Low Residency MFA in Illustration

Answers to Some of Your Questions

“When you enter the MFA Illustration program at Hartford, you find yourself in an arena with superior students, and the best professionals in the industry who guide and support you on your journey of fulfilling your creative dreams. Hartford has given me the space to grow as a communicator and has empowered me to extend my vision of where I will travel with my work.”

Lori Ann Levy-Holm, Class of 2009
Valencia, CA

OVERVIEW

This program is the ONLY Low Residency MFA dedicated exclusively to illustration.
The low residency format provides professional illustrators and designers an attractive and accessible opportunity to work with the country's top illustrators and illustration educators while refining their skills and techniques, expanding their creative intellect, shaping their illustration career into a business, while pursuing an MFA in Illustration.
Our students all have some professional experience in the field.
They are committed to the field of illustration and share their passion and professionalism with equally committed classmates. Many of them are also teaching illustration at the college and university level.
Our students are typically non-traditional and range in age from approximately 25 to 55. Both students and faculty come from all over the country to our July contact periods in Hartford.

PROGRAM

This program accepts 20 students by rolling admissions each year with classes starting in July.
All students are considered full-time for the duration of the program and are eligible for student loans.
All studio classes are team taught, making the student/faculty ratio very conducive to learning.
The thesis is a body of illustrations that students plan to sell.
Our thesis advisors are professional illustrators and attend each contact period, as well as always remaining accessible by email and phone.

PROGRAM STRUCTURE (2 years and 2 weeks)

Three intensive 2-week July residencies at the Hartford Art School, University of Hartford. Our faculty comes to Hartford from across the country to teach each July.
Four 1-week contact periods (1 week each November and 1 week each March) at selected cities nationally where substantial numbers of high profile illustrators work and reside: New York NY, Pasadena/LA CA, San Francisco CA, and Fort Worth/Dallas, TX.

Each of these professional illustrators, art directors, and illustration representatives present their work to our students and conclude with an open discussion relative to their work and the illustration profession at large. Students share in the expertise of these professionals and gain insight into the similarities and differences illustrators face in different markets and regions across the country.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Every prospective student completes an extensive phone interview with Murray and Carol Tinkelman so that the student can decide whether the program is a good fit for them.

During the interview process, we communicate our mission, vision and values to the prospective student while educating them on how they can successfully complete a low residency MFA while still attending to their illustration and design businesses, their teaching commitments and their families.
Prospective students then send a website address or a CD with at least 10 images of their work to Murray Tinkelman for review.
Upon acceptance of your portfolio the registration process begins.

The Hartford Art School is accredited by NASAD.
The University of Hartford is accredited by NEASC.