Why IDSVA?
Today's artists, architects, curators, and creative scholars need more than an MFA. In our interconnected world, IDSVA challenges outdated paradigms by offering education that equips you with the practical skills and visionary mindset required for contemporary media and culture. We ask, "Why now, and why IDSVA?" as we prepare you for a future that has long since arrived.
Educating Artist-Philosophers to Reimagine the World
IDSVA’s cross-disciplinary curriculum is based on the relationship of contemporary theory with art, media, and culture. The course of study nurtures the artist-philosopher as a nomadic, polyphonic, risk-taking, and generous thinker of the future, presenting a vital opportunity for the development of new knowledge
Low Residency
IDSVA has been pioneering and refining blended education since 2007. Online coursework and independent studies are pursued through the fall and spring semesters, via live video conference seminars, one-on-one phone calls, and asynchronous discussions. Summer and Winter intensive residencies in places like Mexico City, Madrid, and Marrakech alternate with online seminars and give IDSVA students a graduate education experience like no other.
Global Learning
The IDSVA experience is centered on Global Learning. IDSVA students see and feel and touch the ever-changing and deeply intertwined relations between the history of ideas and the history of visual culture.During the three-year course of study, students complete six residencies, traveling from one historic site to another. Residencies last from one to four weeks.
Community
What may be most surprising about IDSVA is the strong sense of community, despite the fact that IDSVA is largely a distance-learning program. The intensive residencies are designed to enhance a sense of communal belonging among members of a cohort and their faculty. The shared meals, museum visits, and travels together forge a bond that carries over into the virtual seminars and discussions of the online semesters.
Cultivating Artist Philosophers for a New Reality
A PhD in studio practice or theory alone isn't enough. IDSVA's groundbreaking programs forge artist-philosophers committed to social responsibility and leadership. Our curriculum is designed to transform your role—from observer to active participant in history—by blending rigorous scholarship with real-world impact, ensuring you're prepared for the challenges and responsibilities of the creative future.
Global, Flexible Education That Fits Your Life
IDSVA’s low-residency, distance-learning model empowers you to learn from wherever you live and work. Balance your professional and personal commitments while engaging with diverse cultures and histories from global scholars and artists. This experiential education isn’t confined to a classroom—it’s a journey that culminates in a dissertation as part of the world’s first PhD in philosophy tailored for visual artists, positioning you to shape the future of global education and art.