The first year grads have been visiting many galleries and museums surrounding Düsseldorf, including the Kunstverein Leverkusen Schloss Morsbroich, Insel Hombroich, Langen Foundation Neuss, and Die Neue Galerie Gladbeck. We got to meet the curator of the Kunstverein, and had a studio visit with the director and curator of Neue Galerie Gladbeck. We’re looking forward to visiting Bonn & Cologne in the coming week!

The 1st Year Grads traveled to Brussels from Feb 26-27, 2026 to visit museums and galleries. We visited the Old Masters & Magritte Museums as well as Bozar, Neno Mier Gallery, and Sept Gallery. Brussels is a lively and walkable city with iconic architecture ranging from Gothic & Baroque to Art Nouveau and Bauhaus, with incredible murals and street art. We enjoyed belgian waffles and visiting the famous Manneken Pis fountain!

The first year grads are three weeks into the semester in Düsseldorf! We’re enjoying the abundant studio time in our creative den. The studios are well lit and spacious, easily accessible with public transport. The studio kitchen and materials room are replete with tea and art supplies (and even a bike!) from the previous grads, which we greatly appreciate!

We’ve also been to visit the Düsseldorf K20 & K21 Museums with our professor & guide Jutta Haeckel. The K20 has an impressive permanent collection of iconic 20th century work, and the K21’s curation of their Grund und Boden (Land & Soil) was especially impactful, with multi-disciplinary work by artists including Ai Weiwei & Tadáskía.

On Sunday, February 1st, 2026 our 1st-year MFA cohort landed in Düsseldorf to begin the Spring semester. 

We were given a tour of the neighborhood and enjoyed an authentic welcome dinner at Brauerei im Füchschen in the Düsseldorf Altstadt with Painting faculty & staff Jutta Haeckel, Stefan Kürten, and Beatrice Richter. 

During the week we received the keys to our studios, got settled in, visited the Kunstakademie annual exhibition, and learned a bit from Stefan about the art and history of Düsseldorf. We are very excited to begin our three months in this beautiful city!