S.O.S. The Good Ship VCFA is now without a captain !


On March 16th, 2010 VCFA announced that Jessica Lutz, Co-Founder and Director of the MFA in Visual Art program, is no longer on staff.

This event serves as a distress call to take collective action NOW.

Let our collective voices speak loud and clear. Hold the administration accountable for keeping the VCFA legacy alive!



Thursday, March 18, 2010

My Response to Gary

Dear Gary -

Thank you for your reply. Yes, we have different perspectives on the current situation, my concern at the moment is the future of the program. I appreciate your recognition of my investment in the program. Indeed, that is what happens when something so magnificent and rare as Vermont College comes along; you allow yourself to become invested.

I imagine that you would consider yourself invested as well. However, due to recent events, I remain skeptical.

With regards to my observations that the program is being slowly dismantled and the founding pedagogy left for dead, I would like to ask you to expand on your reply. Specifically, you state that the administration is fully committed to the support of the program. I have listed three questions below that provides an opportunity for you to provide further details of this commitment. You will find that none of the questions relate to marketing.

1. Address the ways in which you will continue to support students in their development. Specifically address your commitment to students in helping them determine their own educational values and describe how you will help them achieve self-initiated ideas of progress and professionalism.

2. As you may know, the pedagogy of the program is based on the principal that the creation and reception of art resides within a social context, and that the process of making art should be as valued as the art object itself, if not more so. Describe your commitment to this pedagogy and explain what steps you have taken to make sure it remains in place.

3. Describe the ways in which you will maintain having the program be student centered. Specifically, address the role of the administration in working with faculty in the support of the student being at the center of the program. Please provide an example that will illustrate this support during the next residency.


Thank you in advance for your answers. As you know, the alum have a vested interest in making sure that the vision of the program and the mission of the college work in collaboration with the program's pedagogy to provide an exceptional education. We expect nothing less from the administration and faculty, since nothing less was expected of us.

I remain,

Craig Snyder

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