Artist-Mentors

One of the two main components of a student’s course of study in the MFA in Visual Art program at Vermont College of the Fine Arts is a semester-long studio project in which the student develops and/or challenges specific aspects of their art practice under the guidance of an Artist-Mentor who lives and works in the student’s community.

While there is no set prescription for what constitutes this relationship, each Artist-Mentor is asked to engage the student in a rigorous and critical dialogue concerning the conceptual and material issues they confront in their work. An Artist-Mentor is expected to meet with a student five times for two hours each over the course of six months and to complete two written evaluations of the student’s progress. These visits must be evenly spaced throughout the semester.

Qualifications

• A strong commitment to artistic life which is evidenced in a substantial body of work that has been shown through regular exhibitions in a variety of serious galleries, museums, and other public spaces. The exhibition record should extend beyond the artist’s local community and demonstrate the strong and consistent development of a theme or group of themes.
• An MFA or equivalent studio training.
• Three years post graduate full-time college level teaching experience in recognized educational institutions that include art majors. Some teaching at the graduate level is preferred.
• The ability to establish an honest, open dialogue with the student and to create a supportive relationship that enables the student to develop her/his own personal vision and individual style.
• Under special circumstances, some of the qualifications above may be waived with the consent of the Faculty Chair, and upon consultation with members of the Faculty.

Honorarium

$1210 per student per semester, paid in two equal installments on receipt of completed mid-term and final evaluations. Minimal travel reimbursement is available.

Number of Students

An Artist-Mentor may work with a maximum of four students at one time. A student may not work with a particular Artist-Mentor more than twice.

Liability & Credit

Artist-Mentors are not faculty or adjunct faculty; they are independent contractors and as such are not covered under the college’s workers’ compensation or liability policies. Credit determination is made by the MFA in Visual Art faculty, not by the Artist-Mentor. This determination occurs at the program residencies after a careful review of the Artist-Mentor and student evaluations, the student’s actual artwork, and additional visual documentation (brought to the residency).

Artist-Mentor applications are open to those invited by the program. We do not accept unsolicited applications at this time. For further information, please contact Program Director Thatiana Oliveira at [email protected].