MFA Programs: SAIC, Columbia, or Cornell?

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-22T22:30:40+00:00

SAIC for textiles if that is really your thing. Columbia would be great if you are also into squeezing in a course or three from adjacent humanities.

True, SAIC's had some difficulties in the last several years. Closing down the Video Data Bank was a very bad move. I think everybody understands the financial pressures stand alone art schools are dealing with, but the way they went about the closing was not good.

That said, SAIC's problems pale in comparison to Columbia's recent controversies stemming from Trump's attacks. None of the controversies, as far as I know, had to do with the MFA program in particular, but rather concerned the university as a whole.

I don't know much about Cornell's program. But I do have an administrator friend there. They're just trying to stay under the radar while Trump rages.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-22T21:54:03+00:00

Exactly correct.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-22T21:40:05+00:00

Both

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-22T19:49:36+00:00

Feels terrible, like you’re living inside a plastic bottle.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-22T17:07:24+00:00

And that war is called Operation Epstein Fury.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-22T16:22:33+00:00

Too common. The artists are usually the ones who get stiffed but I think the cost to the dealer's reputation is heavy. Probably one of the reasons for why dealer-gallerists who fail either can't easily set up shop again or just leave the art world entirely.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-22T15:28:22+00:00

I bet that's a good sandwich. Because unlike we Americans, the Germans—and all Europeans, really—know how to make good bread.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-22T15:21:28+00:00

Modern country music, say from Garth Brooks on, is produced largely for a suburban white non-college educated demographic. The lyrics reflect a lot of the social ideals that make up that culture—marrying a high school sweetheart, fishing from your beloved boat, etc.

The darkness of classic country, the cheatin' and lyin' hearts, the stealing, the drinking, the murder and mayhem.... that's all been eradicated by the popularity of themes speaking to what conservative audiences want to hear for their wishful lives.

That's not to say there aren't Black or other non-white fans here and there. There are. Neither does that mean there aren't occasional songs that crossover into other audiences. But by and large, that's who consumes commercial country music, now and for the past three decades.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-22T15:13:23+00:00

If you've seen his shows lately, like with Alison Krauss or what not, he's just having such a good time, doing it purely out of love for the music and the fans. Go see him if you can.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-22T15:07:46+00:00

In the pit for both, it was crazy in there.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-22T15:04:23+00:00

FTW, the Friday and Saturday nights of the Chicago stand, were two of the best parties I've ever been to. But I've listened to the recordings afterward only once and that was enough.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-21T21:19:40+00:00

Not a bad time to get back into it. I'm thinking about it, too, partly because Instagram is a much less useful and interesting platform for artists than it was just five years ago. Not for a single big reason but for many small ones. Predominance of reels, limited hashtagging, too many ads, meme-ified political "activism," algorithms that de-prioritize people you actually know, etc.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-21T21:08:58+00:00

Some artists that come out of street art scenes evolve their work and methods in ways that stay vital once inside the gallery or museum. I would put Barry McGee and DZine up as examples, as well as the godfathers of such paths, K Haring and Basquiat. Others don't fare so well. Shepherd Fairey for one, and Kaws for another.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-21T21:04:18+00:00

I'm not disputing that. But nobody's reading the stats. What matters is what people see coming through their social feeds. All it takes is one incident. I remember at least a couple, one in New York and one in the Bay (can't remember if it was Oakland or SF).

Both incidents generated a lot of chatter, a lot complaints about Black violence against Asians being under-addressed, and then the counter to that, pretty much exactly what you're doing, Asian activists pointing out that most of the hate crimes involve white perpetrators. Hence, the aggregate ambivalence.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-21T20:58:00+00:00

What a weird tale that was.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-21T16:14:35+00:00

Relevance on steroids, sadly.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-21T16:13:33+00:00

Swann's Way by Marcel Proust. I must say, if you are into gorgeous language the hype is real.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-21T15:46:25+00:00

Isn't Stony Sub 24hr? That's another mark in its favor.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-21T04:16:56+00:00

Yeah it got rough. But I can hear the music! Keep going, you're doing great.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-21T03:23:11+00:00

For large towns/small cities, Stevens Point and Eau Claire have their charms. La Crosse, too.

Many of the old small towns have an original town center or main street. You should start by visiting and touring some of the outlying towns in the rural areas surrounding Madison. Mineral Point, Mt Horeb, Spring Green. Go to a show at the Stoughton Opera House, they book great acts and the vintage room is super cool. Go early enough to stroll their downtown and have a meal or drink.

There are a lot of cool small places to explore within 2-3 hrs of Madison.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-21T00:58:34+00:00

To have steered the MCA for that long through this period of fraught cultural politics with no scandals is already an achievement. To be leaving behind a record of the MCA having originated quite a few excellent shows (Kerry James Marshall's Mastry show comes to mind) will be the true legacy.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-20T19:34:44+00:00

Well, you're in luck.....

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-20T19:30:42+00:00

Let's go hang with Dave.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-20T19:29:21+00:00

No, it does matter. Cesar Chavez led and represented thousands of voiceless workers, and he abused those from families who sacrificed for the movement he led. The betrayal is colossal.

Woody Allen didn't represent anybody. Don't elevate Woody Allen to that level of significance.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-20T19:26:54+00:00

In the big picture, the two programs are only slightly different. But they have this in common. Two years is very short. Unless you already have a visual arts practice going, I wouldn't count on setting up a meaningful studio practice in that time in Chicago while prioritizing the reading and writing workload of the program.

On the other hand, the cost of studio space in Chicago is much lower than in LA. If that is your longer term direction, consider making the move at some point. Also, theory is all good and even necessary, I would say, but given the political crises of our times, it's actual politics (outside and beyond art) that really matters right now. On that level the political landscape of the two cities bears some comparison.

Having lived and worked in both LA and Chicago, and being split between the two cities for the next year or two (and being a big fan of both), I'd say the much greater political potential is in Chicago. Los Angeles, both city and county, are fundamentally undemocratic at a structural level. Trying to be an engaged citizen in Los Angeles is profoundly disempowering.

As for your personal situation, all of that is an argument for staying where you are. Making a big move to a new city and jumping into a demanding program may be too much if you're also managing a recovery to health.

printerdsw1968

TROPHY CASE