Vermont College of Fine Arts


Vermont College of Fine Arts is a private graduate-level art school in Montpelier, Vermont. It offers Master's degrees in low-residency and residential programs. Its faculty includes Pulitzer Prize finalists, National Book Award winners, Newbery Medal honorees, Guggenheim Fellowship and Fulbright Program fellows, and Ford Foundation grant recipients.

History

The focus of Vermont College has changed since its beginnings as Newbury Seminary in 1831. After existing in several forms including a Wesleyan Seminary and a Methodist Seminary, it became Vermont Junior College in 1941. In 1958 it became Vermont College. In 1972 Vermont College merged with Norwich University; the two schools became fully integrated in 1993. Union Institute acquired Vermont College in 2001.
The Master of Fine Arts in Writing program was established in 1981 and the MFA in Visual Art in 1991. The MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults, the first "MFA program in writing for young readers," began in January 1997. In 2008 Vermont College of Fine Arts became an independent institution. In 2011 it launched an MFA program in Music Composition and one in Graphic Design The MFA in Film program was established in 2013. In 2014 the MFA in Writing and Publishing began, and the Graduate Studies in Art & Design Education Program was established with first classes starting in 2015. The newest program is the International MFA in Creative Writing & Literary Translation, which enrolled its first students in 2018.
College Hall, the central building on campus, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
It was completed in 1872 and includes a two-story high chapel and a pipe organ from 1884.

Academics

All programs feature writers-in-residence, artists-in-residence, and artist/scholars who give lectures, readings, and workshops. Artists- and writers-in-residence have included Jean Valentine, Richard Russo, Claudia Emerson, M. T. Anderson, Andrew Blauvelt, Susan Cooper, Meredith Davis, Gregory Maguire, Holly Black, Jane Yolen, Wu Tsang, and Stephen Drury.

Low-residency

In the low-residency structure, students earn their graduate degrees through brief, on-campus residencies, self-designated study, flexible scheduling, and personalized attention through one-on-one guidance with a faculty mentor. The on-campus residencies consist of workshops, lectures, readings, panel discussions, student-teacher conferences and critiques, and presentations of works in progress." A faculty member works with five or fewer students through written correspondence and electronic/video/telephone communication in between residencies.

Faculty

Approximately 60 authors, designers, filmmakers, composers, artists, and scholars teach at Vermont College. All have terminal degrees in their specialty.

Notable alumni

Vermont College of Fine Arts

Notable alumni of the Vermont College of Fine Arts include:
Notable alumni of Newbury Academy include: