MFA Program at Clark University

In January of 2025, I began my MFA program at Clark University, attending the first residency at MASS MoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts. Clark's MFA program is a low residency program, so there will be a series of 5 residencies at either MASS MoCA or the Clark University campus, in-between the remainder of each semester which is virtual/ at home.

For the residency, we were asked to bring a body of previous work for critique, so I brought my paintings from "Immortal Photograph". During the program we participated in various critiques with professors, visiting artists, and other students. Through this, I was able to gain important feedback and suggestions about my work, and practice talking about my work with fellow artists. This was an amazing experience for me, as I had never collaborated with so many professional artists at one time. I really value the insights I gained from everyone I was able to interact and work with during this residency, and I am so excited for what's to come. Besides the people, the space I worked in, Mass MoCA, was an incredible place to learn from and display artwork. I had never been to Mass MoCA before, but it was one of the most unique art museums I had ever been to, as there is a focus on contemporary artists, installation art, and temporary exhibits. We also visited the Clark Art Institute, a more typical art museum with a permanent collection and some special exhibitions, which was an interesting comparison to Mass MoCA, as it was also a much older collection. I loved being able to explore both museums during my time at the residency program, and I can't wait to come back.

The remainder of the semester follows a non-traditional curriculum, where students work through their own self-guided art/research projects, with support from an advisor and artist mentor. Since coming back home for my first semester, I have reorganized my art studio, and purchased new materials based off of recommendations from my peers. For the first couple of months I had focused on research and sketching, but currently, I am painting my first few portraits. The body of work I am creating right now, is an expansion of my "Immortal Photograph" paintings from 2024, but instead focuses on Art Nouveau, Japonisme, and other history/aesthetics from the late 19th century. I plan on creating another series of portraits using watercolor gouache, however I am experimenting more with material, color, shape, and shadow based off of my research and current interests. I am also thinking of expanding into different mediums, including animation, text, installation, or collage. I am looking forward to seeing how my work will transform throughout this experience.