School of Visual Arts presents “MFA Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition,” an exhibition of year-end thesis projects by graduating MFA Fine Arts students. Curated by Lumi Tan, associate curator at The Kitchen, the exhibition is on view May 16 through June 6 at 695 Grand Street, Brooklyn, New York. Admission is free and open to the public.

Statement from the curator: “An MFA thesis show is typically thought of as a culmination of studies, a concise presentation of what has been learned, researched, critiqued and revised over the past two years. However, the 35 students in this class have differentiated themselves by approaching the concept of the thesis not as a conclusive statement, but rather an opportunity for a new beginning. Instead of absolute resolve, they have continued to experiment and find novel ways to move forward within their deeply divergent practices. Switching mediums, themes and motives with aplomb, the students seem to acknowledge that while each individual completed artwork may be the result of problem solving, to be an artist is to ardently pursue the hypothetical.

“This transitional moment between student and working artist is foregrounded by the deliberately public location of this year’s exhibition. For the first time, the thesis show moves from SVA Chelsea Gallery to a storefront space on a commercial street in Williamsburg, a neighborhood now associated with waves of artists who have brought striking economic and cultural change over the past few decades. As a temporary space for exhibitions that will then be demolished for the construction of affordable housing, the storefront quite bluntly speaks to the context of reinvention. By engaging with disparate audiences—those who seek out the exhibition, artists living and working in the neighborhood, and curious passersby—the work moves from the certain comforts of the Chelsea gallery district and the school studio into an undefined space in which it must speak for itself. Most simply put, this collection of artworks may have left a school in Manhattan together, but will be returned to a multifaceted group of artists throughout the boroughs and far further afield.”

The MFA Fine Arts Department at the School of Visual Arts is dedicated to the realization of the individual creative spirit and promise along with technical proficiency and professionalism. Students have the opportunity to develop a close rapport with a faculty, comprised of internationally renowned artists, without the pressure to follow an ordained mode of visual expression. The program offers specialization in painting, sculpture and printmaking. Students are free to employ photographic, video, digital and other techniques in their works and may change their media of choice during their tenure at the College. In addition to workshops that are structured to pay equal attention to technical mastery and experimentation, the program includes seminars devoted to the history of art, the philosophy of art and art criticism.

Exhibition

MFA Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition

Reception