Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) is pleased to announce the appointment of two Faculty Chairs for its new MFA programs. Dr. Tamar Diesendruck, a distinguished composer whose work has been performed around the world, will head the program in Music Composition. Matthew Monk, a professor at Rhode Island School of Design and an acclaimed practicing designer, will lead the program in Graphic Design.
The immediate tasks of the Faculty Chairs are to recommend faculty, shape curricula, and launch the programs. Each program will be one of the first low-residency graduate programs in its field, modeled on VCFA’s renowned pioneer programs in Writing, Writing for Children &Young Adults, and Visual Art. Applications for the new programs are available mid-January.
VCFA Academic Dean Gary Moore welcomes the new faculty and the expertise they bring to the programs. “Tamar is a fascinating composer whose work is always traversing new territory. She not only expands the boundaries of performing and listening, she also believes passionately in the importance of one-on-one mentoring. She is a missionary for music.” Moore describes Monk’s qualifications with equal enthusiasm. "We're delighted to have a design educator of Matt’s stature to lead our program. An accomplished designer with national clients like Harvard and the National Gallery of Art, he's also a committed educator who loves the opportunity to structure VCFA's
unique 21st Century methods for educating graphic designers."
The two new programs broaden the College’s cultural contributions to the local area and beyond. Diesendruck and Monk both represent the caliber of artist that VCFA continually attracts to its campus. The stature of the faculty appointments they make in turn draws highly-qualified students who all make Montpelier their second home. Adding these disciplines both expands the College’s academic offerings and advances its mission to create a national center for education in the arts in Vermont.
More information about* *Tamar Diesendruck and Matthew Monk* *can be found on the VCFA website: http://www.vermontcollege.edu/music-composition/faculty-staff and
http://www.vermontcollege.edu/graphic-design/faculty-staff.
