Mason Gross School of the Arts

It is named for Mason W. Gross, the sixteenth president of Rutgers. • Illustration — MGSA has spaces in the Civic Square government and theatre district.

• Name — Rutgers Mason Gross School of the Arts • Type — School of the Arts • Students — 1169 (2019) • Undergrad — 861 (2019) • Postgrad — 308 (2019) • City — New Brunswick • State — New Jersey • Country — United States • Campus — Urban/suburban • Website — masongross.rutgers.edu • Faculty — 324 • Affiliations — Rutgers University

In 1960, during the Fluxus movement at the university, Rutgers established the Rutgers MFA in visual arts as the first non-displicinary-specific fine arts graduate program in the United States. Mason Gross was founded in 1976 as a school of the fine and performing arts within Rutgers University. That year, Mason Gross became a separate degree-granting institution from the other undergraduate colleges. Drama teacher William Esper founded and led the professional training in acting from 1977 to 2004. All fine arts departments at the other Rutgers colleges were merged into Mason Gross in 1981. Theater actor, director, and playwright Jack Bettenbender served as first dean of the school, from 1976 until his death in 1988.

As of 2005, MGSA had expanded to more than 20 buildings, mainly within Rutgers' Douglass College campus and including studios at the Livingston campus. The Bettenbender Plaza outdoor space was dedicated in 2002 to honor founding dean John Bettenbender. The square is a gathering spot for students between classes, the site of impromptu performances and an outdoor setting for evening events. Actor and director Avery Brooks gave the dedication. Bettenbender Plaza sits in front of Nicholas Music Center, a 704-seat music hall designed by Pietro Belluschi, and the Mason Gross Performing Arts Center, which is home to more than 300 performances and exhibitions a year.

Slightly up river from the primary MGSA campus and south of the train station is the City of New Brunswick's downtown Civic Square. This arts and theater district is home to off-campus Mason Gross studios, galleries, and stages. The Civic Square Building at 33 Livingston Avenue contains studio facilities and classrooms. It stands next to the former silent film movie palace which is now the State Theatre for performing arts. The New Brunswick Performing Arts Center opened in Civic Square in 2019. It hosts theater performances at Mason Gross alongside professional companies American Repertory Ballet, Crossroads Theatre, and George Street Playhouse. George Street Playhouse and Crossroads are Actors' Equity companies which can provide theater students with professional opportunities in order to obtain their Equity card. Mason Gross Galleries at Civic Square shows graduate and undergraduate student work.

Mason Gross offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater and the Master of Fine Arts in Theater. Rutgers Conservatory at Shakespeare’s Globe in London provides Mason Gross drama students with the opportunity for classical conservatory study abroad. The drama training at MGSA is built in part upon the Meisner technique.

MGSA offers the Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, Doctor of Musical Arts, Artist Diploma in Music, and MA and Ph.D. in composition, theory, and musicology. Modernist composer Robert Moevs taught at the school. A number of notable New Brunswick bands have formed over the years at the university and in New Brunswick's music scene at large.

MGSA offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design and in Visual Arts and Master of Fine Arts in Design and in Visual Arts. Kara Walker currently serves as an endowed chair. Visual artist Didier William, photographer Mark McKnight and conceptual artist Park McArthur are among faculty. In the early 1950s, artist Allan Kaprow taught at Rutgers University and helped start the Fluxus group alongside professors Robert Watts, Geoffrey Hendricks, and Roy Lichtenstein; artists George Brecht and George Segal; and students Lucas Samaras and Robert Whitman. Al Hansen also taught at the university. The department has alumni like Joan Snyder, Clifford Owens, and Pope.L and students exhibit their thesis work in New York City annually.

The school offers a BFA in Dance, with master's degree options in Dance Education and Pedagogy.

Mason Gross collaborates with Rutgers at large in exploring the role of the arts in analyzing and explaining facts and ideas. Mason Gross has three research centers dedicated to arts-integrated research and pedagogy: the Documentary Film Lab, the Integrated Dance Collaboratory, and the Rutgers Printmaking Collaborative. The Blanche and Irving Laurie Music Library houses approximately 15,000 recordings and 30,000 monographs and scores, serving as a research and reference library at all levels.

The school is highly selective. Only 9 percent of drama applicants are admitted. Mason Gross's overall acceptance rate is in the 18-21% range.

MGSA has more than 500 events taking place annually on campus, alongside classes, rehearsals and numerous recreational activities. Mason Gross is home to a wide variety of performing choirs and ensembles. Rutgers Day is an annual festival.