Master's degree program in Studio Art

• Degree Program Information
• Applicants
  
• Courses
• Faculty
• Accommodations
• Field Trips
• Costs
• Apply

The NYU Steinhardt Department of Art and Art Professions provides artists, students of art, and current and prospective art teachers with an opportunity to do serious creative and high-level studio work for university credit within a rich artistic milieu abroad.

Students earn a Master's degree in Art in three summers: two in Venice and one in New York City.

In a cosmopolitan city like Venice, students are able to meet artists, critics , and curators from all over the world. The city’s artistic resources are endlessly varied, and students may do creative work while enjoying masterpieces of Italian art in their original context. 

A special focus will be put on Italian and European Contemporary Art as well as the Venice Biennale (2009, 2011, 2013, etc.). Course-related assignments take students to contemporary and historical museums and important sites such as the Palladian villas, Ferrara, Modena, Mantua, Padua, Parma, Rome, Vicenza, and Verona, among others.

Admission Information
Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree. An undergraduate major in studio art or art education, including several courses in art history, is preferred but not required. Whenever possible, interviews are held in person, but they may be conducted by telephone if necessary. Students should arrange an interview with Professor Maurizio Pellegrin, the program director. Slides or digital images in CD or DVD of your artwork must be submitted as part of the application process. A statement regarding an analysis of your present artwork and the direction that it is taking should accompany the slides or the digital images.

12 Points per summer. Offered through Art and Art Professions

Degree Program Information:

M.A. Candidates
Students complete the degree (36 points) in three successive summers, the first two in Venice and the third at NYU's Washington Square campus in New York. Admission is selective and is usually limited to a cohort of 20 students.

Nondegree Program for Special Students
A limited number of special students not working toward a degree may be accepted. Interested candidates should contact Prof. Maurizio Pellegrin, program director, for more information.

Applicants

Graduate students from all NYU schools are encouraged to apply.

Qualified graduate students from other Universities are encouraged to apply. Please refer to the directions for "Non-NYU Students for Summer Abroad" on the "How To Apply" page.

Courses

First-Year M.A. Students:

E90.2451.099: Art & Ideas (3 points):  Theory and Research in Contemporary Art
This course examines critical theory and research as an intellectual foundation for the production of contemporary art. Students will analyze key texts and artworks as they develop a conceptual framework for their own artistic practice. Special emphasis will be placed on examining contemporary art and artists in cultural, socio-political, economic, and pedagogical contexts.

E90.2801.099: Art Theory and Criticism I (3 points):  A critical analysis of contemporary art, discussed in terms of the knowledge and critical skills necessary for the artist to create a personal style. The course is focused on Italian modern and contemporary art. The library of the Guggenheim is available for study and research.

E90.2730.099: Advanced Painting I (3 points)
This course guides students through individual and group critiques to expand and explore the formal and expressive aspects of painting. Students are expected to be self-motivated, but the instructor suggests problems and procedures when necessary. Extensive out-of-class creative work, museum and gallery visits, and readings are required.

Second-Year M.A. Students:

E90.2802.099: Art Theory and Criticism II (3 points)
Required for second-year students.
For description, see E90.2801.099, above.

E90.2732.099: Advanced Painting II (3 points)
Required for second-year students.

E90.2010.099: Graduate Projects (3 points)
First- and/or second-year students—only by advisement. This course may be applied, with permission, to the category of graduate studio critique, studio specialization, or studio elective.
Students submit a project outline to be discussed and approved by the professor; students may select any media with which they have had previous experience. Mixed media and 3-D projects are encouraged. The instructor is available for guidance and supervision.

E90.2018.099: Graduate Studio Critique (3 points)

Electives:

E90.2550.099: Projects in Art and Media: Video I (3 points)
First-year students. Enrollment limited to eight students; permission from the program director required. Consult with Professor Pellegrin before enrolling in this course. Students must be prepared to bring their own equipment.
Each student produces a video art piece.

E90.2551.099: Projects in Art and Media: Video II (3 points)
Second-year students. Consult with Professor Pellegrin before enrolling in this course. Students must be prepared to bring their own equipment.
For description, see E90.2550.099, above.

E90.2300.097: Independent Study (3 points)

Advanced Certificate in Studio Art

Non-degree students who wish to study in Venice may also want to consider the Advanced Certificate in Studio Art. The Advanced Certificate is a 12-credit program of study grounded in contemporary research and practice that combines cultural theory with contemporary artistic processes. Through a core Interdisciplinary Graduate Projects praxis course and three advanced studio electives, students will hone their artistic and conceptual skills and enhance their portfolios while also addressing the larger philosophical and cultural implications of contemporary artistic activity.

Students in the Advanced Certificate in Studio Art must take a minimum of 6 credits at NYU New York.

For more information about the Advanced Certificate, click here.

Studios:

Art studios are open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Students are expected to use the studios intensively. Faculty are present all day in the studios.

Faculty

Maurizio Pellegrin, Venice Program Director, Department of Art and Art Professions, New York University

David Darts, Assistant Professor of Art, Department of Art and ArtProfessions, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and HumanDevelopment, New York University.  David Darts faculty bio page.

The faculty also consists of other faculty from the Department of Art and Art Professions, as well as artists, critics, historians, and theorists from respective fields in Italy, Europe, and elsewhere.

Accommodations

Upon acceptance into the program, students receive a booklet that contains essential, detailed information on the practical aspects of living in Venice, including suggestions on housing. Because each student has different budgetary concerns, we suggest places that are conveniently located and as inexpensively priced as possible—but you may also make your own reservations.

Facebook

Please join NYU Steinhardt's Studio Art in Venice Facebook group to network with current students and alumni of the program. We hope this online community will be a useful tool for new students to connect with returning students to learn about housing options, cost of living, travel tips, and to share images and experiences. 

Click here to join the Facebook group.

Field Trips

The summer program in Venice offers coordinated field trips, research, and cultural activities. Day trips and one overnight visit to nearby cultural centers are also planned.

Note: Before and after the official program dates, students are encouraged to explore (on their own or with other group members) the cities of entry and departure from Europe (e.g., Paris, Rome, Milan, Zurich). When the program is in session, however, personal trips are discouraged because they disrupt studio output and continuity.

Costs

2010 Graduate Tuition: $1203 per point, plus registration fees

Housing: Students rent apartments in Venice with assistance from program staff who maintain well-established relationships with carefully screened landlords.  Costs vary as students choose to live alone or share with other NYU Studio Art students, from 600-1300 Euros/month.

2009 Activity fees (covering field trips, meals, final exhibition): approximately $750

For More Information

NYU Art Department Web Site 

Facebook site for Venice Program

Office of Academic Initiatives and Global Programs, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, & Human Development, New York University, 82 Washington Square East, 5th floor, New York, NY 10003; (t) 1-212-992-9380; (f) 1-212-995-4923; steinhardt.global@nyu.edu

David Darts, Assistant Professor of Art, Department of Art and ArtProfessions, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and HumanDevelopment, New York University, 34 Stuyvesant Street, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10003-7599; (t) 212.998.5700; darts@nyu.edu 

Maurizio Pellegrin, Director of Venice Art Program, Department of Art and Art Professions, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, & Human Development, New York University, 34 Stuyvesant Street, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10003-7599; (t) 1-212-998-5754; (f) 1-212-995-4320; mp29@nyu.edu or nyu.veniceprogram@flashnet.it