The University of Iowa is a national leader in supporting graduate students seeking a fine arts education. In 1940, the UI was the first in the United States to award the Master of Fine Arts degree. In 1922, Iowa began accepting creative work in lieu of a thesis for graduate degrees in the arts, paving the way for the formal MFA program.
The Graduate College continues this proud tradition, offering the Iowa Arts Fellowship to help recruit the most talented artists to MFA programs at the University of Iowa. This first-year fellowship gives graduate students protected time to focus on completing their scholarly activities and creative works while not having to work as a teaching assistant.
The Graduate College recently spoke with three MFA students who have benefitted from receiving the Iowa Arts Fellowship.
Ollie Oliver
"I could not go to grad school if it wasn’t paid for. The gift of time also is unreal to an artist. There’s strenuous thinking, planning, and gathering that needs to happen to create good work. I had so much time to experiment with processes that I hadn’t before."
Brennen Malone
“That first year of just studying as opposed to studying and teaching was so helpful, because I could just put all my effort into my shows and my classes. Now, when I teach my classes, I can pull from what I learned (last year). Teaching my undergrads also reinforces what I’m learning.”
April Zhou
“What I really needed was not something that could come with several lectures or reading a certain critical mass of books. I had to learn on my own through reading, thinking, practicing my writing, figuring things out. This year, because of the extra time the Iowa Arts Fellowship has given me to do this exploration, I have made great leaps forward in this education.”
About the Iowa Arts Fellowship
The Iowa Arts Fellowship is offered to graduate students in the following programs: Art, Book Arts, Comparative Literature – Translation, Creative Writing, Dance, Film and Video Production, Nonfiction Writing, Spanish Creative Writing, and Theatre Arts.
This fellowship, first offered in the 1990-91 academic year, is one-year award that includes a $23,306 academic year stipend plus a full tuition scholarship and 50 percent of mandatory fees. The Graduate College has funded 29 Iowa Arts Fellows annually over the last decade.