School for American Crafts
School for
American Crafts
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Overview
The School for American Crafts is dedicated to developing one-of-a-kind art using both traditional skills and modern technology. Students master their material of choice, whether its clay, wood, glass, or metals. They have access to world-class facilities including a glass hot shop; woodworking studio; flameworking and glass studios; and buffing, casting, and welding rooms. Under the tutelage of award-winning faculty and active artists, students immerse themselves in studio-intensive courses that inspire both process and conceptualization.
Full-tuition scholarships
Students applying to any School for American Crafts MFA program (ceramics, furniture design, glass, metals and jewelry design) are eligible for one of our new competitive, full-tuition scholarships.
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More than 100 metals and jewelry design alumni have created pieces modeled on the runway at the annual Fashion Week of Rochester.
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Luxury jewelry maker Tiffany & Co. has employed more than 50 metals and jewelry design alumni.
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Each year, more than a dozen visiting artists are welcomed for demos and lectures.
Latest News
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December 17, 2024
Faculty exhibit in Venice earns a European Cultural Centre Award
A group of six faculty members in RIT’s College of Art and Design have earned the University & Research Projects Award from the European Cultural Centre (ECC) for their collection of works, titled “Cultural Disruptors.”
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November 12, 2024
RIT emerging artists sparkle at Milano Jewelry Week
Seven metals and jewelry design students and recent alumni exhibited their work during Milano Jewelry Week, with four of their pieces being selected as "winners" at the Talent Show event.
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October 10, 2024
Venice Art Biennial showcases RIT's extensive creative community
Six faculty are featured in an exhibition in Venice that showcases the College of Art and Design's breadth of creative disciplines through the unification of sculpture, film, photography, and industrial design.
Featured Work and Profiles
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'To Be Decayed I'
Rinoi Imada "Glassblowing is the one of essential parts of my art practice. It is labor intensive, and I need to have good communications with people who help me. However, I have a trauma to create works ...
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Artist Interview: Madeline Rile Smith '20
RIT City Art Space's Artist Short Sesh features conversations with artists in the College of Art and Design about their work. The artist interview series, started by Gallery Director John Aäsp,...
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Public Sculpture
Juan Carlos Caballero-Perez, professor of Metals and Jewelry Design, created a near-12-foot sculpture for the Village of Fairport, N.Y.’s Kennelly Park, outside the public library. It was the...
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Alumni Spotlight: Tarrant Clements
Potter. Painter. Printmaker. Sculptor. Tarrant Clements '68 MFA (ceramics) has worked in a variety of mediums throughout her successful career.
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Molten Glass 3D Printer
RIT's glass program hosted the artist/designer/engineer team behind Evenline as artists in residence for the spring 2023 semester. The innovative company stationed its only-one-of-its-kind molten...
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Faculty featured in 'New Glass Review'
David Schnuckel, Suzanne Peck RIT glass faculty Suzanne Peck and David Schnuckel were both selected for the 42nd issue of New Glass Review, the Corning Museum of Glass’ flagship publication showcasing 100 timely, innovative glass...
Read More about Faculty featured in 'New Glass Review'
Undergraduate Programs
The School for American Crafts offers an Associate in Occupational Studies in furniture design. The program is a highly-focused, two-year course of study in which students learn how to use basic hand tools and begin to explore the technical and visual potential of wood. The school has a legacy dating back more than 70 years. It is closely aligned to our School of Art’s vibrant studio arts BFA, which offers options in ceramics, furniture design, glass, and metals and jewelry design, among others. Both schools have unparalleled facilities for students to conceptualize and create art from start to finish.
Craft the future of furniture with an AOS program in Furniture Design. Create functional art for the world.
Learn more about the Furniture Design AOS programGraduate Programs
The school offers MFA degrees in ceramics, furniture design, glass, and metals and jewelry design. All graduate students have individual studio spaces and access to state-of-the-art facilities to hone technique and design pieces that showcase their personal expression in their medium. A thesis project is the culminating experience for all graduate students. It’s produced independently by the student under the advisement of faculty members chosen to serve on that student’s thesis committee. The thesis involves design research and study, a creative project, and written and illustrated documentation.
With an MFA in ceramics you’ll enhance your artistic expression through the study of aesthetics and theory.
Learn more about the Ceramics MFA programA master’s in furniture design that advances your personal aesthetic through the study of contemporary practices and critical reflection in furniture design.
Learn more about the Furniture Design MFA programA glass degree that enables you to dive deeper into your examination of glass as you develop your artistic expression through research, experimentation, and in-depth critiques.
Learn more about the Glass MFA programIn this dynamic jewelry master’s degree, you’ll challenge traditional ways of thinking as you design and craft stunning works of art in jewelry and metalsmithing.
Learn more about the Metals and Jewelry Design MFA programStudent Resources
For internal College of Art and Design resources such as academic information, forms, FAQs and more, visit inside.cad.rit.edu. For information about academic advising, visit here.