We are seeking great Printmaking candidates for our selective MFA graduate program at Clemson University!
All qualified MFA applicants to Printmaking at Clemson University are eligible for graduate assistantships that carry a tuition waiver and stipend. Our program provides funding and supports professional development by offering Teaching Assistantships, Research Assistantships, and select opportunities to serve as Graduate Instructor of Record. Annual department research / study abroad scholarships, Penland / Arrowmont scholarships, an MFA student study abroad scholarship, and Graduate School Travel Grants (for conferences, research / field study, etc.) complement our department funding and provide important opportunities for our students.
Course of Study: Our MFA candidates are challenged to deepen their understanding of materials and processes and to develop a dynamic practice that promotes critical rigor in both concept and execution. The small size of our MFA program, 12-20 students across all studio areas, fosters tight-knit community between media disciplines and allows for close faculty mentorship. We conduct frequent open studios and critiques. We prepare our graduates for professional practice through a series of reviews, oral presentations, and a written thesis. Grads have individual studio spaces, 24/7 access to the printmaking studios, and abundant opportunities to access facilities across other media areas. Printmaking grads work with printmaking faculty as primary advisors and enjoy frequent interaction with other Art Department faculty in a team-teaching environment. The Center for the Visual Arts and our visiting artist program complements our community – visitors include such internationally known artists as Janine Antoni, James Turrell, and Mark Dion, as well as Andy Shaw, Alleghany Meadows, Teri Frame, Holly Hanessian, HP Bloomer, Frank Martin, Ron Meyers, Bill Brouillard, Heather Mae Erickson, Kevin Snipes, Donna Flanery, Andrew Avakian, Tom Lauerman and more.
Facilities: The printmaking graduate studio houses our Conrad etching press and Vandercook No. 4 letterpress, large inking slab, and individual studio spaces. All other printmaking equipment is housed in our primary printmaking studio in Freeman Hall, a comprehensive facility for all print media. Lee Hall resources include a fully facilitated woodshop, a Mac lab, the Lee Gallery and The Acorn Gallery, and an Art & Architecture library that has cameras, camcorders, and flatbed scanners available. Students also have access to the School of Architecture’s Digital Design Shop, with an array of 3D printers, 3D scanners, laser cutters, CNC routers, and other experimental capabilities. We enjoy full access and training in the university-wide Makerspace and Virtual Reality Lab in the Watt Family Innovation Center and the Adobe Design Studio in the Cooper Library.
The equipment housed in the printmaking area includes:
– Massive custom relief/intaglio press with 5 foot x 8 foot pressbed
– Vandercook No. 4 Letterpress
– Takach etching press 33.5”x58.5”
– Conrad etching press 30”x60”
– Polymetal 36”x24” aquatint box
– Ferric chloride bath 18”x24”
– Two AWT vacuum tables, one of which handles up to 52”x63” screens
– Baselayr LED Exposure Unit 36”x48″
– NuArc 26-1ks exposure system metal halide 23”x27”
– Washout booth 36”x48”
– Canon ProGraf 1000
– Boss Laser LS2440 24”x39”
– MBM Triumph Paper cutter 43”x30”
– Light table 36”x48”
– Risograph for students enrolled in Graphic Design credits
– Coming Fall 2026: Takach litho press, 5 feet x 33.5”.
– Backing slab for lithographic plates
– Litho stone sizes up to 24”x36”.
– White-box installation space for critiques and staging
Beyond campus, Clemson is within two hours driving distance of vibrant art scenes in Atlanta GA, Charlotte NC, Asheville NC, and Greenville SC, affording students opportunities visit galleries and museums, participate in exhibitions, and make professional connections in the larger art world during their graduate studies. Lovers of the outdoors will be interested to know that our ‘Upstate’ area of South Carolina is in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, near Pisgah, Dupont, Nantahala, and countless other state parks and wilderness areas to explore.
We are happy to conduct in-person or “virtual visits” with any interested students.