The low-residency Master of Fine Arts program developed
by the Massachusetts College of Art and Design and the Fine
Arts Work Center in Provincetown has graduated 30 artists
since the partnership began in 2005. Each year, a group of
10 to 12 artists have entered the intensive two-year program
comprised of online classes, individual mentorships and
intensive 24-day residencies in May and September, which
benefit from the natural beauty of the Outer Cape and its
century-old arts community.
Liza Bingham and Alice Denison were
both members of that first class,
which met in May of 2005 at the
FAWC campus. Both had been looking
at full-residency programs, but when
they heard about the program in
Provincetown, it was a natural fit.
“I’ve always gone to Truro and been
connected to the art world of the
Outer Cape,” Bingham noted.
Bingham’s relationships with her mentors brought much growth to her
work. During the program, artists
can study with up to four different
mentors. “My work is about the
landscape, but I wasn’t sure where I
fit in,” she said. “When I was with my
final mentor who is an abstract artist,
it was like ‘Ahhh, this is it.’ It was
me figuring out what kind of painter
I was.” Bingham also benefited from
the hard work the program requires.
“Unlike regular programs, we were working two years solid, no time off,
no break. Helen Miranda Wilson said
if you don’t put in the hours, you
simply will not get results. That is
one thing that stays with me.”
Bingham credits the program with
both the development of her style
and her newfound connections. Her paintings of isolated suburban
shrubbery, floating on high-keyed
backgrounds, can be found both at
the Alden Gallery in Provincetown, a
big supporter of the program’s artists,
as well as the Fireplace Project in
East Hampton.
Denison’s decision was also made as soon as she heard of the program.
“Nothing ever looked right until I
heard about the program at the FAWC
with MassArt. That’s probably the real
answer — I love the FAWC.”
She found the residencies the most
critical part of her growth. “It was a
process where you get asked questions
from every angle,” Denison said. “The
answers, when you dig them out,
they surprise you.” Throughout the
residency, students are visited in
their studios by a number of faculty
artists. “What helped me was the
combination of all these very different
people coming and looking at my
work, people who are sophisticated,
established artists. It was like the
ultimate testing.” Denison’s swirling
floral portraits are beautiful, delicate
and dynamic. As a result of exposure
from the program, she has also shown
at the Alden Gallery and has a solo
show from January 8 through 30 at
Gallery NAGA in Boston.
Colin McNamee had been looking
at full-residency programs, but
dreaded the upheaval of leaving
his home in Providence, a source of
his artistic inspiration. “I am still
neck deep in a whole other career
as a theater technician, so the MFA
program was a way to finally be able
to devote some time to painting,”
he explained. McNamee felt his skill
develop through the residencies
and through his work with mentors.
He also found support in the
student community that developed
through the residencies. “For me the
residencies were less about getting
work done than having a family, an
artistic family to rely on, to support
you, because it’s not an easy thing,
trying to be an artist.”
Bill Gusky, another promising artist,
will graduate next September. Like
many students, he has a family and
career to think about. The location
and structure of the MassArt/FAWC
program appealed to him. “The idea
that you’re going off, separating
yourself from the rest of your life
for three-and-a-half weeks at a time,
focusing largely on your work — that
right there was really good.”
C M Y
Gusky had gone to the Pratt
Institute in Brooklyn, but over time
felt disconnected from his work.
The program in Provincetown has
reenergized him. After working with
urethane structures upon which he
drew cartoon figures, Gusky returned
to two-dimensions. He layers familiar
cartoon faces, but uses saturated
colors that impart a sense of
violence and suspense. He has found
the program “a fantastic space to
discover. We have
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