Whitney Sherman has launched a new MFA in Illustration Practice at MICA [Maryland Institute College of Art] which will begin Fall 2011. Sherman chaired the undergraduate illustration department for 10 years in which time the department went from 90 students to well over 300 making it the largest department at MICA. In those years, Sherman instituted sophisticated professional development courses and events like the MICA Illustration Showcase in partnership with the Society of Illustrators, NY; diversified the studio electives to help student illustrators be interdisciplinary; and developed special programming such as BabbleLab with Henrik Drescher & Wu Wing Yee, and the Artist Residencies with Michael Bartalos, Peter Kuper, Steve Brodner, John Rappleye and Greg Christie.
Sherman's new MFA in Illustration Practice looks at the divergence of illustration practice as illustrators reexamine new markets and methods of authorship.
"Illustration practice is changing in how we make our work and where we see it published. In my own work, I am retooling and experimenting all the time. It's one of the beauties of illustration, how we get to reinvent ourselves."
"I'm excited about the new avenues illustrators are taking and plan to bring that excitement to my graduate students. The program is rigorous, and will give candidates a chance to rethink everything. Their art-making will be coupled with industry and fabrication research with a goal of emerging into new markets. I envision working with a diverse group of students."
Sherman plans to bring the same energy to her new MFA that she brought to the undergraduate illustration department. "My former students are some of the most talented people working in the field today. I'm eager to work with graduate level students and see where the program takes them."
MICA will offer a pre-application review of portfolios starting Sept 30 through Oct 22. Interested parties can contact Chris Harring in the Graduate Office at charring[at]mica.edu to receive information on submitting work for review or applying to the program. Or check out the MICA site at www.mica.edu.
