Book release: MFA 2020 The thing that happens when the thing that was supposed to happen does not happen

"So the thing that happened instead of an MFA exhibition is this book, which is a series of pairings. These collaborations demonstrate how dialogical relationships are so fundamental for artists. From collaborations to mentor/mentee relationships to the generative nature of community building, so much of what artists do is to be in conversation with each other and the world around them. To make meaning, one has to be connected to other people. I think that has been one of the fundamental pedagogical components of the CMU MFA [...]" - Elizabeth Chodos, Director of the Miller ICA, in an interview in this book with John Rubin MFA Program Director, Professor of Art.

"The book you hold in your hands is how we, collectively, have answered this question and this most pressing need. It is a testament to patience, generosity, trust, and foresight. Amidst the complexity of May 2020, the graduate program and Miller ICA decided not to mimic an institutional exhibition online or to try our hand at some alternative remote solution. Instead, we went back in time, before the screen, to the page, the print, and the paragraph, to realize an iteration of the very same mentor-mentee model we invest in week in and week out within our program. Therefore, this book is as its title states, the thing that happens when the thing that was supposed to happen does not happen. It is a pairing and a celebration of six artists rising, and of six inspirations lifting their companions' work and words higher." - Charlie White Regina and Marlin Miller Head of School of Art, Professor of Art in a quote from the book.

The MFA program at CMU’s School of Art is an interdisciplinary, experimental, research-based program that challenges artists to recognize social context and civic engagement as paramount within contemporary art. Students are encouraged to employ a comparative and intersectional approach to critical and cultural theories, allowing this inquiry to inform and expand what it means to be an artist and to make art within our contemporary condition.

Edited by Elizabeth Chodos, Jon Rubin, Charlie White. Copyeditor Julie Hakim Azzam. Book design by Sonia Yoon.

This book was made possible by a grant from Tomayko Foundation. We thank the Tomayko Foundation for their generous support.