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School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University

Type	Private
Established	1876
Parent institution	Tufts University
Accreditation	NASAD AICAD
Dean	Scheri Fultineer
Academic staff	135 full- and part-time
Undergraduates	301
Postgraduates	149
Location	Boston , Massachusetts , United States
Campus	Urban
Website	smfa.tufts.edu

The School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University (Museum School, SMFA at Tufts, or SMFA; formerly the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston) is the art school of Tufts University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It offers undergraduate and graduate degrees dedicated to the visual arts.

It is affiliated with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. SMFA is also a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD), a consortium of several dozen leading art schools in the United States. The school is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.

History
Academics
W. Van Alan Clark, Jr. Library
Notable faculty
Notable alumni
- Performance artists groups
See also

History

The Weems Center, part of Graham Gund's expansion, looking down from the third floor

The school was founded in 1876 under the name School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (SMFA). From 1876 to 1909, the school was housed in the basement of the original Museum building in Copley Square. When the Museum moved to Huntington Avenue in 1909, the School moved into a separate, temporary structure to the west of the main building. The permanent building, designed by Guy Lowell, was completed in 1927. The 45,000-square-foot (4,200 m²) red brick building provided improved classroom, studio and library facilities.

In 1945 the Museum School and Tufts College collaborated to develop their first joint degree teacher training granting program. The creation of additional programs between the two institutions followed soon after.

In 1987, a newly renovated and expanded school building, designed by architect Graham Gund, more than doubled the size of the existing structure and provided an auditorium, enlarged library, expanded studios and classrooms, a spacious new entrance, cafeteria, and increased gallery and exhibition spaces. Gund's expansion included the central atrium, known as the Katherine Lane Weems Atrium, that connects the two buildings.

In December 2015, it was announced that the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston would become a part of Tufts University and on June 30, 2016 the integration was completed.

With the late-2022 opening of the Green Line Extension of the MBTA Green Line E branch light rail transit route, there is a direct connection between the SMFA Campus and the main campus of Tufts University in Medford.

Academics

Encouraged to build an individual program of interdisciplinary study, students are not asked to declare a major, but by choosing among in-depth courses in a dozen disciplines and mediums, students are free to concentrate in the areas that best align with their interests. Courses are offered in the following areas: animation, ceramics, digital media, drawing, film and video, graphic arts, installation, metals, painting, performance, photography, print and paper, sculpture, sound, virtual reality, and visual and material studies.

One of the unique attributes of SMFA is that students are required to participate in a "Review Board" which is a review of all of the art work that a student has done during the semester. Review Boards are led by two faculty members and two fellow students. There are many opportunities for students to exhibit their artwork at both the main building and the Mission Hill building.

Opportunities to exhibit works include the annual Art Sale and the juried "Student Annual Exhibition". Various galleries and spaces that are available to students around the school buildings include Bag Gallery, Hallway Gallery, Bathroom Gallery, Underground Gallery, as well as the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

The school's main campus building, 230 the Fenway, is adjacent to and just to the west of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Most classroom space is located, as well as the SMFA Cafe, the W. Van Alan Clark, Jr. Library, the School's Art Store, and the Grossman Gallery, which is part of the Tufts University Art Galleries' exhibition space. The Mission Hill building, located about a quarter mile from the main building, recently has been renovated and includes studio spaces for graduate and post-baccalaureate students as well as classrooms, workshops, and the Writing Center.

W. Van Alan Clark, Jr. Library

The Clark Library at SMFA is the fine arts branch of Tufts University's Tisch Library. According to its website, the Clark Library collection's contents focus heavily "on contemporary art and studio practice".

Notable faculty

Painting & Drawing faculty

David Aronson, painter and sculptor
Ture Bengtz (diploma 1933), Boston Expressionist school painter, later a teacher at School of the Museum of Fine Arts
Ria Brodell, drawing and painting
Yanyun Chen, drawing, installation and animation practice
David Antonio Cruz, painter and interdisciplinary artist
Angelina Gualdoni, painter
Esther Geller, attended 1921, abstract expressionist painter, known for encaustic painting, taught with Karl Zerbe from 1943–1944.
Philip Leslie Hale, painter. Attended in 1883 and later served as faculty from 1893–1931
Arnold Borisovich Lakhovsky, painter, taught painting starting in 1935
Ethan Murrow, drawing and site-specific projects
William McGregor Paxton, painter and a co-founder of The Guild of Boston Artists. He was faculty from 1906–1913.
Karl Zerbe, German-American painter, he served as the Head of Department of Painting from 1937–1955.

Performance faculty

Marilyn Arsem, performance artist
María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Cuban-born artist works in photography, performance, audiovisual media, and sculpture
Neda Moridpour, performance artist and activist

Photography faculty

Bill Burke, photographer
Bonnie Donohue, photographer, video artist and writer
Zora J. Murff, photographer, curator and educator
Laurel Nakadate, photographer, filmmaker, video and performance artist
Rachelle Mozman Solano, photographer and video artist

Sculpture faculty

Frederick Warren Allen, sculptor, taught for almost 50 years (1907–1954) and for 30 years he was the Head of the Sculpture Department. Emeritus.
Frank Dengler, sculptor, faculty for a short time, until 1877
Mags Harries, Installation and Sculpture
Charles Grafly, sculptor, he served as the Head of Modeling from 1917–1929.
Bela Lyon Pratt, sculptor, she served as the Head of Modeling from 1893–1917.

