BmoreArt

Why Towson University? I discovered a large, well-funded, multidisciplinary art department with a supportive environment. It was affordable, nearby, and academically rigorous. My time there changed my life. When asked by this publication to discuss the program I so admire, I was pleased to sign on.

The university’s origin goes back to the beginning of public education in Maryland in 1865. Initially located in Baltimore City and called The State Normal School, the institution offered a two-year program to educate much-needed public school teachers. It relocated in 1912 to Towson, Maryland, where it remains. After numerous name tweaks and constant expansion, the school became Towson University in 1997 and is now one of the preeminent state universities in the region. It offers over 200 different programs with a variety of degrees. Enrollment was at 19,507 as of Fall 2023 with a diverse international student body.

The Art + Design, Art History, and Art Education department is part of the College of Fine Arts & Communication (COFAC), which includes the Music, Theater, Electronic Media and Film, and Dance departments as well as Mass Communication and Communication Studies. COFAC’s building is a modern multi-story structure with an expansive skylight ceiling. It serves undergraduate and graduate students. The art department facilities include up-to-date painting, drawing, printmaking, ceramics, jewelry, sculpture, photography, and digital media studios. On the second floor is the Holtzman MFA Gallery, where MFA students present their thesis shows. On the third floor is an ample exhibition space, the Center for the Arts Gallery, which presents an ongoing series of professionally curated exhibitions as well as biennial faculty shows and annual undergraduate exhibitions.

Towson’s MFA in Studio Art is a three-year, 60-credit program, with a personal studio and 24/7 access to the building. MFA students do not have to declare a single area of study. Instead, they can broaden their practice as desired and have access to all the facilities in the art department in order to emphasize an interdisciplinary practice and outlook. They end with a thesis exhibition and corresponding paper. The department screens for new applicants twice a year.

The in-state cost of earning a graduate degree in Studio Art at Towson University is currently just over $42,000 ($702.00 per credit x 60 credits). This price is comparable to other state schools in Maryland because the cost is set by the University System of Maryland. State schools like Towson University are significantly less expensive than most private art schools, which can run over $100,000 for a graduate degree. In addition to a more affordable tuition price tag, at Towson University, students are offered a variety of options to reduce expenses.

In preparation for this article, BmoreArt founder Cara Ober and I met with various professors for their input and we were impressed by the intellectual rigor, professional accomplishments, and passion for teaching within this group.

Carrie Fucile (MFA in Digital Art, Brooklyn College, CUNY) is the director of the MFA program. She is an interdisciplinary sound artist who creates installation, sculpture, performance, and experimental music. Amanda Burnham (MFA in Painting and Printmaking, Yale University School of Art, 2007), coordinator of 2D Foundations, is a noted visual artist who makes large installation drawings influenced by comics. Animator Phil Davis (MFA in Imaging and Digital Art, UMBC), one of the founders of Sweaty Eyeballs, an international animation festival based in Baltimore, leads the Digital Art + Design concentration. Collaborative interdisciplinary artist Jenn Figg (Ph.D. in Media, Art, and Text, Virginia Commonwealth University) oversees 3D Foundations. 

All work with graduate students and sit on assigned graduate student committees so a collegial, non-hierarchical atmosphere permeates the program. Students are able to work with other professors in all the other areas of art making as well. “The faculty here are very diverse in what they can do. People have great attitudes and jump in to help,” Burnham says.

Professors are also academically rigorous, guiding students through major changes in thinking and studio production. Occasional failure is part of the art process, but it results in growth and resiliency. The 60-credit program (longer than many MFA programs) allows for a more extended incubation period and extra time for students to explore.

“People in this department love teaching,” says Fucile. “Their careers are important, but they don’t put that above their teaching practice. They are available to their students. They live near here and are part of the Baltimore community.”

The MFA program is designed to work for an array of students—including those with jobs and families to care for. Many students need flexibility. I did. Some need to attend part-time. To cater to this, classes are offered in the evening, and students keep their studio no matter how long it takes to finish.

