The 2015 Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition will open February
7, 2015. The exhibition, running through March 5, will be shown across three
exhibition spaces—the University Museum, Kipp Gallery, and Kipp
Gallery Annex. An opening reception will be held on February 7 from 6:00 to 8:30
p.m. Admission to the exhibits and reception is free.
This year, the exhibit celebrates the creative accomplishments of
eight emerging artists who are in the final stages of their graduate
program. Culminating three years of hard work, the artworks on view
explore each medium’s tradition, contemporary practice, and personal vision.
The exhibition features MFA candidates Bayan
Albaheth, Eric Brennan, Garick Tai-Lee, Danna Rzecznik, Nicole Paulina, Peter
Mullen, Jim Battistelli, and Tyler Rahl. The MFA degree signals
the highest level of academic achievement for visual artists
in the United States.
Susan Palmisano, the Art Department’s graduate coordinator and professor of painting,
describes the exhibition as “a chorus of rich and varied
artistic voices, culminating three years of intense preparation and research.
Sources of creative inspiration vary widely, with some artists looking inward
to their spiritual, intellectual, or emotional selves while others gaze
outward, locating experiences from everyday life. These motivations then
intersect with contemporary culture and the traditions of craft to express
timely relevance.”
Opportunities
to hear the candidates speak about their work are scheduled for Tuesday,
February 17, at 5:00 p.m. in the University Museum and Tuesday, February 24, at
5:00 p.m. in the Kipp Galleries.
The University Museum, located on the first floor of John Sutton
Hall, is open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday 2:00–6:30 p.m.; Thursday 12:00–7:30
p.m.; Saturday 12:00–4:00 p.m.; and is closed Sunday and Monday. The Kipp Galleries,
located on the first floor of Sprowls Hall, are open 1:00–4:00 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.
For more information, please contact the University Museum at
724-357-2397 or the Lively Arts at 724-357-ARTS (2787).
This exhibition is supported, in part, by the Student
Cooperative Association at IUP. The University Museum at IUP receives state
arts funding through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, through
the Pennsylvania Rural Arts Alliance.