Why IDSVA?
More and more artists, architects, curators, and creative scholars recognize that theory and philosophy are essential in today's art world. In our interconnected world, IDSVA challenges outdated paradigms by offering education that equips you with the practical research skills and visionary mindset required for understanding contemporary media and culture. We ask, "Why now, and why IDSVA?" as we prepare you for a future that has long since arrived.
"I was hired [by Georgia Southern University] in 2015 and received tenure in 2020... on the basis of my publications, conference presentations, exhibitions, a whole mix of things that wouldn't have been on my CV without the IDSVA experience."
Dr. Jason Hoelscher (PhD 2019) at Spannocchia Castle. Author of Art as Information Ecology: Artworks, Artworlds, and Complex Systems Aesthetics (Duke University Press 2021), recently promoted to Full Professor at Georgia Southern University
Low-Residency
IDSVA has been pioneering and refining blended education since 2007. Your online coursework and independent studies unfold during fall and spring semesters through live video conference seminars, one-on-one phone calls, and asynchronous discussions. Summer and winter intensive residencies in places like Mexico City, Madrid, and Marrakech alternate with online seminars, creating a graduate education experience unlike any other.
Global Learning
The IDSVA experience centers on truly Global Learning. You don't just read about the connections between ideas and visual culture—you see, feel, and experience these relationships firsthand. During your three-year course of study, you'll complete five residencies, traveling from one historic site to another. These immersive experiences last from one to four weeks, allowing deep engagement with each location's unique cultural and intellectual legacy.
Community
Both in online seminars and in intensive residencies around the world, you are encouraged to forge bonds with other students and with faculty members. Research happens within close-knit cohorts and small study groups, where people from diverse backgrounds and interests can share ideas and learn from each other. Presenting your work in progress regularly will enable you to receive feedback from faculty and peers, and to develop collaborations outside of class.
A Vision for the Future
Our Mission: IDSVA's greatest strength lies in our unique PhD in Visual Arts: Philosophy, Aesthetics, and Art Theory—the only degree of its kind in the world. We prepare artist-philosophers to become tomorrow's leaders because we believe the world urgently needs creative thinkers who can innovate and forge new ways of understanding. The crises we face today stem directly from outdated thinking; our graduates develop the tools to imagine and build a different future.
Our Philosophy: At IDSVA, we deeply believe that artist-philosophers are the ones who see clearly, not only what is already there, but what does not yet exist. They lead the way in imagining an alternative to the current obstacles that impede real human flourishing. What IDSVA offers is more than education—it's a vision of what's possible. Our students don't just observe history; they actively participate in shaping it. They're part of an institution that's defining the future of global education, the future of philosophy and art, the future of how we live in the world.
Our Impact: Our students and alumni are changing the world in countless ways. Through rigorous coursework that emphasizes the growing importance of thinking across disciplines, they share groundbreaking ideas in publications, conferences, and exhibitions. They educate the next generation. They win fellowships and advance to leadership roles in their fields. You can see evidence of this success in their profiles, though these represent just the measurable impact—the full scope of their influence on society extends far beyond what any list can capture.
Our goal: To change the way we think, to transform how we see the world and how we see one another. This transformation—the change we work toward as a shared communal aspiration—represents IDSVA's vision of what's possible when art and philosophy unite to reimagine human understanding.
"Something about the program that surprised me was the depth of the friendships and relationships that we have with one another in each of our cohorts. Despite not being in a traditional space and institution we are constantly coming together, not just in the residencies and the class time, but supporting one another outside of that."
Dr. Carolyn Jean Martin, 2018 David C. Driskell Fellow, 2024 PhD and Ted Coons Dissertation Prize Winner