Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) is a private graduate-level

art school An art school is an educational institution with a primary focus on the visual arts, including fine art – especially illustration, painting, photography, sculpture, and graphic design. Art schools can offer elementary, secondary, post-seco ...

Montpelier, Vermont Montpelier () is the capital city of the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Washington County. The site of Vermont's state government, it is the least populous state capital in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population w ...

. It offers Master's degrees in low-residency and residential programs. Its faculty includes

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

finalists,

National Book Award The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. The Nat ...

winners,

Newbery Medal The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contr ...

honorees,

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the ar ...

and

Fulbright Program The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

fellows, and

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...

grant recipients. The literary magazine ''

Hunger Mountain ''Hunger Mountain'' is an American literary magazine founded in 2002 by Caroline Mercurio. A member of the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses, ''Hunger Mountain'' is based in Montpelier, Vermont at The Vermont College of Fine Arts, one of ...

'' is operated by VCFA writing faculty and students.

History

The focus of Vermont College has changed since its beginnings as Newbury Seminary in 1831. After existing in several forms including a

Wesleyan Wesleyan theology, otherwise known as Wesleyan– Arminian theology, or Methodist theology, is a theological tradition in Protestant Christianity based upon the ministry of the 18th-century evangelical reformer brothers John Wesley and Charles W ...

Seminary and a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

Seminary, using the name Montpelier Seminary, it became Vermont Junior College in 1941. In 1958, it became Vermont College. In 1972, Vermont College merged with

Norwich University Norwich University – The Military College of Vermont is a private senior military college in Northfield, Vermont. It is the oldest private and senior military college in the United States and offers bachelor's and master's degrees on-campus ...

; the two schools became fully integrated in 1993.

Union Institute & University Union Institute & University (UI&U) is a private university in Cincinnati, Ohio. It specializes in limited residence and distance learning programs. The university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and operates satellite campuses ...

acquired Vermont College in 2001. In 2008, the MFA programs separated from Union Institute & University, and Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) was formed. The

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admini ...

(MFA) in Writing program was established in 1981 and the MFA in Visual Art in 1991. The MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults, the first "MFA program in writing for young readers," began in January 1997. In 2008, Vermont College of Fine Arts became an independent institution. In 2011, it launched an MFA in Music Composition program and an MFA in Graphic Design program The MFA in Film program was established in 2013. In 2014, the residential MFA in Writing and Publishing began, and the Graduate Studies in Art & Design Education Program was established in 2015. The newest program is the International MFA in Creative Writing & Literary Translation, which enrolled its first students in 2018. College Hall, the central building on campus, is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. It was completed in 1872 and includes a two-story high chapel and a pipe organ from 1884. On June 15, 2022, the college announced an end to on-campus residencies, moving the summer residencies to

Colorado College Colorado College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell in his daughter's memory. The college enrolls approxi ...

, with the winter residences going all-virtual.

Academics

All programs feature writers-in-residence, artists-in-residence, and artist/scholars who give lectures, readings, and workshops. Artists- and writers-in-residence have included

Jean Valentine __NOTOC__ Jean Valentine (April 27, 1934December 29, 2020) was an American poet and the New York State Poet Laureate from 2008 to 2010. Her poetry collection, ''Door in the Mountain: New and Collected Poems, 1965–2003'', was awarded the 2004 N ...

Richard Russo Richard Russo (July 15, 1949) is an American novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, and teacher. Early life and education Russo was born in Johnstown, New York, and raised in nearby Gloversville. He earned a bachelor's degree, a Master o ...

Claudia Emerson Claudia Emerson (January 13, 1957 – December 4, 2014) was an American poet. She won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for her poetry collection ''Late Wife'', and was named the Poet Laureate of Virginia by Governor Tim Kaine in 2008. Early life Emerso ...

, M. T. Anderson,

Andrew Blauvelt Andrew Blauvelt (born West Point, NY in 1964) is a Japanese-American curator, designer, educator, and writer. Since 2015 he has served as director of the Cranbrook Art Museum in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Biography Blauvelt received an MFA in de ...

Susan Cooper Susan Mary Cooper (born 23 May 1935) is an English author of children's books. She is best known for '' The Dark Is Rising'', a contemporary fantasy series set in England and Wales, which incorporates British mythology such as the Arthurian le ...