Within TU’s MFA program, financial opportunities abound. State university employees are offered tuition reductions, as are some public school teachers, and students over 60 living on retirement benefits and not working full-time. Students can acquire up to two graduate assistantships per semester, where each 10-hour position receives $6000. After students have 30 credits, and have taken a seminar class about college-level teaching, they can teach as adjunct faculty in the department. Other financial perks include a new $5,000 stipend for accepted student summer research projects  and a smaller twice-yearly award of $500, which can be used for supplies. There is also a travel grant.

Our on site discussion turned to the local arts and culture scene, where ongoing opportunities exist for artists to exhibit and also for cross-institution pollination. “We get former MICA undergrads who come here for grad school,” says Burnham. “It’s a nice shift for them. It keeps our creative community in the region.”

To Fucile, professional development is key. To that end, she fosters a culture of mentorship in and out of the classroom. Learning to exhibit, apply for residencies and grants, approach collectors, and become an active art citizen is vital. She plans trips to exhibitions and facilitates networking and the department is agile, responding to students’ needs and ideas. Last year, students had the  opportunity to exhibit work in group shows at Hamilton Gallery, Zo Gallery in Woodberry, and Gallery CA in Station North.

After time with the professors, we met with a group of current MFA students.

Aral Olgun is a digital artist whose work in illustration and artists’ books leans into humor and satire as he investigates his place in the world. When Olgun was an undergraduate student at MICA, a professor recommended Towson University for grad school. Olgun now manages the Art Department Print Center. He calls it a “hidden gem” because of the myriad photography-based facilities there, both analog and digital. All undergraduate and graduate students can use the Print Center and get his help. His studio sits just down the hall. He now also teaches classes. He praises the department’s networking and connection to the local community.

“It’s almost like this is an advanced trade school that gives you excellent work experience while the faculty ensures your work advances conceptually,” Olgun says. “I’ve been able to work to support myself here while going through the programs.”

Tara Youngborg is a digital media and installation artist. She previously attended St. Mary’s College of Maryland where she earned a dual Art and Art History degree in 2011. During a 2018 residency, as her work moved towards three dimensions, she decided it was time for graduate school. Youngborg oversees the highly regarded Stamp Gallery at the University of Maryland, College Park. Due to this job at a Maryland state school, she qualified for significant financial assistance through tuition remission.

Youngborg praises Towson University’s committee structure, which provides each student with a small group of faculty members to meet with them regularly each semester. The committee provides feedback and support, separately and together, and is responsible for the student’s grades. “On top of that, there’s the critique class where you’re working with your peers, a different faculty member, and many visiting artists,” Youngborg says. She works in different group workspaces at Towson University, where she finds a strong sense of community, including with the undergrads and the many non-traditional students.

Lolo Gem’s practice includes painting, drawing, and, more recently, ceramics. Her work is loaded with frenetic surreal cartoon imagery that borrows from classic Disney style. Gem also attended MICA for her undergraduate study. After graduation there, she pursued her work as an artist while employed full-time in the service industry. After she hit a plateau in her work, she wanted a challenging environment. College-level teaching began to interest her.

Alex Ebstein, a Towson University MFA alum and well-known Baltimore artist with whom Gem had worked, recommended the program to her. Now, in addition to her research and art making, Gem has also gained valuable experience and income working as a graduate assistant in the Towson University galleries.

“There’s freedom to explore multiple avenues and allow your practice to grow naturally,” Gem says. She feels the school environment at Towson University provides a solid network, with ample assistance in all areas.

Zachary Diaz is a painter and printmaker with a background in classical drawing with conceptual underpinnings. His current work leans heavily into a vibrant ab-ex style. Diaz earned a BFA at the University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC. Afterward, he discovered Towson University after looking into New York and New Jersey schools. He chose Towson University because the price was right, and the place felt “personal.” The rigor of the program is important to him.

