The School of Art and Design at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign occupies a very particular position in a very particular University. UIUC is one of the Big Ten, initially established over 130 years ago as a centre for the development of agriculture. It has become since then a hot-house for the development of science and technology – the transistor, Eudora, Mosaic, Netscape and the Magnetic Resonance body scanner were all invented here, and there were two Nobel prize winners from the faculty this year.
And within this institution devoted to science and technology, the College of Fine and Applied Arts is seen as a vital part of the campus – vital in the essential contribution that art, design, music, architecture, dance, theatre, and the performing arts make to the creative and cultural life of the academic community. The College celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2006.
Our awareness of this honorable tradition and high reputation means that in the School of Art and Design we must set ourselves high standards for the work that we do, as students, graduates, faculty, and staff. We have a lot to live up to.
I believe that the work of our graduating studio MFA class of 2005 more than lives up to those expectations and that is evidenced by the work in this catalogue. In this body of work you will find young artists and designers taking risks, pushing the envelope, innovating and challenging our preconceptions – all the approaches that underpin creative development and invention across the campus. Some of this work is not easy, familiar, or comfortable, but that is the way it should be. These young people will contribute in their different ways to the shaping of the future, as they work in practice, in education, in creative enterprises or in the wide variety of careers that they will follow.
All of our MFA students also work as teaching or research assistants and over the 2-3 years of their program they become an integral part of the academic community of the School, supporting undergraduate students, faculty, and staff. I have been impressed by the way in which they bring the same seriousness and application to this as to their practice. We have enjoyed working with them.
The work in this catalogue is from our MFA students in studio and design programs, shown in the exhibition in the Krannert Art Museum from April 25 to May 8 and at I space in Chicago from July 15 to August 13. Our other graduate students in MA, EdD, and PhD programs are listed in the catalogue, along with the titles of the doctoral dissertations, to give a full picture of post-graduate work in the School.
I commend the work of all these graduates to you. Please don’t hesitate to contact them if you need to or if you are a potential graduate student, contact the School for details of the graduate programs.
This graduating class goes out into the world with our best wishes, hopes, and thanks.
David Weightman
Director, School of Art and Design
