California College of the Arts, San Francisco
1111 Eighth Street
San Francisco
T 415 703 9500
Inaugurated in 2005, the Social Practice Workshop at California College of the Arts (CCA) was the first Master’s level curriculum of its kind in the United States. Since then, the field of socially engaged art has continued to change and expand, and with that evolution, new questions about academic and professional preparation of practitioners in this creative realm have developed. At its heart, CCA’s MA program is grounded in the understanding of social practice as inhabiting, and producing, spaces of encounter, where an individual’s creative production is challenged and amplified by interactions with communities, audiences and publics.
Building on its leadership in this field, CCA has launched a unique MA program in Social Practice & Public Forms, and is currently beginning its application period for fall 2017. This program is responsive to the changing factors influencing the field of social practice and conceived to support artists, designers and cultural innovators whose working methods cross the boundaries between contemporary art and the public realm, including site- and community-engagement strategies, design, public pedagogy and policy, research, administration and political inquiry.
The curriculum immerses students in the discourse of socially engaged practices, providing opportunities to work contextually in a variety of public spaces, including urban environments and specific regional communities, as well as online social spaces and institutional structures. The program affords students with an opportunity to supplement their individual projects and pursuits with coursework in critical theory, travel-based curriculum and individualized study with professionals working across the spectrum of media and practice. Full-time students can complete the program within one calendar year.
The MA in Social Practice & Public Forms at CCA is designed for creative practitioners who are ready for deeper immersions in the theory and practice of public and socially-engaged art, and who desire substantive field experience and critical research. This degree provides a platform to produce professional-level public artwork or community-engaged projects that can serve as central portfolio pieces for pursuing future grants and residency opportunities. Opportunities in this field thus include public art commissions, residency-based projects, private/institutional commissions, employment within museum public engagement programs, and community-based educational work.
Beyond the curricular connection to CCA’s Social Practice faculty, MA students will benefit from close access to CCA’s world-renowned Center for Art and Public Life, and will have opportunities to work directly with an international group of visiting artists in an intimate workshop setting. Visiting artists scheduled for the 2017–2018 academic year include Bik Van der Pol (Rotterdam), Torolab (Tijuana), and Edgar Arceneaux (Los Angeles),
For a full overview of the MA Social Practice & Public Forms curriculum, faculty and application process, please visit the program’s website.
Join us to learn more about the Social Practice & Public Forms program at events on and off campus.
Wednesday, November 9, 6–7pm
MA in Social Practice & Public Forms information session
San Francisco, California College of the Arts
Social Practice & Public Forms Workshop (Room 200)
Meet social practice faculty at the Graduate National Portfolio Days and Information Fairs in San Francisco, New York and Chicago.
Saturday, October 22, noon–4pm
San Francisco California Graduate Portfolio Day
Hosted by California College of the Arts
(Social Practice panel discussion, 11am–11:45am)
Sunday, October 30, noon–4pm
New York City Graduate Portfolio Day
Hosted by Parsons School of Design
Saturday, November 5, 10am–2pm
Chicago Graduate Portfolio Day
Hosted by School of the Art Institute of Chicago