On Monday, October 20, 2025, the 2nd-year MFA cohort visited the studio of our very own Stefan Kürten. As studying artists, it is always useful to be able to get into the mind of a professional visual artist. We were able to ask questions, hear stories, and learn some artistic wisdom from Stefan. Visiting Stefan’s studio gave us a greater insight into his history as an artist, giving us a chance to see different works made over the years.
📸 Max Heaton
On Tuesday, October 14, 2025, the 2nd-year MFA cohort visited the Kunstpalast in Düsseldorf for a guided tour of the Hans-Peter Feldmann (1941-2023) exhibition. We were hosted by the museum’s curator, Felicity Korn, who took us through the exhibition and into the life of the artist. Hans-Peter was born and raised in Düsseldorf, and also operated an ordinary souvenir shop within the city. Hans-Peter Feldmann was known as a conceptual artist, working across multiple media, including photography, sculpture, painting, books, and light. The artist would often take mundane objects from everyday life and elevate them into works of art. By working across different media, Hans-Peter often defied art-world conventions, including making unsigned prints where there was no limit to the number of editions.
📸 Max Heaton
On Tuesday, October 7, 2025, the 2nd-year MFA cohort visited the German city of Wuppertal for a visit to the Skulpturenpark Waldfrieden. Wuppertal is known for its Schwebebahn, a suspension monorail that dates back 1901; we had the pleasure of riding this unique mode of transportation on our way to the sculpture park.
The sculpture park is situated on hilly woodland. To access the park, we walked up a winding, tree-lined access road. The park came into existence through the vision work of Tony Cragg, an internationally known artist who lives in Wuppertal. He transformed the abandoned estate of Villa Waldfrieden into a sculpture park of roughly 30 acres, and adorned the landscape with many of his own sculptures. There are over 60 sculptures within the park, including works by other artists< as well as glass pavilions with work exhibited inside.
What makes this place so special is the idea that one can enjoy nature and art simultaneously. The day of our visit was enhanced by inclement weather of rain and mist. The rain interacted with the art, providing intimate moments that would not be experienced given a day of “nice” weather.
📸 Max Heaton
From Tuesday, September 23, 2025, to Thursday, September 25, 2025, the 2nd-year MFA cohort visited the one and only Amsterdam! We arrived by train at the Central Station, placed our belongings at the hotel, and were swept up into the reverie of the city.
Over the course of the next few days, we experienced much of the great art that Amsterdam has to offer. On day one, we visited the Stedelijk Museum, the city’s largest venue for contemporary art. The next day, we went to the Van Gogh Museum and roamed the halls of the Rijksmuseum, which houses the works of Dutch legends Rembrandt and Johannes Vermeer. It was especially unique to witness the presentation of Rembrandt’s The Night Watch, which is staged in a glass room, where the public can witness the conservation process. Finally, we wrapped up our visit at Rembrandt’s historic home.
📸 Max Heaton
On Monday, September 22, 2025, the 2nd-year MFA cohort had the pleasure of welcoming photographer Kai Schmidt to the studios for a photography workshop! Kai is a graduate of the Kunstakademie in Düsseldorf and a former pupil of our very own Stefan Kürten. Kai spent a full day with us in the studios, schooling us on various photography considerations, so that we can document our work via the camera. There is no doubt that the contemporary artist must be concerned with photography when applying for residency, open call, etc.
Some wise words from Kai, when considering photography, our work:
📸 Max Heaton
From Friday, September 12, 2025, to Sunday, September 14, 2025, the 2nd-year MFA cohort took part in Kunstpunkte, an all-city celebration of artist open studios in Düsseldorf. In preparation for the event, we cleaned up the studios, converted them to a temporary gallery space, and hung our work on the walls. Before the event, we critiqued our work and dialed in our art handling concerns.
Drum roll, please … work has been sold! The majority of our group sold their work to patrons who visited the studios. As artists, it is important to have our work be seen and be sold to people who put the work on their walls at home. Düsseldorf is a city with a genuine concern and curiosity for fine art. To participate in an event such as Kunstpunkte situates us artists in a place that is a part of art history. To show our work to the public in such a place as Düsseldorf is a meaningful experience. Thank you to Beatrice Richter and Frank Schlablewski who ushered in guided tours, all who came to look at our art!
On Friday, September 12, 2025, the 2nd-year MFA cohort took part in an international group crit! Alfred professors Stephanie McMahon, Patrick Brennan, and John Hee Taek Chae made the journey from Alfred, NY, to Düsseldorf, Germany, to join Düsseldorf professors Jutta Haeckel and Stefan Kürten to group critique our work. Alongside the input from the students, it was an intense and insightful session; we discussed content, aesthetics, and installation. As any Alfred graduate painting student can attest, the concerns of art differ between continents. In Alfred, theory and content get their due; in Düsseldorf, aesthetics becomes an elevated concern. The dichotomy between the concerns of American art education and German art student education provides a well-rounded catalyst to consider our work in different contexts.
📸 Max Heaton
On Friday, September 5, 2025, the 2nd-year MFA cohort visited the Flingern neighborhood of Düsseldorf for the opening of Alfred in Düsseldorf painting faculty, Jutta Haeckel. The show, titled “New Paintings”, is held at boa gallery, short for “based on art”, an artist-run gallery founded by Dunja Evers and Thomas Mass. The opening was a part of the Düsseldorf Cologne Open Galleries event held from 05-07 September 2025. Jutta’s show runs from 05.09.2025 – 24.10.2025. Jutta is an abstract artist who had another solo show at the Hosfelt gallery in San Francisco, California, earlier this year, 2025. As students, we hold the privilege to have Jutta as one of our main paining professors, here in Düsseldorf.
📸 Max Heaton
On Tuesday, September 2, 2025, the 2nd-year MFA cohort visited the Kunstverein Leverkusen to visit the show of Alfred in Düsseldorf painting faculty, Katrin Laade. The show is titled “IN DER WELT”; translated to English “IN THE WORLD”. Katrin is an abstract painter, born in Germany, and studied at the world-famous Kunstakademie Düsseldorf and de ateliers in the Netherlands. Katrin keeps her studio in Düsseldorf and works as a dedicated abstract artist. As students, we have the pleasure to join Katrin for various travel opportunities, as she enlightens us to the heart and soul of various European art cities.
📸 Wendelin Bottländer
On Tuesday, April 15, the 1st year Alfred MFA painting cohort visited the grounds of Museum Insel Hombroich in Neuss, Germany. The Museum Insel Hombroich is both a park and a museum on over 62 acres of meadowland, combining architecture, art, and nature. From 1982 to 1994, sculptor Erwin Heerich created eleven exhibition pavilions. The various pavilions present both antique art from Asia and modern art, most of which are lit by natural light. The Langen Foundation is on the grounds, where we viewed an exhibition of contemporary art from the Ringier Collection.
📸 Max Heaton
PAINTING MFA Alfred/Düsseldorf 