Department of Sculpture and Extended Media < Virginia Commonwealth University

This is the preliminary (or launch) version of the 2023-2024 VCU Bulletin. This edition includes all programs and courses approved by the publication deadline; however we may receive notification of additional program approvals after the launch. The final edition and full PDF version will include these updates and will be available in August prior to the beginning of the fall semester.

Kristin Caskey
Associate professor and chair

arts.vcu.edu/sculpture

The sculpture and extended media concentration within the M.F.A. in Fine Arts program is designed to facilitate the deepening and expansion of each student’s individual studio practice. This is implemented through both formal and informal contact with faculty, including faculty committee reviews, one-on-one studio visits, faculty-led peer critiques and rigorous research seminars. Activities designed to foster a community-minded cohort dynamic are central to the program, as well as elective courses offering intensive technical explorations and classes with professors outside the department. Students are expected to engage in studio investigations through the lens of substantive research and to build an awareness of contemporary and historical definitions of art that will inform their creative work. Along with the Department of Sculpture’s faculty, graduate students are exposed to a vigorous visiting artist schedule.

SCPT 510. Issues in Contemporary Visual Art. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Enrollment is restricted to graduate students in the M.F.A. in Fine Arts concentrations. This course involves in-depth research and analyses of some of the aesthetic, philosophical and political issues preoccupying contemporary artists today. See the Schedule of Classes for specific topics to be offered each semester.

SCPT 530. Digital Fabrication. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 4.5 studio hours. 3 credits. Enrollment is restricted to graduate students in the M.F.A. in Fine Arts concentrations. A studio course that focuses on computer modeling, 3D scanning and several forms of digital fabrication.

SCPT 600. Graduate Studio. 6 Hours.

Semester course; 9 studio hours. 6 credits. May be repeated for a total of 24 credits. Enrollment is restricted to graduate students in the M.F.A. in Fine Arts sculpture concentration. Primary emphasis is placed on individual creative projects and on discussion of individual creative projects with regular exposure to the critical attention of other graduate students in the department, under the direction of the teaching faculty. Special emphasis is given to the development of personal expression through individual research and criticism.

SCPT 610. Professional Practices. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Enrollment is restricted to graduate students in the M.F.A. in Fine Arts sculpture concentration. Seminar for the purpose of examining the range of professional practices in the field of contemporary art. Students will learn skills that apply to various parts of the field. The course will also address major debates within the field.

SCPT 681. Candidacy Research. 1,3 Hour.

Semester course; 1.5 or 4.5 studio hours. 1 or 3 credits. Must be repeated for a total of six credits. Enrollment is restricted to graduate students in the M.F.A. in Fine Arts sculpture concentration. This course comprises the process of producing work to achieve candidacy, a crucial qualifying step in which a student’s academic achievements are reviewed and the student’s readiness to proceed to the final research phase of the degree program is determined.

SCPT 682. Thesis. 1,3 Hour.

Semester course; 1.5 or 4.5 studio hours. 1 or 3 credits. Must be repeated for a total of six credits. Enrollment is restricted to graduate students in the M.F.A. in Fine Arts sculpture concentration. This course comprises the process of producing work for and exhibiting it in the thesis exhibition; a written thesis; and an oral presentation by second-year M.F.A. students, a crucial qualifying step for students to complete the program. Graded as Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory.

SCPT 690. Graduate Seminar. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 seminar hours. 3 credits. Must be repeated for a total of 12 credits. Enrollment is restricted to graduate students in the M.F.A. in Fine Arts sculpture concentration. Weekly seminar for the purpose of examining contemporary issues within the field of fine art, broadening critical discourse and considering artists’ work within the context of a creative practice.

SCPT 691. Special Topics Studio. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 4.5 studio hours. 3 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of nine credits. Enrollment is restricted to graduate students in the M.F.A. in Fine Arts sculpture concentration. A studio course that focuses on specific issues, theories or historical events in relationship to students’ research and studio practice.

SCPT 692. Independent Studio. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 4.5 studio hours. 3 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of nine credits. Enrollment is restricted to graduate students in the M.F.A. in Fine Arts concentrations. An independent studio course that allows students to develop specific skills or explore techniques. Approval of supervising faculty member and department chair necessary prior to registration.

SCPT 693. Directed Research. 1-3 Hours.

Semester course; 1-3 research hours. 1-3 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of nine credits. Enrollment is restricted to graduate students in the M.F.A. in Fine Arts concentrations. Approval of supervising faculty member and department chair necessary prior to registration. Learning experiences will be designed with the supervising faculty member in the form of a contract between student and instructor.