Master of Fine Arts in Visual & Literary Arts
The MFA in Visual & Literary Arts (MFA-VLA) fuses visual art and literary practice through interdisciplinary study, creative work, and professional preparation. Students engage in residency-based collaboration and semester-long coursework to develop their capacity as makers and thinkers, combining text and image in innovative forms.
The curriculum emphasizes both artistic development and professional readiness. Each semester, students acquire skills relevant to teaching, editing, publishing, exhibiting, and digital engagement, supporting their ability to participate in contemporary cultural production.
The MFA-VLA program is structured around three core pillars, each representing a key area of competency:
- Creative Expression: Students will develop the ability to engage in creative thinking, problem-solving, and innovative approaches to their artistic process across both literary and visual arts.
- Critical Inquiry: Students will develop the ability to analyze, contextualize, and articulate the theoretical and historical foundations of their practice.
- Professional Practice: This pillar emphasizes readiness for industry-facing roles, sustained artistic engagement, and active participation in the cultural and academic communities of literary and visual arts.
The low-residency is specifically designed to integrate your creative thesis seamlessly into your daily life. With a flexible structure, the program allows you to complete your graduate degree while balancing busy schedules and life responsibilities. The program includes two nine-day residencies at the Lesley campus, fostering community building, stimulating conversations, and constructive critiques. After the residencies, you continue your work from home, while faculty work closely with you to provide a personalized course of study to help you excel in your craft.
Residencies Overview
The residencies provide immersive studio and critique experiences. Each nine-day residency offers seminars, workshops, and formal critiques with practicing artists and faculty, fostering advanced discourse and individualized feedback. Students benefit from extensive contact with faculty through studio visits, workshops, and discussions, creating a dynamic environment for mentorship, and strengthening community within the cohorts. Residencies also serve as key checkpoints for extended consultation on the final project, ensuring sustained guidance and iterative development leading to the culminating exhibition and artist talk. The Lunder Arts Center is equipped with studio classrooms for critique, and several other maker spaces for students to engage in workshops during the residency that further support their art making and writing. There is also a state-of-the-art screening room for art talks and lectures.
Program of Study - 60 credits
The program is designed to be completed in two years and is comprised of five nine-day residencies separated by four semesters of independent creative work and study.
The Master of Fine Arts in Visual & Literary Arts degree requires the following:
- Successful completion of 4 semesters in the MFA program including attendance and participation in all 5 residencies
- Academic work for a total of 60 credits as outlined below:
Critical Theory Requirement (12 credits)
Writing Requirement (12 credits)
Independent Studio & Independent Research Projects Requirement (24 credits)
Professional Development Requirement (11 credits)
Final Seminar and Exhibition Requirement (1 credit)
Admissions Requirements:
The MFA in Visual & Literary Arts brings together visual artists and writers to both focus and expand their work through interdisciplinary discourse, creative practice and professional development. Each application is reviewed holistically, with careful consideration of all submitted materials and the unique experiences, perspectives, and qualifications of the applicant.
Attachments
- Statement of Purpose: M.F.A in Visual & Literary Arts: Your statement gives us insight into your motivation, purpose in pursuing a degree program, writing skills, and communication style. It’s an important part of our review process. Write a 500–750 word maximum personal statement. Your personal statement should discuss your work, and the creative and critical issues and ideas that your work addresses, including:
- What are the significant themes and influences (e.g. artists and authors) in your work? How have they changed as the work has progressed?
- What are your creative and professional goals for your work?
- What do you hope to accomplish in the MFA in Visual & Literary Arts program?
- Resume for M.F.A. in Visual & Literary Arts: The application should include a resume reflecting the applicant’s education and work experience, exhibitions and awards, publications, and any other relevant professional information.
- Portfolio for M.F.A. in Visual & Literary Arts: Applicants have the option of submitting a writing portfolio or visual portfolio, or a combination of both.
We are interested in reviewing a cohesive body of work that demonstrates clear authorship, intent, and creative engagement. Your portfolio should reflect active involvement with your practice and strong work habits. If your recent work is limited, you may include a range of pieces accompanied by a brief explanation of their relevance. Supplemental materials are welcome. If you include them, please clearly distinguish them from your primary portfolio submission so we know which works are prioritized.
Please use the following guidelines for the portfolio submission:
- Writing Sample: Please send 10 – 15 pages (10 pages minimum) of your creative writing in any genre. This can include, but is not limited to: fiction, memoir, poetry, graphic novels, comics, writing for children, young adult, dramatic writing, etc. Writing submissions must be formatted as a PDF or Microsoft Word document.
- Visual Portfolio: 10 – 15 of your strongest works (10 works minimum) completed. This can include, but is not limited to: paintings, drawings, photography, multi-media, sequential media (e.g.: film, animation, UX). Single image files are preferred; for sequential media (e.g. film/video/new media) please submit a piece no longer than 15 minutes, cued to a 5-minute section that you want us to view.
Allowed Media Types:
- Images (up to 10MB each)
- Video (up to 500MB each)
- Audio (up to 60MB each)
- PDFs (up to 20MB each)
For questions about the MFA in Visual & Literary Arts, please contact Janet Pocorobba, Dept. Chair at jpocorob@lesley.edu