Master of Arts / Master of Fine Arts in Drawing

Rooted in contemporary practices, the Drawing MA/MFA is a studio-intensive fine‑arts program that treats drawing as a critical studio practice rather than a set of traditional techniques. This program isn’t about learning how to draw; instead, it serves as a platform for redefining the very essence of drawing and exploring its endless possibilities through a radical re-thinking of established methods.

The program explores what drawing is and does today, and how actions operate conceptually, materially, and socially across diverse contexts. We encourage radical experimentation in tangent with a deepening of research, urging students to explore diverse media while engaging in conceptual analysis. Whether addressing personal, socio-political, historical, environmental, or other issues and ideas, students are expected to delve deeply into their chosen themes in a hand-in-hand studio research practice.

At the core of the curriculum, drawing serves as the foundation from which the program expands. Through a variety of practical and theoretical workshops, the curriculum aims to open new paths of inquiry, techniques, and material exploration. Students examine drawing through performance, moving images, sound, writing, installation, publication, and digital or spatial strategies, always with drawing as the conceptual foundation. Seminars foster critical and historical literacy in contemporary drawing, exploring its expanded field, ethics, and audiences, while tutorials and critiques refine precise language for discussing and advancing the work. Collaboration is also an important focus, connecting individual practice with other disciplines and perspectives with the goal of challenging existing habits, opening new audiences and contexts, and creating shifts in students’ work.

The learning environment focuses on individual studio growth supported by regular tutorials, critiques, and peer forums. Thematic workshops connect drawing to current debates and emerging methods, while visiting artists and critics provide perspectives from practices that explore drawing in expanded, cross-media forms.

Designed for artists eager to expand the limits of their existing artistic practice, the program offers two pathways. The MA is a one-year course that ends with a Degree Project and a public presentation. The MFA is a two-year terminal degree, starting with a shared first year and followed by a second year focused on an MFA thesis, culminating in a Degree Project exhibition. Additionally, our MFA program highlights art education, adopting radical pedagogies that challenge traditional teaching structures and prepare students to teach using modern methods.

Admission is open to applicants holding an undergraduate degree (BFA, BA, BSc, BID, BArch, etc.) that includes a studio component or equivalent professional experience; a portfolio showcasing an active fine arts practice is required. Applicants to the MA must already maintain an active practice in drawing-related fields. The Drawing Program is designed for artists looking to expand their work and practice through new perspectives within contemporary drawing, a dynamic and evolving discipline—conceptually, experimentally, and engaged within fine arts.