2022 School of Visual Arts MFA Thesis Exhibitions

2022 MFA Painting, Sculpture, and Graphic Design candidates exhibit work in Stone Gallery

Boston University College of Fine Arts School of Visual Arts is proud to present the 2022 MFA Thesis Exhibitions, featuring the work of graduating Master of Fine Arts candidates in Graphic Design, Painting, and Sculpture who began their MFA journey at Boston University during a unique time: fall 2020. Two showcases throughout the Spring 2022 semester will highlight the work of the students in Boston University Art Galleries’ Faye G., Jo, and James Stone Gallery.

MFA Thesis Exhibitions kick off with the MFA Painting and Sculpture showcase, opening on Friday, March 18 at Stone Gallery, on view through April 2. A reception will be held on Friday, March 18, from 5-7 pm, where visitors can meet the student artists.

Lucy Kim, associate professor of art and interim chair of graduate studies in painting at Boston University and David Snyder, assistant professor of art and chair of graduate studies in sculpture at Boston University share the following statement about the students’ work and resilience while navigating the uncertainty a pandemic can bring. “This remarkable group of students started their MFA journey in the Fall of 2020, optimistic that the confusion and uncertainty of a global pandemic would soon fade. Although these hopes proved false, these artists persevered in their studios and classes and continued to learn, expand, make, break, scream, cry, laugh, sigh, and wonder what it even means to make art in this moment. After the tumult and uncertainty of the past two years, they realize that they are re-entering a landscape that has fundamentally shifted.  They have negotiated the tension between the immersive material demands of their individual projects and the increasingly relentless exigencies of the public sphere. In short, they have encountered a particularly acute version of the age-old challenge: to make work of one’s own that feels both true and urgent.”

“Veracity and urgency are embedded in the materials they chose to handle, the images they chose to create, the subjects they chose to depict, and the structures they chose to build. What are the boundaries of identity? Are there new ways to depict the human body? How does one expand conventions and traditions? What does it mean to be radical? How does one structure freedom? How does one make the invisible visible? These students consider these, and other questions, through the disciplines of painting and sculpture, and the friction-filled histories and porous parameters of each. As their faculty, it has been an honor to be a part of their journey and privy to their individual stories. The works in this exhibition point to where each artist started nearly two years ago, to a point of arrival today, and to where they may be heading. The strength of their efforts suggests an overwhelming potential that fills us with hope.”

ARTISTS

MFA Painting, Class of 2022
Sunny Chen
Veronica Dannis-Dobroczynski
Gavin Fahey
Samantha Goodale
Benjamin Hawley
Baoying Huang
Eva Lewis
Jason Lipow
Emily Manning-Mingle
Oscar Morel
Meghan Murray
Madeline Norton
Chen Peng
David Petrak
AJ Rombach
Marie Wheeler

MFA Sculpture, Class of 2022
Jada Haynes
Scarlett Xie

Coming Soon

BU College of Fine Arts School of Visual Arts is pleased to announce additional thesis exhibitions in Stone Gallery. More details coming soon.

2022 MFA Graphic Design Thesis Exhibition
April 13-29, 2022
Reception: Friday, April 15 from 5-7 pm

2022 BFA Thesis Exhibition
May 10-20, 2022

VISIT BUAG

Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 11:00 – 5:00pm

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

PAINTING AT CFA

The Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program in Painting at Boston University promotes the discipline in its varied manifestations as a fundamental form of artistic expression. At its core, the program is studio-driven, with rigorous expectations about each student’s commitment to their own artistic practice. As an art form, painting is more than just an activity; it is a long-term critical engagement with ideas, feelings, and sensibilities. As such, the program supplements this emphasis on the studio with critical dialogue, in the form of studio visits, critiques, weekly seminars, lectures, field trips, and workshops. Graduate students develop close working relationships with both faculty and peers, forging a tight-knit community that continues beyond graduation. Frequent visits from major figures in the contemporary art world, as well as regular trips within New England, New York City, and beyond, bolster this sense of community and prepare students for a life in painting. Real world experience, critical dialogue, and an intensive studio climate support each student’s journey toward an ever-sharpening artistic vision. Learn more about BU’s Graduate Painting program.

SCULPTURE AT CFA

The Sculpture program at BU College of Fine Arts School of Visual Arts encompasses a wide range of approaches, methods and skills, with an emphasis on personal expression grounded in material and technique. Students work closely with faculty, peers, and visiting artists, with many hours of concentrated work devoted to the development of personal voice through object making. BFA and MFA degrees offered. The ability to think three-dimensionally is an essential and empowering tool in the visual arts. Sculpture is a discipline that encompasses a wide variety of media and concerns with the made object at its core. Learn more about studying Sculpture at BU.