Thanks to a new cross-registration program with the Massachusetts College of Art (MCA) and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA), a limited number of MIT undergraduates are now able to cross-register for selected classes at these nationally recognized art schools.
Starting in fall 1998, up to 10 MIT undergraduates per semester will be eligible to take selected subjects in painting and drawing at the two Boston-based institutions (five at each school). In turn, up to five students from both the MCA and SMFA will be able to register for selected visual arts, media arts and theater subjects at MIT.
The program was initiated by Associate Provost for the Arts Alan Brody in response to a demand from MIT undergraduates for a larger selection of studio art classes. According to Professor Brody, some MIT students currently cross-register for these subjects at Harvard.
"I'm especially pleased about this program with the MCA and SMFA because it opens up even more opportunities for MIT students to experience the arts, explore their own possibilities and to work closely with students who are not necessarily from the MIT culture," said Professor Brody. "It will also allow students from outside MIT to find out more about who we are behind the stereotypes and myths."
Courses at the MCA and SMFA will be offered on a pass/fail basis. MIT students may cross-register for one class per term, and it is recommended that students first take 4.301 (Foundations in Visual Arts). Priority will be given to upperclass students.
MIT students will be selected through an application process administered by the Visual Arts Program, which is directed by Associate Professor of Architecture Dennis Adams. "For undergraduate students at MIT with an interest in traditional visual art subjects, the exchange program will offer an outlet to explore their talents," he said.
Organizers hope to expand the program in the future, both in the number of courses offered and the number of slots available.
The application deadline for next fall is Friday, May 22. Beginning Monday, May 11, application forms and lists of available subjects will be available in Rm 7-337. For more information, contact Ren���e Caso at yammie@mit.edu or Linda Woolford at woolford@mit.edu.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on May 6, 1998.
