PREMISES OF THE PROGRAM
The program and curriculum are based on the following premises:

• The nature and practice of graphic design and photography have undergone dramatic change in the last ten years. Concurrent changes in technology and in the conceptual basis for image making and design have brought the fields closer together and positioned them in the vanguard of contemporary visual culture.
• Graphic design and photography are broad fields with many areas of inquiry: typography, book arts, documentary photography, semiotics, hypermedia, photo-installation, etc. Some of these areas, but not all, share common ideas and working methods.
• Graduate school is a place to explore ideas, develop skills, evolve as an artist, learn to talk about art, and acquire teaching skills. Graduate students are expected to participate fully in all aspects of the program, as well as to identify and investigate areas of special concern to themselves.
• The graduate student should complete the program with a solid theoretical understanding of contemporary and historical issues in graphic design and photography and other areas germane to their work. The student should also acquire a broad knowledge of techniques and technical expertise in one or more areas.
• Graduate school is a place to take risks, establish a broad vision of the field, and develop a personal voice and working method through intellectual activity and creative work. Thus, the curriculum encourages wide-ranging exploration in the first year and increasing focus on an individual direction in the second year.
• A major part of the curriculum is the MFA thesis. The thesis work should be original and fully developed, and include documentation accompanied by a lucid explication of how the work contributes to a better understanding of visual language.

CURRICULUM
The Visual Research Laboratory is focused on the shared concerns of graphic design and photography. Students may choose to locate their practice in this area of common interest, in photography, or in design. We welcome students with diverse points of view, in the belief that such diversity strengthens the program.

The Visual Research Core
The graduate students' studies center around the core, which meets weekly and is required of all Visual Research Students. This is the heart of the graduate program, with expectations of strong participation in intellectual and critical activities. The core consists of a studio course and a seminar. Some sessions of the core may be held with graduate students from other studio areas to stimulate cross-disciplinary discussion. The core must be taken each semester the student is in the program, up to four times. In the first year it is taken for six credits each semester and consists of two components. A three-credit seminar with readings, discussions of critical issues in graphic design and photography and presentations of papers, meets three hours a week. The studio segment meets for three hours a week and concentrates on production and critique of studio work generated in response to the theory seminar. It is also taken for three credits. During the second year, the student participates in the seminar segment with the first year students for three credits each semester. Production and critique of studio work takes place in MFA Thesis, where critiques focus on discussion of work within various theoretical frameworks.

MFA Thesis in Visual Research
The thesis is completed in the last two semesters and culminates in a public exhibition or presentation. The thesis project is selected by the student in consultation with the Visual Research faculty, and a thesis committee -- comprised of at least three professors, one from Photography, one from Graphic Design, and a third who may be from another discipline -- oversees the project. The thesis work is discussed and critiqued in individual weekly tutorial sessions with the thesis advisors. It is expected that this body of work will be significant and fully developed. A paper elucidating the position of the work in the context of current critical thought, and slides or other documentation of the work are required for graduation.

The Graduate Art Seminar
Required of all graduate students in the Art Department, this seminar focuses on critical issues in contemporary art and culture. It consists of readings, discussion, and presentations, and is primarily a course in criticism and theory. It is a three-credit course.

Art History
Three courses in Art History are required of each graduate student in the Art Department. Students in the Visual Research program must take History of Photography and History of Design, if available, as two of these courses. The other may be in any graduate Art History area of the student's choosing.

Studio electives
Six additional courses, selected in consultation with the faculty, are required in studio disciplines. They may be selected from offerings in Visual Research I and II, idea-based courses which vary each time they are offered, Photography or Graphic Design programs. Remaining courses may be taken in other studio areas, such as Printmaking, Sculpture, Metals, Ceramics, Painting, or Drawing, or may be taken in contracted independent study. For contracted independent study, the student prepares a written agreement specifying the nature of the project, objectives, materials, lab use, and the expected outcome (e.g. "20 print portfolio," or "interactive computer bookwork," etc.). The work is critiqued in the Visual Research Seminar. In addition, students may wish to take the Internship in College Teaching (see Internships) or seek independent study credit for work done at Women's Studio Workshop, the Center for Photography at Woodstock, or other off-campus locations.

Internship in College Teaching
This three-credit elective course is required of all graduate students who wish to be eligible for the teaching assistantship in Graphic Design or Photography, and must be taken prior to being awarded a teaching assistantship. In this course, the student assists in teaching a course in the discipline with a professor. Interns may be responsible for some demonstrations, lectures, critiques, and tests. The intern gets feedback from the professor throughout the course.

Graduate Assistantship
Teaching Assistantships are available for teaching assignments in Graphic Design, Photography, Freshman Seminar, or Introduction to Drawing and Design. They are rotated with the intention of awarding an assistantship to as many graduate students as possible for at least one semester. During the assistantship the student is responsible for all aspects of teaching either a basic class for sophomore art majors or an introductory class in their discipline for non-art majors. The assistantship includes a six-credit tuition waiver and a stipend. To be eligible for a teaching Assistantship, graduate students must have completed one semester of Internship in College Teaching. An additional graduate assistantship is sometimes available in the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art. Technical fellowships are also available in the photography/computer labs.

Courses

09720-01 Seminar Intermedia: VRL
09780-xx Internship in College Art Teaching
09782-01 Studio Intermedia: VRL
09784-01 Grad Study VRL
09784-02 Grad Study VRL
09785-01 Grad Study VRL 2
09785-02 Grad Study VRL 2
09790-09 Thesis: MFA VRL

Visiting Artist Lecture Series
The Art Department sponsors a yearly lecture series which brings significant artists and critics to the campus to lecture and work with students. Recent lecturers have included Joel-Peter Witkin, Vito Acconci, Malcolm Grear, Sylvia Plachy, Eric Fischl, Ellen Lupton, Ann Fessler, Richard Hunt, Douglas Scott, Howardina Pindell, John Elderfield, Robert Morris, Ann Turyn, Alfredo Jaar, Krzysztof Wodiczko, Judith Golden, Andres Serrano, Ann Hamilton and others.

Local Resources
The programs of the nearby Women's Studio Workshop, a nationally acclaimed artists book facility, include exhibitions, residencies, and studios in which artists work on projects in printmaking and book production. The Center for Photography at Woodstock offers exhibitions, lectures, workshops, and internships in its nationally recognized Photography program. Additional museum resources located in the area include the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College and the Francis Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar College. New York City museums and galleries are 90 miles from the campus, and are easily accessible by bus or train.