The MFA Experience with James Angello

The Form Art Club at CSUS presented a lecture in which artist James Angello presented his experience in an MFA program. James went to UC Davis focusing on installation and sculpture. The club presented him with questions about his honest experience within the program at Davis and the advice that he could present to students interested in a graduate program. Being in the MA program here at Sac State, I was interested in the comparing and contrasting that I could do with the testimony he presented. The tips that I recorded for myself are below. I found all that James said very informative and honest.

Questions and tips presented:

• What do you do post undergrad or grad school when you do not have someone or something guiding you in a schools setting?
• Upon looking at graduate programs, look at the types of visiting artists the school presents throughout the year. This will give you an idea of the art the school is interested in.
• Talk to people! Visit professors/ email them/ be assertive in acquiring as much information as possible from faculty.
• Difference between an MA and MFA :
                  MA: 50% studio 50 % theory
                  MFA: 70-75% studio 25-30% theory
• Application process: James described how he set up his portfolio. He started off with a group of work he thought was a fair group of work. He then placed what he thought was his weakest group of work in the center of his portfolio. Then to end the application, he put his best work at the end. He wanted to grab the faculty with a good group of work and then wow them at the very end to increase his chances of being accepted into the program.
• "You need to think about what you need to do regarding the things that you like to do and the things that you need to do."
• Visit caa.org- the standard for academic art careers.
• Artist CV versus Artist Resume:
             CV: geared more towards jobs and teaching
             Resume: geared more towards exhibitions
• "Praise comes and goes like temperature."
• When looking for school, always look at the faculty's work.

James is a very good source for school related questions and for personal critiques on work. He is genuine and honest, and a great friend and experienced maker.

You can view his website here:
http://jamieangello.com
You can view his instagram here:
https://www.instagram.com/___obsidian_/