On Sunday, November 16, Columbia University School of the Arts will host the MFA Visual Arts + Sound Art Open Studios and Information Sessions. Visitors are invited to explore the school’s graduate studios, meet current MFA students, and learn about their studio practices. Morning Information Sessions include conversations with faculty, guided tours of the facilities, and an overview of the program’s curriculum and admissions process.
The Information Sessions will be held at the Lenfest Center for the Arts. For those not able to attend in person, these will be livestreamed:
The Open House and Open Studios will take place in person at the Lenfest Center and Prentis Hall:
- 11am–1pm (ET): Open House (Lenfest Center)
- 2pm–5pm (ET): Open Studios (Prentis Hall)
The MFA Visual Arts + Sound Art Open Studios and Information Sessions are free and open to the public. Learn more.
About the Visual Arts + Sound Art Program
Columbia’s Visual Arts + Sound Art program immerses students in rigorous, studio-based training led by internationally recognized artists. The curriculum emphasizes experimentation, cross-disciplinary dialogue and collaboration, and critical engagement with contemporary art theory. Students are encouraged to push the boundaries of their practice while connecting with New York City’s unparalleled network of museums, galleries, and independent art spaces.
Graduates are active around the world as exhibiting artists, educators, and cultural innovators whose work shapes today’s visual and sonic landscapes.
Visual Arts
The two-year interdisciplinary MFA in Visual Arts fosters a diverse range of creative exploration across painting and drawing, expanded practice | sculpture, printmaking, photography, and moving image. Students take courses across Columbia University and work in collaboration with curators, art critics, independent art spaces, museums, and galleries throughout New York City — one of the world’s most vital centers for contemporary art.
Sound Art
The Sound Art concentration, offered in association with Columbia’s Department of Music and Computer Music Center, supports artists whose work integrates sound with sculpture, moving image, and installation, as well as new media, performance, and conceptual strategies. Students join a collaborative, experimental environment that positions sound within New York’s broader performance and new-media scene.
Application Deadline
January 20, 2026
Columbia University School of the Arts
In the heart of New York City, Columbia University School of the Arts is a community of artists and thinkers shaping the future of visual, literary, cinematic, and performing arts around the world. In addition to the MFA Visual Arts + Sound Art program, the school also has MFA programs in Film, Theatre, and Writing. For more details, visit arts.columbia.edu.
