The Program
The Department of Art and Art History at the University of Colorado includes a unique digital art curriculum with an emphasis in the following areas of creative research: net art, digital narrative and electronic literature, live audio/visual performance, web publishing, new media theory, and remix culture. The program fosters a critical and collaborative art research environment or what we refer to as a "collaboratory" where graduate students investigate new areas relevant to their own evolving practice but also work closely with faculty and other graduate students both in the art department and other disciplines on campus. Lab based projects and course work generally steer students away from conventional studio-based practices and focus on creating networked teams of cultural co-conspirators.
Location
The University of Colorado is located in Boulder, Colorado, one of the most beautiful and socially progressive communities in the USA. Located in the Rocky Mountains, Boulder is an international town that offers a mixture of learning, creating, hiking, biking, rock-climbing, rafting, world-class skiing, world-class cuisine, and a large percentage of sunny days and clean air. Boulder is also known for its alternative lifestyles and affiliation with Buddhism and Beatnik history, experimental writing and underground filmmaking, yoga and tai chi, and more recently, computer, biotech, and game companies. Boulder is located 30 minutes from Denver.
Faculty
The faculty at the Department of Art and Art History are nationally known artists and art historians whose work encompasses a diverse range of media (painting, ceramics, sculpture, photography, experimental video), cultural identities and artistic practices. The Digital Art area was founded in 2000 by Professor Mark Amerika. Professor Amerika is known for his pioneering work in digital narrative, net art, digital video, avant-pop novels, web publishing, VJ performance, feature-length mobile phone films, and glitch aesthetics. His work has been selected for the Whitney Biennial of American Art and exhibited nationally and internationally. The digital art lab and curriculum was built on previous computer art courses developed by Professor Emeritus and former Chair of Art and Art History Jim Johnson.
Desired Students
Graduate students should be willing to commit to our three year MFA program and will come to the program with an open mind toward developing an interdisciplinary art practice. We are particularly interested in candidates with a strong background in creative areas such as net art, interactive multimedia installation art, new media theory, live audio/visual performance, programming or code art, creative digital writing, and transmedia narrative.
Financial Support
Most of our graduate students receive either a GPTI teaching position or Graduate Assistant position in the Digital Art area. Students accepted to the program also receive a substantial tuition subsidy.
Other Advantages
Digital Art Graduate students have access to the TECHNE lab facilities which include Macs, PCs, digital video and audio hardware, and all of the latest web, audio, video, networking, VJ, and publishing software. Students in our area also have the ability to meet and share their work with a wide range of visiting artists, writers, and curators: in the past, our guests have included Cory Arcangel, John Simon, Christiane Paul, Alex Galloway, Paul Miller aka DJ Spooky, Mark Napier, Stephen Vitiello, Yael Kanarek, Norie Neumark, Sara Ludy, Marisa Olson, Bruce Sterling, Jon Satrom, Giselle Beiguelman, Mary Flanagan, and McKenzie Wark.
For more information on departmental requirements, visit the Department Website