“People push you. I enjoy that because, in real life, no one’s coming to save you once you graduate. You must be proactive. And we’re close to the city, but not in the city. We’re also close to New York and DC, which are a drive away. Certainly, a major selling point considering the price of tuition we’re paying,” he says.

The cost of a college education has skyrocketed over the past decades. It is now part of the national political discourse, as entire generations struggle with enormous debt. Many wonder if getting a Studio Art degree is worth the cost, weighing how it will burden their futures. Towson University, like many universities, is attempting to address this issue.

“In undergrad, one of my professors said, Only go to grad school if they pay you. So, I did not go to grad school for a decade. I thought that wasn’t a thing that existed. I must be funded. I’m working a job, I have a family,” Youngborg says. At Towson she found a way.

Lolo Gem, who has many loans left over from MICA, knew she could not take on more debt. “I didn’t know you could go to grad school and not take out 80k of loans,” she said. She found that through acquiring graduate assistantships, she didn’t have to take out more loans to attend Towson University. Now, she works in the Towson University Center for the Arts galleries assisting with exhibition installation. Her costs are now down to class fees and taxes.

“I’m walking away with money from Towson, from teaching,” says Olgun, who attends part-time to help him afford to pay as he goes. He has moved back home to Annapolis to save money while in school and not having to pay rent on a studio is another cost cutter. His work in the Print Center reimburses his tuition.

Zachary Diaz is a graduate assistant for the MFA program and teaches at Towson. He is also the summer Program Manager for the Maryland Institute College of Art Pre-College Residency Program, a prestigious job.

All the students we spoke to were optimistic about their future. Gem looks forward to sustaining herself by teaching and using the skills she learned working in the gallery as she continues her art practice and seeks gallery representation. Youngborg is interested in the academic side of things. She wants to keep teaching and working in galleries. Both artists anticipate graduating in spring 2025. Olgun, who is set to graduate this fall (2024) says he is looking at broad creative options to make a living while continuing his artmaking after graduation. Diaz hopes to continue teaching, attending residencies, and traveling. He has a long-term goal of founding a residency program in Europe. He plans to graduate in fall 2025.

Once you’re aware of this program, it becomes obvious that the Baltimore-Washington region is full of Towson University MFA alumni success stories. A few recent well-known graduates include Jackie Milad, an artist and curator whose large-scale mixed-media abstract paintings and collages that delve into her cultural heritage and multi-ethnic identity are widely exhibited and were recently shown at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Amy Boone-McCreesh was a Sondheim prize finalist this year, exhibiting her work at the Walters Art Museum. Alex Ebstein is an innovative curator and artist whose small modernist-infused mixed-media works were recently showcased in a solo exhibit at Current Gallery. All three artists exhibit regularly in Baltimore and also in New York, across the country, and beyond.

Arguably more important than even these accolades and successes though, the Towson University professors and students we spoke with are lovingly dedicated to the work they are doing. I feel the same way! I now teach undergraduate students at Towson University as an adjunct professor and participate in the MFA committees from the educator side. My son, now 19, went off to college last year. The best advice he received was the same I followed. Visit each campus you’re interested in and spend some time there. Talk to the students, professors, counselors, and administration. Trust your instincts. You will know when you are in the right place.

MFA Thesis shows for Mark Burchick, Claudia Cappelle, Aral Olgun, and Susan Isaacs will open on October 24, 2024 and run through December 7, 2024. Non-graduating MFA students will hold Open Studios concurrent with the thesis show openings. For the spring of 2025, there are thesis shows planned for Nguyen Nguyen, Lolo Gem, Cody Pryseski, and Tara Youngborg. In spring 2025, Towson University MFA students will present off-campus group shows at Hamilton Gallery, The Peale, and Four Ten Lofts Gallery, all in Baltimore.

Admission Requirements & Deadlines, Studio Art (M.F.A.) Final Deadline: Nov. 1, 2024, More Info / Website.