Visual Art

Integrative studio immersion

Herron's M.F.A. in visual art degree program allows students to delve into creative research, critical dialogue, and contemporary art within the context of Indiana's premier urban public research university.

Our studio-oriented environment, community support, and access to outstanding facilities, faculty, and resources, will allow you to experiment more thoroughly, work across media or on a larger scale, and take risks while continually discussing and developing your work, from process to concept.

For the next two years, your focus will be on defining your practice and learning how to sustain it long after graduation.

Art-inspired living

Indianapolis is the 15th largest city in the U.S. and the second largest city in the Midwest, but it has the feel of a small town. With Herron's more than 100-year history in Indy, the city has myriad opportunities for faculty, students, and alums.

Discover Indy's art and culture

Within these walls

Herron provides everything you need to advance your professional practice. You'll have a semi-private studio, and access to various workspaces, including the Think It Make It Lab, a lighting studio, and resin, casting, and finishing rooms.

Explore our facilities

Plan of study

By means of advanced coursework and in-depth studio experience, you will explore and shape the formal, thematic, theoretical, social, cultural, critical, and technical aspects of your contemporary art practice.

Year 1, Fall Semester

Studio Emphasis I
Art of the Past Two Decades
Graduate Studio Elective

Year 1, Spring Semester

Studio Emphasis II
Project Management/Public Art
Art History or University Visual Art Teaching Practicum
Graduate Studio Elective

Year 2, Fall Semester

Studio Emphasis III
Interdisciplinary Critique in the Visual Arts
Art Theory and Criticism
Graduate Studio Elective or Academic Elective

Year 2, Spring Semester

Studio Emphasis IV: Thesis Exhibit/Project
Art History or Academic Elective
Graduate Studio Elective

Student work

See more student work

Installation view of Christina Hollering's graduate thesis work, arranged top to bottom, left to right,

Installation view of Kara Beth Rasure's thesis work

Installation view of Christina Hollering's thesis work, arranged top to bottom, left to right,

Installation view of Patrick Bennett's thesis work,

Installation view of Emily Archer's thesis work,

Joseph Swanson's 2023 MFA thesis painting

Left to right, top to bottom: Christina Hollering, Lake Kingsbury, Lake Hampshire, Lake Woodcliff, Lake Lancester, Lake Dorchester, Lake Stafford, 2022, Cut paper, mylar, vinyl, and spray paint. Kara Beth Rasure, Absence.wav, 2023, Wood, brass. Christina Hollering, Lake Canterbury, Lake Sussex, Lake Sussex, Lake Wimbledon, Lake Yorkshire, Lake Abby, 2022, Cut paper, mylar, and spray paint. Kara Beth Rasure, Minute Catcher, 2023, Wood, polymer clay. Sherry Polley, Glitter Von Bomb, 2022, Vinyl assemblage on acrylic. Sherry Polley, Punkiwi, 2022, Vinyl assemblage on acrylic. Niloofar Alibakhshi, Inner Energy, 2023, Geometric patterns, paint, laser-cut wood, LED strip, Farsi letters. Patrick Bennett, 19 Atlas, 2022, Various wood species, mixed media. Niloofar Alibakhshi, Transformation, 2023, Geometric patterns, paint, laser-cut wood, Farsi letters. Julie Xiao, Drifter, 2023, Gouache. Patrick Bennett, Put That Fake Smile On, 2022, Various wood species, mixed media. Emily Archer, Bigger, and Better, and Best, 2022, Acrylic wall paint, polyurethane foam, spray paint, metal brackets, LED faux neon light. Julie Xiao, Forager, 2023, Ink on paper. Brianna Edgerly, Childhood Unraveled, 2023, Papermaking, analog printing. Emily Archer, Totally Wish I Were You, 2022, Polyurethane foam, glitter, spray paint, acrylic paint, puffy paint, plastic gems, resin. Emily Archer, Don't Care How, I Want It Now!, 2022, Polyurethane foam, glitter spray paint, acrylic paint, puffy paint, plastic gems, resin. Joseph Swanson, Django, Prepare a Coffin, 2023, Acrylic and ink on canvas. Joseph Swanson, Lord Orange & the Tropicana Derailment, 2023, Mixed media on canvas drop cloth. Courtesy of the artists

Visual art stories

Dominic Senibaldi

(M.F.A. Visual Art '13)

Dominic Senibaldi discusses the 10 East Arts Windows offer painting, collage, video and light installations.

Listen to the interview

Danielle Riede

Randolph H. Deer Professor in Painting

Voyage Chicago hones in on what makes Danielle Riede's story unique.

Learn about Danielle

Ray Duffey

(M.F.A. Visual Art '11)

Meet Ray Duffey, Director of Safety Curriculum and Shop Manager, Herron graduate, visual artist and musician.

Get to know Ray

Meet your allies, mentors, and critics-in-chief

Herron welcomes about 10 students annually to its two-year cohort. Our dedicated graduate faculty aim to foster a positive, inclusive learning environment in which the intellectual and emotional capacity of each individual is considered to be part of their professional growth and career goals.

Core graduate faculty are:

Hands-on, community-based learning

M.F.A. candidates gain exposure to artists, designers, and industry professionals through Herron's endowed lecture series. Our spacious and stunning galleries offer encounters with contemporary art and world-renowned artists, as well as the work of Herron's acclaimed faculty, distinguished alumni, and students.

Funding support through one of Herron's many study abroad trips cements a curriculum that encourages leadership in the professional practice of visual art and prepares graduates for a wide range of professional careers, from college-level teaching to creative entrepreneurship to employment at urban arts organizations.

The Basile Center for Art, Design and Public Life facilitates cross-campus and city-wide collaborations and commissions with Herron's and Indianapolis' many cultural institutions, social initiatives, and corporate and government partners.

Join Indiana’s premier school of art and design

Degree programs

Art Education (B.A.E.)
Art History (B.A.)
Art Therapy (M.A.)
Ceramics (B.F.A.)
Communication Design (M.Des.)
Drawing & Illustration (B.F.A.)
Furniture Design (B.F.A.)

Painting (B.F.A.)
Photography (B.F.A.)
Printmaking (B.F.A.)
Sculpture (B.F.A.)
Visual Art (M.F.A.)
Visual Communication Design (B.F.A.)

Herron School of Art + Design