Digital Arts and New Media: MFA: Collaboration, Innovation, Social Impact

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Call for Applications: UCSC's Digital Arts and New Media MFA program

Wednesday, November 2, 2016 - 12:00am to Tuesday, January 10, 2017 - 12:00am

Apply Now! Deadline is January 10, 2017.

The Digital Arts and New Media (DANM) MFA Program at the UC Santa Cruz is initiating new Research Project Groups (RPGs) in the context of the program's ongoing research. Collaborating with faculty and contributing to digital media arts research is a critical component of a student's experience in the DANM MFA program. Prospective students apply to a specific RPG and are selected by the faculty leading it for admission to the program. MFA students entering in Fall 2017 will have the opportunity to collaborate on the following projects:

Art & Science: The Role of Sound in Integrating Art, Science, and the Environment
Project description: http://danm.ucsc.edu/project_group/art-science
Faculty mentor: David Dunn


Experimental Play: Games and Playable Media
Project description: http://danm.ucsc.edu/project_group/experimental-play
Faculty mentors: Robin Hunicke, Michael Mateas, Susana Ruiz, Elizabeth Swensen, Noah Wardrip-Fruin

Socially Engaged Art: The Public Record and Interactive Documentary
Project description: http://danm.ucsc.edu/project_group/socially-engaged-art
Faculty mentor: Sharon Daniel


Note: There is no Performative Technologies group scheduled for applicants for Fall 17.

DANM:  COLLABORATION • INNOVATION • SOCIAL ACTION
DANM’s two-year MFA program emphasizes collaborative interdisciplinary research that is innovative and socially engaged. With close faculty mentorship, small clusters of students collaborate on artistic, technical, and theoretical projects. In addition, core and elective courses in the theory and practice of digital media arts support the development of individual thesis projects, premiered in our annual MFA Exhibition. 

Faculty
DANM faculty are internationally recognized artists and scholars. Our Principal Faculty come from Art, Film and Digital Media, Music, History of Art and Visual Culture, Theater and Dance, Computational Media, and Art and Design: Games and Playable Media. Our Affiliate Faculty expand our expertise even further, offering students an unparalleled depth and breadth of mentors.

Alumni
DANM alumni teach at top research universities and art schools, pursue doctoral research, lead community-based organizations, work for major technology and entertainment firms, and have launched successful careers as exhibiting artists and entrepreneurs. The DANM alumni network offers our past and present students valuable professional opportunities and support.

Facilities
DANM is housed in the Digital Arts Research Center (DARC), a 25,000 ft2 building in the Arts Division quad, overlooking the Monterey Bay. DARC was designed by BCM, whose projects include Pixar Animation Studios and flagship Apple Stores in New York, Palo Alto, and Barcelona. The DANM Grad Lab is a large, open work-space that adjoins the Prototyping Lab. The Dark Lab is a 40’ x 40’ performance space with 30’ ceilings, Dolby 8.1 surround-sound, extensively wired for digital media and rigging. The Light Lab is a 25’ x 25’ multi-use space with 16’ ceilings. DANM students also have access to a variety of other studios, shops, and labs on campus.

Location
UCSC is nestled between the ancient redwood forests and the legendary surfing beaches of Santa Cruz. We are 45 minutes from Silicon Valley and just over an hour from San Francisco and the East Bay.

Financial Assistance
DANM guarantees teaching assistantships for the first year and we almost always have helped our students secure a second year of funding in the form of grants and fellowships, graduate student research positions, and teaching assistantships.

Explore the creative potentials and social implications of emerging technologies.
Experiment with ideas, processes, collaborative research, and social action. 
Become a critical thinker, artistic innovator, and responsible leader. 

To Apply
For more information and to apply, please review our websites:
danm.ucsc.edu
danmapply.ucsc.edu

Questions?
danm@ucsc.edu
+1-831-459-1554

Digital Arts and New Media MFA Program

Digital Arts Research Center, Suite 302
University of California, Santa Cruz
+1-831-459-1554
http://danm.ucsc.edu/