Samuel Lo beside his current photography project, which explores his sense of his identity as a mixed-race individual with Serbian, German-Swiss-American and Cantonese heritage. Credit: Hana El Nemr | Lantern Reporter

Amid the eclectic, art-covered hallways of Hopkins Hall — the building home to Ohio State’s Department of Art — graduate students hang up floating art installations, put the final brush strokes on their portraits and make the final edits to their photos. 

Ohio State graduate students seeking a Master of Fine Arts and faculty share insights on the transformative journey of graduate school, plus balancing the promise of personal and professional growth with the weight of financial and emotional commitments.

A photography wall inside of Hopkins Hall displays the work of many graduate and undergraduate students. Credit: Hana El Nemr | Lantern Reporter

Though pursuing an MFA can offer valuable opportunities, Roger Beebe, a professor with a joint appointment in the Department of Art and the Department of Theater, Film and Media Arts, said the financial challenges associated with many programs can be significant for aspiring artists.

“Some grad programs are really prohibitively expensive for everybody, except for those with trust funds who are willing to go into massive debt to [California Institute of the Arts],” Beebe said. “There are great schools, but $50,000 in tuition plus your living expenses for two or three years is tough, especially if your dream surrounds the arts.” 

Despite the high costs typically associated with graduate school, Beebe said Ohio State provides funding options — which include several fully-funded MFA programs like the Art or Creative Writing programs, plus financial support for others, including the Department of Design program — that many students may not be aware of.

“It’s kind of an incredible thing to think about because a lot of our undergrads don’t actually realize that there are graduate programs that are fully funded here and give you the ability to really get yourself out there,” Beebe said.

Beebe said the three-year structure of the MFA program at Ohio State allows students to fully immerse themselves in their craft. 

“Having three years to really make work, to experiment and to kind of learn new skills outside of whatever you came in here with is so important,” Beebe said. “You are able to emerge with a lot more work and an exhibition history form showing your work.” 

This sentiment is what Onni Estabrook, a second-year MFA student with a focus in ceramics, said was their motivation in making the decision to attend graduate school.

Onni Estabrook takes sunflowers they grew in Hopkins Hall and melts them down to create an ash glaze for a ceramic sculpture. Credit: Hana El Nemr | Lantern Reporter

After graduating with their Bachelor of Fine Arts in ceramics from California State University, Long Beach, Estabrook said they worked as a studio assistant supporting other artists until they felt a strong pull to rekindle their own creative journey.

“I was working in my field as a studio assistant for a long time where I was fabricating art for other artists, and that position didn’t have any upward mobility,” Estabrook said. “I really wanted to get back to my personal practice as an artist, and grad school allows you three years of focus on your own practice.”

Samuel Lo, a second-year MFA student in visual arts with a specialization in photography, said the MFA program has offered him a unique sanctuary for his creativity.    

“It’s almost like an incubator for your work, where you get time to really focus on just making, experimenting and researching,” Lo said. “Aside from having to teach, there aren’t really many other obligations outside of courses, so it’s a really good time to just concentrate on your practice.”

Beebe said the art world can be challenging, particularly when it comes to securing support that allows students the opportunity to have their artwork displayed in galleries, but graduate school can provide this crucial network for artists.

“As an artist, the hardest thing for you to do is to find support for your work,” Beebe said. “Graduate school gives you almost like a built-in support system of people that help you to gain traction.”

Kallyn Buckenmyer, a first-year MFA student in consumer sciences with a specialization in fashion and retail, said this need for support influenced her decision to return to school after graduation. She said she ultimately returned in search of direction and opportunity.

Kallyn Buckenmyer’s trip to Milan, Italy during the September 2023 fashion week helped her discover that she would love to work in either Italy or London and fashion could be her gateway to that dream. Credit: Courtesy of Kallyn Buckenmyer

“I decided the best way forward, especially considering how competitive the job market is, was to go back to school and be around more like-minded people,” Buckenmyer said. “I really just wanted to prepare myself for my future, experience things that I hadn’t before and gain more research skills and networking abilities.”

Beebe said as artists prepare for their future careers, many in the MFA program are driven by their ambition to teach in the future.

“Many students in these programs are thinking about being professors themselves, and the purpose of a grad degree is to gain those credentials,” Beebe said. “You can’t get hired at most places for a tenure track job without an MFA, and that terminal degree motivates many of our students.” 

Estabrook said the hands-on teaching experience integrated into the MFA curriculum has had practical advantages for what she hopes to embark on in the future. 

“I’m really interested in teaching at the collegiate level,” Estabrook said. “With that, you need a master’s degree, and at OSU’s MFA program, you have to teach a class every semester, so you graduate with three years of teaching experience on top of everything.” 

Buckenmyer said the value of personal exploration and the opportunity to create a tailor-made experience throughout her graduate career are things she has prioritized during her time thus far in graduate school.  

“No matter what field you decide to go into, explore your interests and look into the things that make you curious about the world,” Buckenmyer said. “In grad school, you can really personalize your study, so really make this experience your own.”

For more information on the Ohio State MFA degree program, visit the Ohio State Department of Art website.