Introducing VCFA’s Summer 2023 Official Residency Schedule & Programming

From July 21 to July 29, 2023, all six of VCFA’s MFA programs will converge on the Colorado College campus in Colorado Springs, Colorado for a nine-day residency experience. This residency marks two historic moments for VCFA: our first summer residency on the Colorado College campus, and the first time all six of our MFA programs are coming together for a concurrent residency.

With our current student community united on campus (and in the cloud!) comes the opportunity for college-wide events and programming. The summer 2023 residency will open with a college-wide convocation on July 21 and will culminate with a college-wide commencement on July 29. Sponsored by VCFA’s Center for Arts + Social Justice, the entire VCFA community is invited on July 27 to the panel discussion “Imagined Futures: On Art + Social Change” with Naomi Shihab Nye (author, poet, and VCFA’s Summer 2023 Honorary Degree Recipient), kei slaughter (Music Composition Alumnx), Tasheka Arceneaux-Sutton (Graphic Design Faculty), and Damon Davis (Film Faculty and Alumnx); and the interactive performance COME AS YOU ARE: MUSICAL SPACE-MAKING with kei slaughter. 

Our six MFA programs have additionally published their individual residency schedules and visiting faculty and artists line-ups. Each day will be filled with screenings, lectures, workshops, readings, performances, exhibitions, and more. Live-streamed and on-campus events can be found on our program residency pages: MFA in Film, MFA in Graphic Design, MFA in Music Composition, MFA in Visual Art, MFA in Writing, and MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults. 

The summer 2023 residency will also renew a treasured VCFA tradition: the presentation of an honorary degree. VCFA is proud to announce the conferral of an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters to renowned author and poet, Naomi Shihab Nye. The honorary degree will be conferred at our commencement ceremony on July 29, 2023.

Lastly, VCFA’s summer residency will be captured daily on our social media accounts. Follow VCFA on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn for residency updates and day-to-day perspectives. 

On behalf of the college, we thank each and every person who had a hand in making this residency come to life. This residency would not have been possible without the staff, faculty, trustees, current students, and alumnx groups that make up this vast community. We could not be more excited by this opportunity to come together and grow together. 

For more information on the full residency experience, visit our summer residency information page.