2021 MFA Graphic Design Thesis Exhibition

2021 MFA Graphic Design candidates showcase their work in Stone Gallery

Boston University College of Fine Arts School of Visual Arts is thrilled to present the 2021 MFA Thesis Shows. Featuring the work of the graduating MFA candidates in Graphic Design, Painting, and Sculpture, this series of showcases has a unique structure in a unique year. Each program will be on view in Boston University Art Galleries’ newly renovated Stone Gallery over the course of the Spring 2021 semester.

Opening March 26 in the newly renovated Stone Gallery is The Printer is Broken: the exhibition featuring 17 Masters of Fine Arts Graphic Design candidates from the Class of 2021. The exhibition showcases a body of work that, according to Associate Professor Christopher Sleboda, “while showcasing their original voices and personalized approaches to graphic design—also collectively reflects on the effects and influence that technology exerts on the discipline.” It will be on view through April 6.

MFA Painting, and BFA Thesis Shows will follow later in the semester. Miss the MFA Sculpture show? See more here!

Artists

About the Show

The late 20th and early 21^st century marked a revolution in graphic design, as rapid advances in technology transformed the field’s practice. This digital evolution offered new tools to graphic designers, along with access to online and virtual spaces, new arenas that take design far beyond its print-based roots. In this exhibition, 17 designers from seven countries present a body of work that—while showcasing their original voices and personalized approaches to graphic design—also collectively reflects on the effects and influence that technology exerts on the discipline. With an unreliable tool as a framing metaphor, the exhibition’s works grapple with the uncertainty, anxiety, and opportunity of the current moment while also showcasing form-based and conceptual inquiries into how graphic design can articulate, challenge, motivate, provoke, illuminate, comfort, and question.

The Printer is Broken focuses a lens on the versatility of the tools, methods, and platforms of graphic design, centering the erratic nature of equipment as a potentially crucial factor to consider in the design process. Relationships with technology and tools underpin contemporary graphic design. By exploring when these relationships become problematic, the exhibition highlights the possibilities of disruption along with the beauty of unexpected errors, serendipitous discoveries, and innovative thinking when circumstances suddenly change. The same tools that enable and empower the designer have inherent limitations. Resilient and creative responses to these limitations can be rooted in personal experience and deeply held beliefs while also drawing on accumulated skills and knowledge. There may be no singular correct response in the face of a breakdown or malfunction, but rather various strategies and in-the-moment assessment, often leading to critical inquiry and further investigation. The misprints and projections of The Printer is Broken symbolize the intrinsic unpredictability of dynamic design processes. The works on display expose how the eccentricity of tools used to produce graphic design ultimately shapes form and impacts meaning.

– Christopher Sleboda, Associate Professor of Art, Graphic Design

Visit BUAG

Gallery Hours: Wednesday – Friday, 11:00 – 5:00pm

Due to the ongoing pandemic, visitors are limited to the Boston University on-campus community of students, faculty, and staff. All visitors are welcome to check out the virtual tour that will be available soon.

Be sure to follow @buartgalleries, @bu_visualarts, and @buarts to catch the graduate candidates’ work!

GRAPHIC DESIGN AT CFA

The Graphic Design program at Boston University takes a studio-driven approach to design thinking and visual communication. With an emphasis on process and critical design thinking, the program sets itself apart as a maker-based design department set within an art school. The design faculty are leaders in the field who work closely with students to develop their technical and conceptual skills, challenging them to think creatively and strategically, and placing them at the forefront of entrepreneurial thinking in the business world. Learn more about studying Graphic Design at BU.