projects supervised by faculty members and pursue their studio work with guidance from local artists chosen in collaboration with the program.

The MFA in Visual Art Program’s pedagogy is based on the understanding that art does not exist in a void but within a social context, and that process is integral to the product.

History

The focus of Vermont College has changed since its beginnings as Newbury Seminary in 1831. After existing in several forms including a Wesleyan Seminary and a Methodist Seminary, it became Vermont Junior College in 1941.^[1] In 1958 it became Vermont College. In 1972 Vermont College merged with Norwich University; the two schools became fully integrated in 1993. Union Institute acquired Vermont College in 2001. The Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in writing program was established in 1981 and the MFA in visual art in 1991.^[8] The MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults, the first "MFA program in writing for young readers," began in January 1997. In 2008 Vermont College of Fine Arts became an independent fine arts institution.^[1]

College Hall, the central building on campus, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was completed in 1872 and includes a two-story high chapel and a pipe organ from 1884.^[10]

People

Student profile

The average student age is 35 years old. Students live all over the world and continue working in their current careers while attending Vermont.^[11]

Faculty Profile

Approximately 60 authors and artists teach at Vermont College. All have terminal degrees in their specialty.^[9]

Alumni

Alumni and students are published with major publishing houses. They work as "librarians, editors, freelance writers, teachers, directors of arts organizations, illustrators, and publishers."^[6]

Notable Alumni

Notable alumni of the program include:

References

External links

• Vermont College of Fine Arts
• The T.W. Wood Art Gallery and Arts Center
• Vermont College MFA in Visual Art alumni website

Colleges and universities in Vermont Colleges and universities Bennington College • Burlington College • Champlain College • College of St. Joseph • Goddard College • Green Mountain College • Landmark College • Marlboro College • Middlebury College • New England Culinary Institute • Norwich University • Saint Michael's College • School for International Training • Sterling College • Southern Vermont College • University of Vermont • Vermont College of Fine Arts • Vermont Law School Vermont State Colleges Castleton State College • Community College of Vermont • Johnson State College • Lyndon State College • Vermont Technical College