Each student in the IMA Program must complete two formal critique sessions by presenting work to a panel of three faculty members. Members of the faculty panel will offer verbal evaluations of work presented, and students are encouraged to take notes of the feedback. The primary purpose of these sessions is to offer constructive comments and pose supportive questions that will help students effectively realize their educational, creative,and professional goals.
Crits are an opportunity to present your work in a professional context. Think of them like artist talks. They give you a chance to discuss your artistic practice and projects outside of the classes in which you made them, receive feedback from a range of faculty beyond your regular instructors, and connect with potential thesis advisors.Crits also serve as a useful post-semester deadline: an incentive to revisit work, incorporate feedback you received in class, and refine projects before presenting them to a panel.
In the First Crit, you present at least 3 projects and are assessed on whether you have developed the requisite technical skills and conceptual foundation for more advanced work. In the Second Crit, you present at least 2 projects and are evaluated on your development as a media maker and your readiness for thesis.
Crits are held at the start of each semester. When students reach the respective credit thresholds for the first and second crit, the program schedules them for a crit session.
Students are intentionally assigned at random to a panel of 3 faculty members, compelling them to present to faculty who may be unfamiliar with them and their work (as is often the case with artist talks). Students will learn who their panelists are a day or two ahead of the sessions. If all three faculty panelists are faculty the student hasn't worked with before,the student can request to be switched to another panel with at least one faculty member the student has had as a teacher; the program will attempt to accommodate the request but because of logistics it will not always be possible.
Students have 20 minutes to present and contextualize the work. Students should begin with a brief introduction of themselves and the work they will show.
When introducing each piece, students should indicate what course or courses the work was completed for, what role they had in its creation, and the status of the piece (finished, work-in-progress, excerpt, etc.).
After the 20 minute student presentation, the Crit Panel has twenty minutes to ask the student questions and provide feedback.
Panelists verbally evaluate the student's presentation according to the following criteria:
• Idea or ideas being presented: originality, poignancy, specificity, research
• Technical competency: capacity to use tools to achieve creative objectives (visual composition, sound design, writing, graphic elements, typography, etc., as applicable)
• To what extent does this piece have a clear, identifiable voice? Is it consistent throughout? (as applicable)
• Public relevance: Does the work speak effectively to an intended audience?
• Ability to talk about and contextualize the work presented and its aims
For the First Crit, following the student presentation and faculty feedback sessions, the student leaves the room (or is put in the waiting room if the crit is on Zoom so that the Crit Panel can determine whether the student will pass the crit or be asked to re-present in the next crit cycle. The student then returns and the panel conveys its decision and offers final feedback on the work presented and the presentation itself.
If the panel requires the student to present again, they will provide recommendations on what to improve for the re-presented critique.
The Second Crit does not include this pass/re-present step. Students automatically have approval to proceed to their thesis project once they have participated in the Second Crit (and completed the program’s mandated Thesis Prep semester). While the Second Crit is no longer a 'pass' or 're-present' evaluation, bit remains a requirement and we expect students to take it seriously.
Select work that is as strong as possible. Projects should feel polished: not necessarily finished, but ready to be shown in a professional setting. Fix what is fixable before the crit and resist the urge to make excuses for what isn’t working; starting from a defensive position shapes the conversation in an unhelpful way. Keep in mind that a crit is not the same as a class presentation: what fulfilled an assignment may not be sufficient here.
Consider whether work can be developed or refined further before presenting it. This is especially true for the Second Crit, which emphasizes depth over breadth. When choosing what to bring, think about what each piece says about you as an artist: whether it reflects a clear voice and intention, connects to your artist statement, and demonstrates the range of your practice.
When approaching the crit, be professional, focused, and prepared. We suggest doing a full rehearsal with a tech run-through so you are not troubleshooting during your session.
Time your presentation: the work you screen and your remarks together should total no more than 20 minutes.
Think carefully about how you sequence your work; order shapes meaning, and a well-structured presentation tells a story.
Start with an opening statement that gives the panel a sense of who you are, what you are showing, and what you are hoping to get out of the conversation. Do not simply read your artist statement aloud – the panelists have already read it. Use it as a jumping-off point.
Avoid being self-deprecating or making excuses about the work. The panelists are there to support you, and a well-prepared student will have a productive and rewarding crit.