Other faculty

Emil Otto Grundmann, first director of the school
Rick Moody, Writer and graphic artist
Kurt Ralske, digital media and sound artist
Chantal Zakari, book artist and graphic designer

Notable alumni

Marion Boyd Allen, attended 1896 –1909, 19th century painter
David Armstrong, attended in the 1970s, photographer.
Will Barnet, attended 1928–1930, painter and printmaker
Carol Beckwith, photographer, author, known for photojournalism documenting the indigenous tribal cultures of Africa
Alon Bement (diploma 1898), painter, arts administrator, author, and educator.
Ture Bengtz (diploma 1933), Boston Expressionist school painter, teacher at School of the Museum of Fine Arts.
Frank Weston Benson (diploma 1883), American Impressionist painter, printmaker and watercolorist
Jan Brett, attended 1969–1970, illustrator.
Margaret Fitzhugh Browne, attended 1909–1910, painter of portraits, indoor genre scenes, and still life
David Buckley (MFA 1977), painter and former musician with the BARRACUDAS
Lisa Bufano, attended after 2003, interdisciplinary performance artist whose work incorporated dance, props, elements of doll-making, fabric work, and animation
Al Capp, cartoonist of Li'l Abner
Joseph Downs (1921), curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Winterthur Museum
Marie Cosindas, attended 1947–1950, 1955–1956, photographer
Holly Coulis (MFA 1998) painter
Allan Rohan Crite (diploma 1936), painter.
Eleanor de Laittre, attended 1930, early proponent of abstract, cubist-inspired painting
Adio diBiccari, attended 1932, sculptor
Philip-Lorca diCorcia (diploma 1975, fifth year certificate 1976), photographer
Jim Dine, attended 1950–1953, 1955–1958, painter and printmaker
Omer Fast (BFA 1995) video artist
Zach Feuer (BFA 2000), attended 1996–2000, art dealer
Esther Geller, attended in 1921, abstract expressionist painter, known for encaustic painting, taught with Karl Zerbe from 1943–1944.
Kahlil George Gibran, attended 1940–1943, painter and sculptor
Nan Goldin (diploma 1977; fifth year certificate 1978), photographer
Anita Glesta (MFA degree), installation artist
William Snelling Hadaway, attended in the 1890s, book illustration, jewelry and metal design
Philip Leslie Hale, attended 1883, later served as faculty from 1893–1931, painter.
Leslie Hall, attended 2000–2003, musician, front woman for Leslie and the Ly's
William Melton Halsey, attended 1935–1939, recipient of William Paige Fellowship, muralist and painter.
Juliana Hatfield, attended 2012, musician
Todd Hido (BFA 1991), photographer
Susan Howe (diploma 1961) poet, scholar, essayist and critic
Joan Jonas, attended 1958–1961, performance artist
Tom Jung, attended in the 1930s, graphic designer and illustrator
Mira Lehr, attended in the 1950s, painter
Steven Lisberger (diploma 1974), film director, producer and writer, known for his work on Tron (1982)
David Lynch, attended 1964–1965, filmmaker
Lois Mailou Jones (diploma 1927), painter
Ellsworth Kelly (diploma 1948), painter, associated with hard-edge painting, Color Field painting and minimalism
Ellen Levy (diploma 1981) is a multimedia artist and scholar who explores art, science, technology interrelationships and complex systems
May Hallowell Loud, attended 1879–1883, painter
F. Luis Mora, attended in 1889, Uruguayan-born American figural painter
Mark Morrisroe, attended in the 1970s, photographer
Laurel Nakadate (BFA 1998), photography, film and video artist
Lawrence Park, attended 1896–1897, art historian, architect, and genealogist
Amelia Peabody
Sally Pierone, attended 1940–1942, art director and designer
Vanessa Platacis, contemporary painter and installation artist
Larry Poons, attended 1957–1958, abstract painter
Liz Prince (BFA 2007), attended 2002–2007, comic book artist, Ignatz Award winner
Sarah Gooll Putnam, attended 1877, 19th century painter
Kelly Reichardt (MFA), filmmaker and screenwriter, known for Certain Women and First Cow
Rebecca Richardson Joslin, author, lecturer, benefactor, club-woman
Richard Scarry (diploma 1942) illustrator
Doug and Mike Starn (diploma 1984, fifth year certificate 1985), twin brothers, photographers and performance artists
Frank Stout, attended 1949, figurative painter associated with post-abstract expressionist realism
Tom Sutton, attended in 1960, illustrator and comic book artist
Edmund Tarbell (diploma 1882), painter
Malcolm Travis, attended 1974–1978, musician, drummer
Wallace Tripp, attended 1960–1964, illustrator
Cy Twombly (diploma 1949) abstract painter
Christian Walker (diploma 1984), African-American photographer and critic
Katharine Lane Weems, sculptor
John A. Wilson, attended 1896-1905, sculptor
John Woodrow Wilson, attended 1939-1945, painter and printmaker.
Karl Stephan 2014-15, painter, printmaker, collagist, educator
Peter Wolf, attended in the 1960s, musician, known as the lead vocalist of the J. Geils Band from 1967 to 1983.
Levni Yilmaz, attended in the 1990s, filmmaker, animator, cartoonist

Performance artists groups

Art School Cheerleaders, attended 1996–1998, performance art troupe
Kaiju Big Battel, attended in the 1990s, performance art troupe featuring parodies of both professional wrestling and tokusatsu kaiju.