Applying for MFA in Photography

[elliot_n]

I hate the concept of grants etc, with a vengeance. I think a photographer or any artist should stand or fall on his own merits and efforts, and getting money from 'institutions' to pay for the ride feels, to me, as something almost contrary to the idea of making it through the value of your work: it's like saying 'well look, I can't do this well enough by myself, but I enjoy it, so can you pay for my doing it?' which feels horrible to me.

It's not easy getting a grant. It's very competitive.

A lot of memorable photography would not have been made without grants.

Perhaps it's state-funded grants in particular that irritate you? There's certainly a question of whether government should fund the arts (I think it should).

But there are also many private grants available (e.g. a photographer dies and leaves a fund to help future photographers produce work). Do you despise these also?

[louoates]

I've never been in that position, but if I understand the advanced degree requirements, those entrance committees want to see your experiences. So would they not be disappointed if you avoided showing your best work, whatever the subjects?

[Rob C]

It's not easy getting a grant. It's very competitive.

A lot of memorable photography would not have been made without grants.

Perhaps it's state-funded grants in particular that irritate you? There's certainly a question of whether government should fund the arts (I think it should).

But there are also many private grants available (e.g. a photographer dies and leaves a fund to help future photographers produce work). Do you despise these also?

I dislike the entire system of adults using other people to pay for their ego-tripping; if you, as a grown person, decide to do something that's commercially unsustainable, then it should be at your own expense. It doesn't strike me as making any difference if the funding comes from public or private sources;  if they are not your own pennies you are spending, then I think there's something wrong in the sytem that encourages that.

I'm sure it is a competitive business getting grants: handouts always attract massive queues, even if nobody knows what they are really standing in the queue for - that's an old British joke about the war days.

As to state funding of the arts: I would agree that young students should get all the art school funding they need, just as long as they can prove an aptitude for the business. I don't see it as the state's business or responsibility to pay if somebody, anybody, later in life decides they want to switch careers. Once an adult, it's your responsibility to manage your own affairs.

I have reservations about the state funding things such as ballet or orchestras, for that matter; there are too many people unable to feed themselves or pay the gas and electricity bills; last winter, thousands of old folks in the UK died because of their inability to heat and feed properly; I see that as a problem far more concerning than anybody's ego-trip. If we have state funds to throw away, let's first use them to help those who need help, not those who'd just like it!

Rob C

[elliot_n]

I don't care if I get paid by a commercial client, a grant-giving body, or a collector. I need to make work, and I'll finance it whichever way I can. The attraction of grants is that I can get a sizeable sum of money upfront and sufficient time to explore a project in depth.

Getting back to the topic, doing an MFA will certainly facilitate grant applications; you'll learn about more grant opportunities and you'll be in a better position to secure them.

[JB Rasor]

Again, thank you all for the feedback and insights. They have all been helpful!

Just to clarify, I didn't mean to put a great deal of emphasis on grants. Rather, my statements were to illustrate that seeking grants can be a bit easier if one is working toward a Master's degree.
As it relates to federally funded secondary education financial aid, I will most certainly take those grants, as I did for undergraduate study. I've certainly paid enough in taxes over my years to justify some modest grants toward my education. But I think you're referencing, more specifically, the idea of grants for photography projects Rob C. And that is largely a philosophical argument that can have rebuttals and counter arguments to no end. My personal view is I am perfectly fine with privately funded grants going toward an artist's work, as long as the accountability is there and the funding is completely transparent.
Government dollars going toward specific artist's work, I'm hesitant to agree with that approach, but I certainly agree that federal money going toward generating more artistic development, and exposing young people to the arts in general, is a worthwhile investment in our culture.
But, I certainly wasn't trying to state, "hey, if I go to grad school I'll get tons of money, for free, from rich patrons and get to go play with Phase One's in Greenland." On the contrary, the idea of someone giving me a grant to pursue my photography is so far removed from my reality it isn't even on the radar. Again, I was just mentioning in passing that grants come into play as one develops work down the line, and grad school is a good resource for that.   

As to my portfolio, I've tightened things up and have aimed for 20 solid images that have a general, and linear, narrative. I'm adding a few additional images and will post as soon as I'm finished. I'd really welcome some feedback, if the members would be so kind. Initially I was overwhelmed with the idea of creating a portfolio for graduate study, as the audience (i.e. school faculty) review photographic work for a living day in and day out. I have a ton of work, but as I originally posted, the bulk of my professional work is family photography and portraits. Not that that work isn't good, but I didn't want to include it in the portfolio as my main reason for attending graduate school is to change my focus in photography from family/portrait to documentary based work. So I've put together a good selection of images that focus more tightly on that genre.

Thanks again to everyone!
JB Rasor
   

[BobDavid]

SCAD and Photojournalism is a bit of an oxymoron. Let's see, J-Schools:  University of Missouri at Columbia, Syracuse University, Columbia.  SCAD = family-owned art school--not bad for commercial art. Fine art degrees are weird American inventions. Art History MA = career in art criticism, adjunct professorship, or using a historical foundation to add depth to your artistic endeavors. Education for the sake of education is fine.

But a degree from SCAD will not be helpful regarding your objectives. Savanna is a lovely town, and SCAD has a workable distance learning program. It will gladly take your money. It will help you identify financial aid sources.

If you really want to improve your photo documentary skills, I suggest spending a month documenting the city of Detroit followed by documenting Palm Beach in the winter time. Your end product will surely provoke interest. It will garner a lot more attention than a run-of-the-mill McArt degree.