If presenting remotely, make sure your camera and audio are on and that anything you share on screen is clearly legible. Think through the best way for each piece to be experienced by the panel and plan your presentation accordingly.
All work should be exported and ready to play. No Premiere timelines or open After Effects projects. For installations or performances that cannot be re-staged, plan effective documentation to share with the panel. For interactive or web-based work, consider screen-sharing and walking panelists through your project directly. When presenting excerpts, choose material that is representative and self-contained, and have it clearly marked or in a standalone file so crit time isn’t lost to setup.
Timing
Students should participate in their First Crit during the crit cycle following the semester when they reach or exceed 21 credits. You must complete your First Crit before reaching 30 credits.
Extensions
One semester extension is available upon application to the Program Director. No additional extensions will be granted.
Work Presented
Students will select at least 3 works to be presented to the crit panel.
Students must present:
- An Artist Statement (1 page)
- A minimum of three pieces of work, usually made in three different IMA production courses. Projects should demonstrate the range of the student's work.
Students may also present the following as one of their pieces of work:
- Written work created as part of an IMA class. Students may submit up to 20 pages of a screenplay along with a 2-page treatment if the 20 pages is an excerpt of a longer script. Students may not submit more than one screenplay per crit.
- Additional work created while enrolled in the program, outside of class
All work presented should total a maximum of 20 minutes.
With respect to collaborative work, students must address the precise nature of their creative contribution to the project.
Students must submit their artist statement, any written work they want the panelists to review (including screenplays), and the summary of work they will present at the crit to the IMA Program Coordinator at least five days before the crit sessions.
Timing
The Second Crit happens when you are approaching or have reached 42 credits. It typically occurs during the crit cycle following completion of the Thesis Prep Process, as it immediately precedes enrollment in thesis.
Prerequisites
You cannot participate in your Second Crit or register for thesis without first completing the Thesis Prep Process.
Work Presented
Students will select at least 2 works to be presented to the crit panel. The Second Crit focuses on projects produced or completed since your First Crit, with an emphasis on depth and rigor rather than breadth. Work that was presented at your First Crit may not be shown again unless you have developed it further and changed it significantly. Thesis concepts are addressed through the Thesis Prep Process, not during the Second Crit, although you may ask the panelists questions regarding your thesis project during the discussion portion of the crit
Students must present:
- An Artist Statement (1 page)
- A minimum of two advanced projects created since your First Crit, in two different production courses, totaling a maximum of 20 minutes
Students may also present:
- Written work created as part of an IMA class. Students may submit up to 20 pages of a screenplay along with a 2-page treatment if the 20 pages is an excerpt of a longer script. Students may not submit more than one screenplay per crit.
- Additional work created while enrolled in the program, outside of class
With respect to collaborative work, students must address the precise nature of their creative contribution to the project.
At both crits, students are required to submit a one-page artist statement contextualizing their projects within their broader creative practice, including their social and aesthetic goals. Artist statements should be between 500 words and 1.5 pages. More about writing an artist statement here.
Listen carefully and take notes. When panelists ask questions, answer them, especially when they need context or are trying to understand your intent, but avoid over-explaining or defending your decisions. Try to stay open, even to feedback that surprises you; a crit can offer perspectives or directions you hadn’t considered, and that is part of its value. You are also welcome to ask the panelists questions. While you can help frame the conversation by indicating what kind of feedback you are looking for, panelists will speak their minds. Think of the discussion as a resource for your next steps, whether that means returning to a project or informing work you haven’t started yet.
Upon request, guests may observe crit presentations, but may not participate.
Upon request, students may audio record their crit sessions for their personal review. .
Crit Panel decisions are only appealable when a student believes the panel made a procedural error, without which the student would have passed. A procedural appeal must be submitted in writing to the IMA Director within two weeks of the Crit. If the IMA Director, in consultation with the Graduate Committee, determines that the Crit Panel based its decision in part on a procedural mistake, the Director may either convene a new panel or retroactively pass the student for the Crit in question. Examples of procedural errors include panelist confusion about the material a student is required to present, the panel not giving a student the prescribed time to present material, or a technical problem beyond the student's control compromising the student's presentation.
Students may not appeal Crit decisions based on their assertion that the panelists made errors of judgment. In other words, matters of opinion are not appealable.