Meredith Davis Meredith Davis (born 1948, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an educator, writer and graphic designer. Her work centers for advocating for a comprehensive, critical and challenging design education. Career Davis graduated from The Pennsylvania S ...

Gregory Maguire Gregory Maguire (born June 9, 1954) is an American novelist. He is the author of '' Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West'', ''Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister'', and several dozen other novels for adults and children. Many ...

Holly Black Holly Black (''née'' Riggenbach; born November 10, 1971) is an American writer and editor best known for her children's and young adult fiction. Her most recent work is the ''New York Times'' bestselling young adult ''Folk of the Air'' series. ...

Jane Yolen Jane Hyatt Yolen (born February 11, 1939) is an American writer of fantasy, science fiction, and children's books. She is the author or editor of more than 350 books, of which the best known is '' The Devil's Arithmetic'', a Holocaust novella. H ...

, Wu Tsang, and Stephen Drury.

Low-residency

In the low-residency structure, students earn their graduate degrees through brief, on-campus residencies, self-designated study, flexible scheduling, and personalized attention through one-on-one guidance with a faculty mentor. The on-campus residencies consist of workshops, lectures, readings, panel discussions, student-teacher conferences and critiques, and presentations of works in progress."Vermont College of Fine Arts, Progress Report: January 2007-January 2008 (Montpelier., Vermont, 2008) A faculty member works with five or fewer students through written correspondence and electronic/video/telephone communication in between residencies.

Faculty

Approximately 60 authors, designers, filmmakers, composers, artists, and scholars teach at Vermont College. All have terminal degrees in their specialty.

Notable alumni

Vermont College of Fine Arts

Notable alumni of the Vermont College of Fine Arts include: * Julie Berry * W.E. Butts * Marcus Cafagna * Mary Clyde * Mark Cox (poet) *

Olena Kalytiak Davis Olena Kalytiak Davis (born September 16, 1963) is a Ukrainian-American poet. Davis is the author of five poetry collections, her most recent being ''Late Summer Ode''. Her collection ''The Poem She Didn't Write And Other Poems'' (2014, Copper C ...

Alison Hawthorne Deming Alison Hawthorne Deming (b. 1946 Hartford, Connecticut) is an American poet, essayist and teacher, former Agnese Nelms Haury Chair in Environment and Social Justice and currently Regents Professor Emerita in Creative Writing at the University of A ...

* Ted Deppe *

Alicia Erian Alicia Erian (born 1967) is an American novelist. She was born to an Egyptian father and American mother of Polish descent. She received a Bachelor of Arts in English from Binghamton University and a Master of Fine Arts in writing from Vermont ...

* Clark T. Hinman *

Yamile Saied Mendez Yamile (pronounced sha-MEE-lay) Saied Méndez is an Argentine American author of picture books, children's books, young adult books, and adult romance. She is a Pura Belpré gold medal winner for her young adult novel, '' Furia''. She is a found ...

Henry Sanborn Noyes Henry Sanborn Noyes (December 24, 1822 – May 24, 1872) was an American academic who served as interim president of Northwestern University from 1854 to 1856, and again from 1860 to 1867. Biography Noyes was born in Landaff, New Hampshire, on D ...

Frank Giampietro Frank Giampietro is an American poet. He is interim director of the Cleveland State University Poetry Center, visiting assistant professor of poetry at Cleveland State University, and the Northeast Ohio Master of Fine Arts Program ( NEOMFA) progra ...

Gail Gregg Gail Gregg (1951- ) is an American artist, photographer, and journalist, based in New York City. Painting in encaustic, Gregg's densely layered pictures often are inspired by aerial views of the American West and refer to Minimalism, Color Fie ...

* Pamela Harrison *

Katherine Hastings Katherine Hastings is an American poet from Northern California. Her full length collections are “A Different Beauty” (Spuyten Duyvil, 2022), "Shakespeare & Stein Walk Into a Bar" (Spuyten Duyvil NYC, 2016), ''Nighthawks'' (Spuyten Duyvil NYC ...

Allison Hedge Coke Allison Adelle Hedge Coke is an American poet and editor. Her debut book, ''Dog Road Woman'', won the American Book Award and was the first finalist of the Paterson Poetry Prize and Diane DeCora Award. Since then, she has written five more books ...

LeAnne Howe LeAnne Howe (born April 29, 1951, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma) is an American author and Eidson Distinguished Professor in the Department of English at the University of Georgia, Athens. She previously taught American Indian Studies and English ...

