• The Schools
• USC Roski School of Fine Arts
  • General Information
  • Undergraduate Degrees
  • Minor and Honors Programs
  • Graduate Degrees
  • Dual Degrees
  • Courses of Instruction
    • Fine Arts
    • Public Art Studies

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USC Roski School of Fine Arts

Roski School of Fine Arts students take advantage of the proximity of museums and other cultural institutions to the University Park campus to experience innovative culture in Los Angeles — from art and architecture, to film and food, to music and media. But they also have the opportunity to explore art elsewhere. Here Master of Fine Arts students Marisa Mandler, Mores McWreath and Michael Parker interact with a Dan Flavin installation at the Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Texas. The students visited Marfa as part of their summer course work.

The USC Gayle Garner Roski School of Fine Arts provides a well-balanced education in the creative, interpretive and critical processes essential to practicing art. In lectures, seminars, studio work and one-on-one meetings, faculty and students energetically challenge fixed notions of art and culture. The distinguished, dedicated faculty comprises ­leading artists exhibiting in museums and galleries throughout the world. The school offers B.F.A. and B.A. degrees for undergraduate studies and master's degrees in fine arts (M.F.A.) and public art studies (M.P.A.S.).

Each year the school attracts approximately 275 undergraduate majors, over 1,000 liberal arts students and 50 graduate students. The Master of Fine Arts program has become one of the most competitive in the nation. It boasts exceptional facilities for its students, including spacious ­individual studios, as well as an extraordinary lecture series and an annual student publication. The Master of Public Art Studies functions as a hub for critically rethinking the role of art in the public sphere and analyzing art's complex engagements with social space. The school's under­graduate programs provide students with a strong foundation in traditional artistic media such as painting, drawing, ceramics, printmaking, photography and sculpture, while its design and intermedia areas are devoted to expanding the role of technology in the visual arts. Students are encouraged to combine and bridge these approaches in order to push the perceived boundaries of these media and discover their individual creative voices.

As a place to study art, Southern California is unparalleled with major museums such as the Getty Center, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), the Pacific Asia Museum, the Norton Simon Museum and the Hammer Museum. Los Angeles is also home to hundreds of commercial galleries and alternative spaces, many in close proximity to the campus, which are an integral aspect of the creative environment of the city. The overwhelming number of museums, galleries, advertising agencies, design firms, artist studios, and the music and film industries offer a wealth of internship and employment opportunities.

Administration

Faculty

Associate Professors: Bob Alderette, M.F.A.; Sharon Lockhart, M.F.A.; Margit Omar, M.F.A.*; Charlie White, M.F.A.

Assistant Professors: Joshua Decter, B.A.; Frances Stark, M.F.A.; Andrea Zittel, M.F.A.

Full-time Lecturers: Rhea Anastas, Ph.D.; Tad Beck, M.F.A.; Caroline Clerc, M.F.A.; Shannon Ebner, M.F.A.; Bart Exposito, M.F.A.; Sherin Guirguis, M.F.A.; Karen Koblitz, M.F.A.; Haven Lin-Kirk, M.F.A.; Ann Page, B.F.A.; Julia Paull, M.F.A.

Part-time Lecturers: Edgar Arcenaux, M.F.A.; Lisa Auerbach, M.F.A.*; Tanya Batura, M.F.A.; Kenny Berger, M.F.A.; Anne Bray, M.F.A.; Justin Bua, M.F.A.; Kristin Calabrese, M.F.A.; Steve Child, M.F.A.; Donna Conwell, M.A.; Mason Cooley, M.F.A.; Janet Owen Driggs, M.F.A.; Lauri Firstenberg, Ph.D.; Jessica Fleischman, M.F.A.; Xavier Fumat, M.F.A.; Oona Gardner, M.F.A.; Ligeia Gorre, M.A.; Susan Gray, M.F.A.; Phyllis Green, M.F.A.; LouAnne Greenwald, M.F.A.; Phillip Hayes, M.F.A.; Carmine Iannacone, M.F.A.; Patrick Jackson, M.F.A.; Roman Jaster, B.F.A.; Stanya Kahn, M.F.A.; Esther Kim, M.F.A.; Helen Kim, M.F.A.; Alex Klein, M.F.A.; Caryl Levy, M.A.; Karen Liebowitz, M.F.A.; Ryan Logan, M.F.A.; David McDonald, M.F.A.; Peter Mendez, M.F.A.; Jay Merryweather, M.F.A.; Christopher Michlig, M.F.A.; Carter Mull, M.F.A.; Karen Moss Familian, Ph.D.; Thomas Muller, M.F.A.; Trevor Norris, M.F.A.; Brian Olson, B.A.; Richard Parker, M.F.A.; Jennifer Phelps, M.F.A.; Pierre Picot, M.F.A.; Thomas Schorer, M.F.A.; Carol Stakenas, M.A.; Joel Tauber, M.F.A.; Caroline Thomas, M.F.A.; Osvaldo Trujillo, M.F.A.; Erika Vogt, M.F.A.; Jennifer West, M.F.A.; Ewa Wojciak, M.F.A.; Mark Wyse, M.F.A.

Emeritus Professors: Keith A. Crown, B.F.A.; Kenneth Price, M.F.A.