Mission & Values

Mission

Anchored on its historic campus in Montpelier, Vermont College of Fine Arts is a global community of artists continuously redefining what it means to be an arts college. We measure our success by our ability to foster the excellence of emerging and established practitioners. We believe that the arts are central to the human experience and have the ability not only to reflect reality but also to create it.

As the only college devoted exclusively to graduate fine arts education, Vermont College of Fine Arts offers artists and writers a transformative and progressive educational experience.

Continuously Redefining Arts Education

Students come to Vermont College of Fine Arts for our rigorous course of study, our emphasis on the creative process, and the opportunity to work closely with award-winning faculty who advance and inspire their work. Our unique low-residency programs bring students and faculty together twice a year for intense and invigorating residencies. During the ensuing six months of faculty-guided, self-designed, individualized study at home, students submit new creative work, revisions, and critical responses, deepening the ongoing dialogue between student and faculty advisor. This incorporation of discipline and focus fuels an outpouring of creative work.

Diversity & Inclusion

At VCFA, we are committed to working in partnership with all members of our college and the external community to build and sustain a welcoming and inclusive environment.

We recognize, honor, and support diversity and equity in every context. As an institution, we actively focus our resources on outreach, expansion, and inclusion. As a community, we are fully committed to fostering the artistic, intellectual, individual, and social identities, contributions, and development of every one of our members.

(Read our full Statement on Community Values here, and learn more about VCFA’s ongoing work by visiting our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion page.)

Investing in What Counts

VCFA’s students and faculty are the backbone of our acclaimed graduate degree programs. As a result, we are committed to investing in what matters most to support their educational experience—paying faculty fairly, funding scholarships, maintaining and improving our facilities, and more.

Leadership

As accomplished professionals in their own fields, leaders of VCFA are committed to pushing arts education forward, supporting students and the greater arts community along the way.