Student Announcements
The SMFA Update is sent to undergraduate and graduate students weekly on Mondays during the school year. It includes important information and announcements of interest to the community.
COVID-19 Guidance: For the latest updates and guidance from Tufts University, please visit go.tufts.edu/coronavirus
What You Need to Know This Week
Beginning October 2, undergraduate SMFA students can meet with Dean Leah Gadd and Tobias Bennett without an appointment by attending their weekly drop-in office hours!
Students can use this opportunity to ask general questions, check their graduation requirements, clarify Tufts policy, and find new resources.
Dean Leah Gadd: Drop-in hours every Friday from 1-2 pm EST
Click here to join
Tobias Bennett: Drop-in hours every Tuesday from 5-6 pm EST
Click here to join
SMFA's First Year Program invites the SMFA community to attend our weekly visiting artist lecture series. Sessions are held on Mondays, 9:30 am-10:15 am EST, and Fridays, 2:30 pm-3:15 pm EST. Please check the SMFA calendar of events to view a list of lecturing artists and to get the zoom link ID.
The SMFA Library is hosting virtual drop-in hours on Wednesday, September 30 from 11 am - 12 pm. Darin, Carrie, Séphora, and Lauren will be available over Zoom to say hello, take questions, offer research help, and share items from the library's collections. Any students, faculty, and staff are welcome to stop by!
Meeting ID: 935 7340 9602
Passcode: 143801
The SMFA Art Store is now open by appointment. Please use the following link to reserve a time slot to shop with us. We can help in-person, or via phone with curbside pickup. If you are studying remotely, we can even ship most items to you!
When reserving your appointment, please read the guidelines on the Welcome page. See you soon!
Join us for a debut screening of Jibade-Khalil Huffman’s The Circle, 2020, followed by a conversation with the artist on Thursday, October 1 at 6 pm EST. Huffman’s newest film builds on his long-standing interest in the psychic toll of the media, reflecting on trauma and its after effects through systems of support and coping mechanisms. Echoing the collective and personal pain of our current moment—marked by isolation in the global pandemic and the systemic racism it has made even more visible—The Circle uses the formal devices of the loop and sphere to consider the cyclical and interior nature of suffering and coping. Presented as part of Jibade-Khalil Huffman: Now That I Can Dance on view and online through March 2021.
BFA and Combined Degree students are invited to celebrate the beginning of the year with COVID-19 precaution-compliant picnics that will take place on or near both the Medford/Somerville and SMFA Boston campuses.
All students enrolled in an SMFA degree program, including BFA, MFA, Diploma, and Combined Degree, are invited to submit work for consideration in the 2020 SMFA Art Sale. There is a special, online call for student art.
The SMFA Art Sale has traditionally been a four-day, in-person event where our community comes together to celebrate the art practice of our students, faculty, and alumni. Purchases of work support both SMFA artists and a fund for student financial aid. To keep our community safe during COVID-19, this year's sale will be held online and the number of works for sale will be limited. These works will be juried based on the images submitted through the online call for art.
Yoga Club is back and all virtual this fall! - open to students, staff, and faculty!
If you are looking for a way to build some rejuvenation into your schedule, consider tuning into Yoga Club's virtual weekly sessions this fall. We meet from 5-6:00 pm EST on Wednesdays over Zoom and are open to all levels of experience- so tell your friends and join when you can!
If you miss our live class online, a link to view a recording will be sent to club e-list members (recordings will be available for 2 weeks after the original date). Email michaela.morse@tufts.edu to be added to the e-list for weekly reminders. Check out our club page on JumboLife for more information. See you on the mat!
Important Fall 2020 Information
The university has released detailed information about routine testing and shared the comprehensive plan on a dedicated website. We encourage you to review this important information.
Routine testing will take place at SMFA’s 230 Fenway building on Mondays and Thursdays between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., and on the Medford/Somerville campus daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. You will receive an email inviting you to download the Campus Key app that will allow you to schedule your routine tests.
All SMFA buildings (including 230 Fenway and 160 St. Alphonsus on the Boston SMFA Campus, and Barnum and Lane Halls on the Medford/Somerville Campus) will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. All students, faculty, and staff will be required to show their Daily Health Screening clearance at the 230 Fenway and Mission Hill security desks. Overnights and after-hours access will not be permitted in our buildings this semester. Visitors and the members of the public will not be permitted to access our buildings.
Informational signage has been posted throughout campus to remind all of us to maintain a safe social distance. Students, faculty, and staff will be required to wear masks at all times while in SMFA spaces, except while seated in the designated dining area in Anderson Auditorium. We ask that everyone follows these protocols to protect the health and safety of our community.
