Collaborative Arts

FAQ

What is Collaborative Arts?

Collaborative Arts is a BFA designed for curious and self-motivated students who want to combine mediums—i.e., different art forms in collaboration with one another—to become multi- and inter-disciplinary artists. The Collaborative Arts curriculum emphasizes thoughtful fun, creative experimentation and intelligent play. It asks students to consider how theory informs practice (and vice versa), all while gaining hands-on multi-disciplinary training. As CA students progress through the program they will experience the exciting challenges of combining vastly disparate genres, creative practices and forms of expression. They will emerge with their own unique skill sets as well as the confidence and context to exploit these skills as the next generation of multi-and inter-disciplinary artists.

The core curriculum exposes new students to the foundational craft and the basic challenges of each distinct field as well as the major historical/critical ideas about art. After this first year, the BFA fosters self-motivated practitioners to experiment, innovate and collaborate as they go on to become “creative thinkers/critical makers.” 

 

What sets this program apart from other programs at Tisch School of the Arts?

The Collaborative Arts BFA emphasizes breadth. We are not a degree with a narrow focus in one discipline (acting, musical theatre, game design, etc.). Instead, our program’s focus is on nurturing practitioners who are adept, in varying degrees, at engaging in multiple modes of creativity, including (but not limited to): digital/technological/emerging forms, live-body performance forms (acting, dance, performance art), visual/film-making forms, playwriting/text-based storytelling forms, sound-based/musical forms, and so on. After gaining exposure and basic competencies in these areas during their first year, our students expand their knowledge in practical interdisciplinary labs with fellow CA students as they take an array of elective courses to refine their craft, as well as courses across the wider university to enrich their experience. Collaborative Arts students receive an education in multiple disciplines of the arts so that they may explore ideas intelligently while they experiment creatively.

What are you looking for in a student?

The Collaborative Arts program is ideal for students with a rich diversity of talents who crave a wide variety of experiences. We’re looking for independent-minded students, with fresh ideas, who are motivated to challenge themselves by working in disciplines that may be new or initially challenging for them. We want experimental, curious, courageous, proactive thinkers and doers. We work best with students who are unafraid to jump into new creative challenges and entertain ideas that shake up their preconceptions. Risk takers, eccentric thinkers, self-generators, innovative creators—we want you.

What will Collaborative Arts BFA students graduate with? Be practiced in? Skills?

The BFA in Collaborative Arts provides students the opportunity to collaborate with fellow artists across different disciplines and perspectives; to gain competency in a range of arts disciplines and to apply their skills in those disciplines to multi- and interdisciplinary projects; to study and develop work at NYU global sites; to gain a global perspective of history and theory of the performing, cinematic and emerging media arts; and to develop the skills needed to be successful self-producers.

Because of the program’s breadth, the skills gained and the potential employment of those skills seem almost limitless, but in general each student will:

Graduate with skills in the performing, visual and media arts.
Acting techniques, movement/dance, dramatic writing, film media and production, photography, computer media.

Graduate with skills to be successful self-motivated producers.
Ability to take a concept from initial inception to production
Inclination to expand traditional forms of and ideas about creation.

Graduate with a broad theoretical and historical knowledge of the arts, particularly modern, post-modern and contemporary forms.
Ability to review ideas in scholarly literature, gather data, create art linking theory with practice.

How many students do you admit each year?

Approximately 40. Typically, each cohort of students will study alongside 12-20 other students in core courses. Some of the lecture courses are as large as 40 students.

Is there an audition?

There is no audition required to apply to the program. All applicants must submit a creative portfolio. Find more information about how to apply here.

What is a "conservatory" style program?

Founded on August 17, 1965, Tisch School of the Arts is a training ground for artists and scholars of the arts. In a conservatory structure like Tisch, an emphasis is placed on practical performance training and experience. The school merges the technical training of a professional school with the academic resources of a major research university to immerse students in their intended artistic disciplines.

I am interested in transferring to the Collaborative Arts from another program or school. How does that work?

Students are welcome to transfer to the Collaborative Arts BFA from another program or school. Please refer to the NYU Admissions information about transferring. Transfers within NYU must complete their application by April 1st. Please note, that in order to complete the entire course work required for the B.F.A., transfer students may have to enroll in summer or Jterm courses in order to complete their degree within four years.