The MFA Fair Showcases International MFA Programs

Art Market Productions has announced the inaugural edition of The MFA Fair, which launches November 14-17, 2019 at Lower Manhattan's Pier 36. Working in partnership with leading universities and an advisory committee of industry experts, The MFA Fair will showcase exceptional work by recent MFA graduates. Held during New York City's fall contemporary art auctions, The MFA Fair will draw attention from leading curators, collectors, dealers, critics, and art enthusiasts from around the world. Confirmed participants include:

• Columbia University School of the Arts
• Cranbrook Academy of Art
• Maryland Institute College of Art
• New York Academy of Art
• College of Visual and Performing Arts, Syracuse University
• VCUarts at Virginia Commonwealth University
• Sam Fox School of Visual Arts & Design, Washington University in St. Louis

"Art schools the world over are rich with new talent and innovative ideas that are independent of market hierarchies," states James Salomon, Co-Founder and Director of the fair. "With The MFA Fair, our goal is simple: to increase visibility for the next generation of artists, exposing graduate work to prospective students and the greater art world."

Presenting a survey of the most thought-provoking contemporary art being created in universities and colleges today, The MFA Fair will provide a platform for the next generation of artists, introducing their work to a broad audience, reaching gallerists, museum professionals, curators, collectors, and significant media attention alike. The first edition of The MFA Fair will feature a robust program designed to expose a new class of emerging artists to new opportunities, and will feature a series of live podcasts that Bad at Sports founder Duncan MacKenzie will assemble with his contemporaries, as well as other discussion forums held by industry and educational luminaries. There will also be time and space dedicated to portfolio review for prospective students.

An innovative online counterpart to the fair, The MFA Network, will serve as a dynamic online catalog of the work shown by students and alumni of universities that participate. It will serve as a social network for MFA students and grads to interact with dealers, curators, collectors, and art enthusiasts. Michael Bruno, visionary founder of 1stdibs.com, will act as an advisory partner.

"For many masters candidates, their studies culminate with thesis exhibitions that remain largely unseen outside of academia. The institutions also spend significant dollars on recruiting new talent," says Max Fishko, Co-Founder of The MFA Fair. "The MFA Fair seeks to operate as a coordinated effort to expand art world visibility for both the graduating class, and the MFA programs. A bridge between academia and industry."

For programming and exhibitor updates, visit theMFAfair.com.