homemade-mfa
Homemade MFA is a loosely-organised group of researchers, artists, and others interested in deepening their creativity.
Over the past few years, I’ve turned to artist-run schools fo: places like the School for Poetic Computation, >School for Machines, Making and Make-Believe, Mountain School of the Arts, School of Commons in order to learn new ways of thinking about technology and creativity, maybe even myself.
Friends who have completed MFA programmes often say different things about what matters most: the solitude of studio time, or the networks and relationships that emerge around it. Naming this project after an “MFA” might suggest that I’m trying to replicate those structures, but that’s not the goal.
Someone once described fine arts programmes as riguous trade schools: learning the skills of drawing, painting, sculpting, designing, seeing. As these practices have become increasingly absorbed (and intellectualised) by the academy, I found myself wanting something else as someone that already works in alternative-academic environments: the chance to work with materials, first principles, colours, and shapes.
I’ve found that others want something different: maybe they were trained as artists, so they’re interested in more theory, more writing. Maybe they have a particular project or theme they want to research. Maybe they’re trying to find their voice. In many ways, I created this project as a means of doing these kinds of investigations in parallel and in community, without too much pressure.
“Homemade MFA” began as an open invitation on are.na which has slowly grown over time.