Metal
- The department is home to one of the largest graduate metal programs in the country and has earned the distinction of being the No. 1-ranked public university metal program. The department has internationally recognized faculty, and both the BFA and MFA programs are nationally renowned.
- New Paltz is the first American university to exhibit at the Pinakothek der Moderne Museum in Munich, Germany. Alumni have been honored to exhibit in the highly competitive international design exhibition, Talente, and in the Schmuck exhibition, the premier international showcase for emerging and established art jewelers. BFA students study abroad in Spain, Holland, Italy, and many other countries.
- Locally, the metal MFA program has engaged the community through art installation projects at historic sites such as the Person House in Kingston, NY, and Historic Huguenot Street in New Paltz.
- Metal faculty are actively engaged artists who exhibit and lecture internationally. Professors have been awarded prestigious arts fellowships and their work is included in significant museum collections.
- The program’s rigorous curriculum provides opportunities to explore the technical, aesthetic, and conceptual aspects of contemporary jewelry and metalsmithing in state-of-the-art facilities. The faculty are engaged in developing the Digital Fabrication curriculum, which is joint effort of the Schools of Fine & Performing Arts and Science & Engineering, as well as the campus at large. The metal curriculum is expanding to include a hybrid practice that productively integrates these current technologies.
- Metal BFA candidates regularly earn internships, apprenticeships, and scholarships to study at prestigious craft schools. About 20 percent of BFA alumni go on to graduate study at schools across the nation. Others begin their own professional practice, and many work for prominent artists in the region.
- Metal alumni contribute to the richness of the field in meaningful ways by actively building a critical and productive community through teaching. Numerous MFA alumni have earned professorships at the nation’s top tier universities and art academies. Some direct and teach programs at the 92nd Street Y and at Brooklyn Metal Works. Founded by alumni, this workshop/exhibition space sponsors curatorial projects, public lectures by international artists, and provides a meaningful community in the region. Collectively, metal alumni actively expand the critical dialog and creative practice of this field.
