Critique week for Thesis-bound MFA students began this week, with two full days of presentations and review sessions. Department classes are cancelled for this crucial week in MFA students’ academic careers, as they present their body of artistic work to date, and discuss the research and topic they will tackle over the next 8 months, culminating in the May 2013 Thesis Exhibition.

MFA presenters Christopher Saclolo + Elizabeth Isakson-Dado

The sessions run about 45 minutes per person, which includes 10 minutes of presentation and 30 minutes of discussion, critique, suggestions, and challenges. The presentations are free and open to the pubic. Students and faculty from many Columbia departments are in attendance for the sessions, and the audience often includes guests and visitors from other Chicago colleges, universities, and cultural institutions.

The eleven student presentations finished up on Wednesday afternoon, followed by an impromptu birthday celebration for InterArts faculty member Clif Meador, shown here directing the proceedings earlier in the day.