Graduate Programs
Degree Programs
M.F.A. in Visual Art and Public Life
Sculpture
Herron’s commitment to sculpture is reflected in the opening of a state-of-the-art Sculpture and Ceramics building in January of 2000. Students have access to a 26,000 square foot facility, outfitted with a full complement of professional-grade tools and equipment, with designated areas for casting, welding, woodworking, resins, outdoor working, and new technologies, plus a large student gallery/critique space. Herron’s multimedia and foundry facilities provide access to a level of technical sophistication that fosters an intense, experimental approach to the creative process. The Sculpture Program includes developed areas for sound and video, digital media and computer aided drafting, resin and other non-traditional casting methodologies. Sculpture graduate students also have access to the classes and resources provided at Herron’s other primary facility, Eskenazi Hall, a 163,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility, which opened in 2005 for the study of art and design.
The sculpture program at Herron is particularly strong in the wealth of techniques and processes that are explored, as well as its emphasis on providing students experience in planning and executing public sculpture projects (both permanent and temporary, large-scale and smaller). Herron’s sculpture faculty includes highly productive artists with strong, national accomplishments in their own research programs. Sculpture is one of Herron’s most highly visible programs with a strong history of projects undertaken in the public arena, and working in partnership with a wide variety of organizations in both the private and non-profit sectors.
In the graduate sculpture program, students will develop a refined mastery of technical skills, with opportunities for exploration in a diverse range of materials. Along with the development of sophisticated skills in construction and form-building, students will gain increasing sophistication in their handling of three-dimensional formal properties. Additionally, students will be challenged to explore the incorporation of time, site, and audience in the conceptualization of their creative work. Students in the program are exposed to a broad base of practical information, critical analysis, and creative discourse.
Sculpture Suggested Plan of Study
First Year Course Work
| Fall | Credits | |
| HER-S 510 | Studio Emphasis I: Materials and Methods in Sculpture | 6 |
| HER-R 529 | Interdisciplinary Collaboration in the Visual Arts | 3 |
| HER-H 560 | Visual Culture: A Visual Studies Approach | 3 |
| HER-J 530 | University Visual Art Teaching Practicum or Free Elective | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| Spring | Credits | |
| HER-S 520 | Studio Emphasis II: Theory into Practice in Sculpture | 6 |
| HER-R 539 | Urban Art Context (may be repeated) | 3 |
| HER-J 520 | Project Management//Public Art | 3 |
| HER-H 5xx | Art History | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
Second Year Course Work
| Fall | Credits | |
| HER-S 560 | Studio Emphasis III: Advanced Practice in Sculpture | 6 |
| HER-R 539 | Urban Art Context (if repeated) | 0-3 |
| Graduate Studio Elective | 3-6 | |
| HER-H 610 or HER-J 501 |
Art Theory & Criticism or A Critical Approach to Art | 3 |
| Academic Elective | 0-3 | |
| Total | 15 |
| Spring | Credits | |
| HER-R 599 | Studio Emphasis IV: Thesis | 6 |
| Graduate Studio Elective | 6-9 | |
| Art History or Academic Elective | 0-3 | |
| Total | 15 |