* Patricia Spears Jones * Darrell Kipp *

Tracy Krumm Tracy Krumm is a Textile arts, textile artist, Teacher, craft educator, and curator based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota. Krumm's work combines metalworking and crochet; crafting items such as curtains and clothing out of metals and ...

* Nancy Lagomarsino *

Wally Lamb Wally Lamb (born October 17, 1950) is an American author known as the writer of the novels '' She's Come Undone'' and ''I Know This Much Is True'', both of which were selected for Oprah's Book Club. He was the director of the Writing Center at N ...

* Kapulani Landgraf *

Martine Leavitt Martine Leavitt is a Canadian American writer of young adult novels and a creative writing instructor. Biography Leavitt was born in 1953 in Canada. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree, first class honours, from the University of Calgary ...

Moira Linehan Moira Linehan is an American poet born in 1945. She graduated from Boston College, and Vermont College of Fine Arts, with an MFA. She lived in Winchester, Massachusetts, where she worked as an academic administrator. She has been a resident at the ...

* Jo-Ann Mapson * Lou Mathews *

Linda McCartney Linda Louise McCartney, Lady McCartney ( Eastman; September 24, 1941 – April 17, 1998) was an American photographer, musician, animal rights activist, vegetarian cookbook author and advocate, and entrepreneur. She was the keyboardist in th ...

Alyce Miller Alyce Miller is an American writer who currently lives in the DC Metro area.''Poets & Writers'' Directory of Writers > Alyce Miller Biography She was born in Zürich, Switzerland and lived "most of her life"Author Website > Bio in the San Fran ...

David Mura David Mura (born 1952) is an American author, poet, novelist, playwright, critic and performance artist whose writings explore the themes of race, identity and history. In 2018, Mura has published a book on creative writing, ''A Stranger’s Jour ...

An Na An Na (born 1972) is a South Korea-born American children's book author. She gained success with her first novel ''A Step From Heaven'', published by Front Street Press in 2001, which won the annual Michael L. Printz Award from the American Libr ...

Sandra Novack Sandra Novack (born 1972) is an American writer of a novel and short stories. Her debut novel, ''Precious,'' was a Booklist Top 10 First Novels of 2009. Biography Novack was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to Joanne Novack, a court systems ope ...

April Ossmann April Ossmann is an American poet, teacher, and editor. She is author of ''Event Boundaries'' (Four Way Books, 2017) and ''Anxious Music'' (Four Way Books, 2007), and has had her poems published in many literary journals including ''Harvard Review ...

Jamie Parsley Jamie Parsley (born December 8, 1969) is an American poet and Episcopal priest. He is the author of twelve books of poems and an associate poet laureate for the state of North Dakota. Biography Born in Fargo, North Dakota and raised near Harw ...

* Elizabeth Powell * Melissa Pritchard * Bill Rasmovicz *

Tim Seibles Tim Seibles (born 1955) is an American poet, professor and the former Poet Laureate of Virginia. He is the author of five collections of poetry, most recently, ''Voodoo Libretto: New and Selected Poems'' (Etruscan Press, 2022). His honors include ...

* Betsy Sholl * Janaka Stucky * Don Swartzentruber * Jennifer K. Sweeney * Kali Vanbaale * Martha M. Vertreace-Doody *

Marjorie Welish Marjorie Welish ( ; born June 2, 1944) is an American poet, artist, and art critic. Welish is a graduate of Columbia University and received her M.F.A. degree from Vermont College and Norwich University. She also studied at the Art Students L ...

* Deborah Wiles * Valerie Wohlfeld *

Ibi Zoboi Ibi Zoboi is a Haitian-American author of young adult fiction. She is best known for her young adult novel ''American Street'', which was a finalist for the National Book Award for Young Adult's Literature in 2017. Early life Born in Haiti as ...

Notable alumni of Newbury Academy

Notable alumni of Newbury Academy include: * Horace W. Bailey * George C. Chamberlain * James M. King * Caroline Burnham Kilgore * Janette Hill Knox * George McKendree Steele

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vermont College Of Fine Arts Private universities and colleges in Vermont Buildings and structures in Montpelier, Vermont Education in Washington County, Vermont Tourist attractions in Washington County, Vermont Art museums and galleries in Vermont Educational institutions established in 1831 1831 establishments in Vermont Art schools in Vermont