Fall Break plans: Consider visiting a graduate program?

Fall is a great time to visit that MFA or PhD program you have heard good things about. See about its former alums, faculty, the scene and locale. Let me suggest New Orleans for the upcoming weekend, not only because of my ties to the University of New Orleans (UNO), which I will briefly showcase below, but for all the cultural offerings this city presents, given the resuscitation efforts and the related magnet-effect, in terms of attracting visual artist, it has produced. At the New Orleans Museum of Art, for example, Wayne Gonzales show opens tomorrow, Ogden celebrates its 10th anniversary, see the "Art for Arts Sake" programing all over the city's art districts, and that's just for starters--

UNO MFA badge buckle, designed and produced by an alum sometime in 2003-04 (Tim Hailey)

Obviously, graduate experience is situational, ongoing and will only grow fuller, or for some, let's be honest, lesser. Here are a few "must see" artists, with their recent work:

Christopher Jahnke http://www.chrisjahncke.com/

Michael Greathouse http://www.michaelgreathouse.com/

Dan Tague http://dantaguestudio.com/ (some of you may remember Tague's Visiting Curator Lecture in 2006)

These three are my peers, but please see others (link here). I would gladly discuss any of them further with you.

Long-time Painting Professor Jim Richard (pictured center left, next to me) at his NYC exhibition in 2006. Many UNO alums were in attendance, representing various generations: Gonzales (on far right), for example, the early-80s and Halley (left), the period of only a few years earlier. Many, not just the ones mentioned above, have either taken their work to great heights or carved-out distinguished paths otherwise, which, either way I suspect, could hardly match the art ambition one might have had driving-up Elysian Fields or Lakeshore on their daily commute.

Enjoy the break!