This two-semester sequence is the academic component of the 2nd year MFA Core curriculum, complementing the individualized studio visits and group critiques. This second segment will focus on translating the student’s research — accumulated individually within their own practice as well as collectively in class — into its textual form. Creative and innovative writing strategies are encouraged with the aim for students to find their voice in relation to their own work. Therefore this class will offer an enhanced focus on writing skills, through short writing exercises and in class reading of relevant writings by other artists. Writing in this class is not only understood not as an art-historical reflection but also as a professional tool to critically engage one’s own work as part of one’s studio practice and on the other to be able to adequately presenting to an audience what informs and drives the work and how it is situated within the larger contemporary field. Students will share their own writing process in class as well as in one to one sessions with the instructor. The class will end with a two-day symposium public thesis presentation and discussion students final thesis.