Master of Fine Arts in
Sculpture

The Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program is a 3-year program. Graduate students in the Sculpture Area are expected to demonstrate a broad knowledge of sculptural practices, techniques, and fabrication skills. At the graduate level, students should also have an in-depth knowledge of art history and contemporary issues related to art. The program welcomes and encourages a broad range of approaches to making sculpture including: installation, metal and nonmetal casting, object and martial based explorations, assemblage, performance, video, 3D printing and more.

 

Program Highlights

Graduate students in the Sculpture Area will find themselves in an environment that is rigorous but supportive. We promote experimentation and want students to question what it means to make art today. Students are pushed to further develop their conceptual and technical approaches to making sculpture. Ultimately, students aim to create works rooted in an individual's methodology. Sculpture graduates also have the privilege of working in large private studios.   

 

Student Art

 

Facilities and Technology

A metal fabrication studio with MIG, TIG and gas welding setups, metal casting facility and forges, plaster and wax room, resin studio, large paint prep and ventilated paint room, large mixed media studio, large private graduate student studios, and technology studios with 3D printers and a vinyl cutter. The Sculpture Alternative Space and Experimental Space serve as clean studios and critique spaces. Tool rooms are outfitted with hand tools and electric hand tools needed for all sculptural practices.  A large Art Shop with full woodshop equipment, laser cutters, additional 3D printers, and a CnC router round out the facilities for students to learn, hone, progress, and master.  

 

What Sets Us Apart?

Sculpture graduate students organize and hold exhibitions at various off-campus venues including Lubbock's First Friday Art Trail venues. Collaborations with students from other studio art areas within the School of Art or with the Lubbock community are strongly encouraged. These exhibitions include performances, installations, sculpture, and video projection elements.  

Associate Professor Cody Arnall and Associate Professor William Cannings, working with Landmark Arts in the School of Art, create Texas Sculpture Symposiums (TxSS) every few years. These events include guest speakers, exhibitions, and various participatory studio events. The TxSS has a long history reaching back to the 1970's.

TxSS keynote speakers in 2018 were Wafaa Bilal and Postcommodity, an interdisciplinary arts collective comprised of Cristóbal Martínez and Kade L. Twist. Guest speakers included Pedram Baldari, Nooshin Hakim and Loren Schwerd who also curated the TxSS exhibition FEMINUM. The 2023 TxSS keynote speaker was Jessica Stockholder. Guest speakers included Jose Villalobos and Bethany Springer. There was also a panel discussion between exhibiting artists included in the exhibition Betting on the Sun curated by Bethany Springer.

Current Graduate Sculpture Students

Third Year:
Gabríel Peralta

Second Year:
Carly McMahon
Diego Zarate-Alvizo

First Year:
Kahsandra Williams