France: Aix-en-Provence Art Semester

Marchutz School of Drawing and Painting in Aix-en-Provence

At the Marchutz School, all courses are taught in English. A non-credit course in French is usually offered for students wishing to study the language as a complement to studio art courses. The Marchutz student body usually consists of individuals with a varied range of experience. As students engage in their individual artistic endeavors, this range of age and experience proves beneficial to the quality of dialogue and capacity for growth. The Marchutz School takes an interdisciplinary and holistic approach to art education. The general purpose of the curriculum is threefold: to enhance awareness of the relationship between perception and imagination, to foster historical and critical perspective, and, above all, to develop the student's capacity to see.

Course Offerings

The Marchutz Schoolof Art in Aix-en-Provence takes an interdisciplinary and holistic-approach to studio art. Painting and drawing, study in museums, and reading/writing assignments encourage students to explore the correspondences between natural and artistic forms. In the studio, figure drawing, portraiture, landscape and still-life painting are interrelated with copying, memory work, and sketchbook journals. Group and individual critiques are integral to the students' work. In seminars, students are asked to seek connections in their work with that of other artists and critics. Music, poetry, and theater are often compared to painting, sculpture, or architecture. Studio disciplines and aesthetics are taught separately, but presented as a unified corpus. Studio, writing, history, and criticism combine to form one seminar in seeing. The faculty considers each student as a working artist regardless of his/her level of experience. Whether beginning or well advanced, the student who will thrive at the Marchutz School is serious and committed. Semester students must enroll in the Studio Seminar (6 credits), the Art Criticism Seminar (3 credits). Museum and painting excursions are also required. Marchutz students may choose two French language courses from the Aix Center curriculum at the Institute for American Universities. A 2.5 GPA is required, along with transcripts and one letter of recommendation. The program is open to students from freshman through senior standing. A six-week summer program is also available.

Candidates

The school's diverse student body is one of its most exciting resources.  Each cohort usually consists of twenty individuals who have a varied range of experiences.  Studio art and art history majors, working artists, MFA candidates, art minors, and other students with a real interest in art all bring their particular insights to a shared space and common themes.  As students engage in artistic endeavors, their range of ages and achievements enriches the quality of dialogue and expands the capacity for growth.  An individual's willingness to embrace this challenge of new exchange matters more than work already accomplished.

 

Student Life

IAU expects students to live with French hosts, and almost all do.  This firsthand experience with another culture is an integral part of the education abroad experience because it facilitates language acquisition and succeessful adaptation to France.  Living in a carefully selected French home is an invaluable opportunity not found in many study abroad programs.  Naturally, all students must accept the constraints and responsibilities such arrangements entail.

Students share daily continental breakfasts and six dinners per week with their hosts; they manage their own lunches and the one dinner per week not taken in the French home.  Those IAU students who wish to live in independent lodgings for dietary or other reasons need to request Permission to do so.  They should be aware that short-term furnished rentals are in limited supply.  Students are ultimately responsible for locating their own lodgings, arranging the terms of the rental, and handling all related issues. 

Cinemas, restaurants, cafes and discotheques, as well as a variety of sporting events, are available to students in the town of Aix-en-Provence. Some of the activities offered are: hiking, skiing, wine-tasting, cooking, rugby, dance, soccer, football, fencing, and music as well as weekend day trips to such places as the seaside town of Cassis, the Matisse Museum in Nice, and the city of Marseille.

Alumni Feedback

"Marchutz is a dream come true! I'm learning to paint in the shadow of Cézanne. The professors are amazing. They create a whole world for you to grow and thrive in artistically.
- Bridget Butler, Montclair State University (NJ)

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience to improve your soul as well as your outlook on life. CCIS is very helpful in all the details in the study abroad application process. The sponsors were personable and knowledgeable in dealing with me and my questions about study abroad."
- Kelly Painter, Truett-McConnell College (GA)

 

Duration

Fall: September 5 - December 19, 2009
Spring: January 23 - May 16, 2010

Fall Break - Sat. Oct. 25 - Sun. Nov. 2, 2008///Spring Break - Sat. April 11 - Sun. April 19, 2009

Application Deadline(s)

Summer: April 15
Fall: May 1
Spring: November 1

Eligibility Requirements

A 2.5 GPA is required, along with transcripts and one letter of recommendation, for admission into the program which is open to students of freshman through senior standing.

Costs

$9,641(CCIS member)
$10,691 (non CCIS-member)

Truman requires a $300 deposit deducted from total amount due, upon acceptance to the program, but does not have an application fee.

Costs Included

Instructional costs abroad, health insurance, ccis and sponsor fees

Costs Not Included

Fixed costs:  Activity fee ($650), studio art fee ($300), book fee ($180), room/half board ($4,600), Trip Fee, only in spring ($690) Please note that these are fixed costs and a $750 deposit is required at the time of your acceptance, payable directly to the Institute for American Universities; this amount will be deducted from your housing fee.

Estimated costs:  Airfare ($1,200), Miscellaneous and food ($2,500) 

Please note that a $750 deposit is required at the time of your acceptance, payable directly to the Institute for American Universities; this amount will be deducted from your housing fee.

All costs, fees, and dates are subject to change without notification. Please contact the appropriate individual to verify all costs, fees, and dates for this program.

Related Links

• Wikipedia - Aix-en-Provence

 

Submit Application Materials To:

Rosa Virginia Mendez, Study Abroad Advisor

Truman State University
Center for International Education Abroad
Kirk Building 114
Kirksville, MO 63501
(660) 785-4076
(660) 785-7473 (Fax)
rvmendez@truman.edu

- or -

Eva Fernandez

Interim Program Manager

Office of International Education
Miami Dade College
300 NE Second Avenue
Suite 1450
Miami, FL 33132
efernan1@mdc.edu
(305) 237-3008
(305) 237-7439 (Fax)

 

Leeza Fernand

Office of International Education
Miami Dade College
300 NE Second Avenue
Suite 1440
Miami, FL 33132
lfernan7@mdc.edu
(305) 237-3580
(305) 237-7439 (Fax)

How do I apply?

Start the CCIS Study Abroad application process by downloading and printing the following forms. These PDF documents are viewed using Adobe's Acrobat Reader plug-in, which is available free. If you don't have Acrobat Reader installed on your computer, click here.

CCIS APPLICATION PACKAGE AND INSTRUCTIONS

All costs, fees, and dates are subject to change without notification. Please contact the appropriate individual to verify all costs, fees, and dates for this program.