Shared specialized studios, studio services, and associated resources will begin a phased opening process on September 14. We are hiring! Apply here. Students wishing to access specialized studios during should contact smfastudioteam@tufts.edu to request an appointment at least 24 hours in advance. We expect to go live with our online reservation system the week of September 21. Information about studio policies and access protocols will be posted online soon. Watch this space for further details.
Students taking SMFA studio courses will receive equipment, supplies, and software based on the requirements of each course via mail or no-contact pickup. Packages for remote students are being shipped starting this week. Resource kits for in-person students will be delivered directly to students’ assigned private studios and available for pickup starting 9/14. In-person students without assigned studios may pick their kits up from 230 Fenway, Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Faculty are aware of this timeline and these resources are not required for the first course meeting. Please contact smfastudioteam@tufts.edu with questions.
The SMFA Library will be providing contactless pick up of materials and virtual research consultations during the beginning of the semester. In an abundance of caution, we are not immediately reopening the library. We want to keep everyone safe and will work with you individually to meet your needs. We will share further details about access when we have a better idea of what the demand will be at 230 Fenway.
Once it is proven safe to do so, we will begin scheduling individual library appointments for you to browse the stacks. If you are interested in scheduling such an appointment, email Darin Murphy with a subject of "Scheduling an appointment at the SMFA Library." We cannot guarantee we will be able to honor everyone's requests but will do our best to accommodate you and to create alternative solutions where necessary.
In the meantime, continue to use Jumbo Search to access library materials and to schedule contactless pickup at the SMFA Library or Tisch Library.
Library resources quick links for all students:
Tisch Library Website
SMFA Library Services for Fall 2020
Students in SMFA studio courses are being provided with licenses for Adobe Creative Cloud.
To claim your license, follow these steps:
- Go to https://tufts.onthehub.com/.
- Log in with your Tufts username and password.
- Click on the "Student" tab, then "Adobe".
- Select the four-month option with a free price.
- Follow the instructions to download and install the software. Please note, Mac users should be running MacOS X 10.13 or later.
- If you have trouble, please contact it@tufts.edu. Be sure to let them know you’re an SMFA student.
This semester the galleries in the Aidekman Arts Center on the Medford/Somerville campus are open for in-person visits for Tufts students, faculty, and staff only. New hours are Monday to Friday, 10 am to 5 pm; groups and classes should schedule their visits with Liz Canter at elizabeth.canter@tufts.edu.
All public programs will be available online. Visit our site for our full schedule of panels, artist talks, screenings and more and for a full listing of our in-person and online exhibitions.
SMFA Shuttle Service is running. There will be two shuttles departing Aidekman Arts Center and two shuttles departing 230 Fenway on the hour. Masks are required on the shuttle and shuttles will run at 50% capacity to accommodate physical distancing. Please visit the SMFA shuttle website for exact times. Contact transportation@tufts.edu with any questions.
Shuttle Hours:
Monday to Friday, 8 am to 10 pm (last shuttle departs 10 pm)
Saturday & Sunday: 12 pm to 6 pm (last shuttle departs 6 pm)
The SMFA Café will open for the semester on Monday, September 21. SMFA Café will have limited counter service, but we highly suggest ordering ahead on the mobile app. Anderson Auditorium will be furnished to offer socially-distant dining space. The Café accepts meal swipes, RhinoBucks, JumboCash, and credit cards.
SMFA Café hours of operation:
Monday to Thursday: 10 am to 5 pm.
Friday: 10 am to 4 pm
Closed weekends and holidays
Visit the Dining webpage for Medford/Somerville campus dining locations and hours.
This semester, the SMFA Art Store will allow in-person shopping by appointment only. Make an appointment here to shop in-person or by phone. An online shopping experience is on its way. Questions? Contact us 617-627-0049 or via email at artstore@tufts.edu.
Art Store Hours
Monday – Thursday: 10 am-5 pm EST
Friday: 10 am-4 pm EST
SMFA Student Affairs offices are open 9 am to 5 pm EST, Monday through Friday, but please do not come by in person. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, SMFA Student Affairs will be conducting meetings and drop-in assistance to students virtually rather than in our office in 2020-21. Make an appointment by contacting us via phone, or drop into our virtual office hours: 10 am to 4 pm EST, Monday through Friday.
All letters and packages for SMFA students will be received and distributed from Mail Services on the Medford/Somerville campus. Students living off-campus are encouraged to ship and mail items to their off-campus address
Students that already had a locker at 230 Fenway will continue to use that locker for the 2020 - 2021 academic year. If you do not have a locker and would like to reserve one, you may request a locker. After you have reserved a locker, email SMFAStudentAffairs@tufts.edu with your locker number and location to receive the combination. Contact SMFAStudentAffairs@tufts.edu with any questions.
Wave Farm Radio Broadcast Schedule
Due to the situation with COVID-19, the Wave Farm Radio Station is currently offline.