Vermont College of Fine Arts is the first college devoted entirely to low-residency, graduate fine arts programs. But more than that, VCFA’s programs--low-residency MFA in Writing, low-residency MFA in Visual Art, low-residency MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults--were forerunners in the field of distance education.
Though today there are dozens of low-residency programs, we have been doing it for more than 25 years and in many ways created the model for this kind of arts education.
Designed with an artist or writer’s busy life in mind, students come to our beautiful Vermont campus twice a year and do the rest of their work from home. But what makes VCFA’s graduate fine arts programs different from others?
1. BRIEF ON-CAMPUS RESIDENCIES: Students are required to be on campus only ten days twice each year for workshops, readings or exhibits, lectures, and individual consultations with faculty.
2. VIBRANT ARTISTIC COMMUNITY: During residencies, students live and work within a dynamic community of other writer/artist-students and faculty who are passionate and engaged in their craft.
3. PERSONAL ATTENTION: Our faculty, all nationally recognized teachers and artists, work individually with each student.
4. SELF-DESIGNED STUDY: Rather than study a set curriculum, students work one-on-one with their faculty advisor to develop study plans that respond to their particular interests.
5. FLEXIBLE SCHEDULE: Following the residency, students work from home, working on their craft and reading throughout the semester according to their own schedule
"During each semester the word that echoed in my head was 'relentless', relentless learning with all parts of my brain, the creative and the analytical, the literary and the lyrical. And relentless reading, thinking, and writing. The third part was relentless positive encouragement and support to risk writing way beyond the envelope."