MFA 2015 Thesis Exhibition, Opening May 8

Disjecta: 8371 N Interstate Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97217
May 8 – May 31, 2015
Opening: Friday, May 8, 2015, 6:00-9:00 p.m.
Gallery Hours Friday–Sunday, Noon–5:00 p.m.

The University of Oregon Department of Art 2015 MFA thesis exhibition presents the culminating work of ten master of fine arts graduate students. In writing the exhibition essay to accompany their work, Christie Hajela, graduate student in the UO Department of the History of Art and Architecture, says, “Collectively, the third-year MFA students invite us to explore the possibilities of the spaces in between their similarities and differences. There are no strict physical boundaries demarcating the end of one artist’s work and the beginning of another’s in this exhibition, and this nebulous “in-between” space ultimately aligns with the thematic intersection of these artists and their otherwise eclectic practices.”

The Department of Art’s interdisciplinary graduate program encourages students to work across disciplines, with focus in areas of sculpture, photography, painting, drawing, printmaking, digital arts, ceramics, fibers, and jewelry and metalsmithing. The MFA program is a three-year course of study that involves rigorous studio investigation, critical discourse, and conceptual development. Emphasis is placed on developing a curriculum tailored to the needs of the individual student while encouraging exploration and risk-taking

In the catalog, Hajela cites the work of French philosopher Jacques Derrida (1930-2004) and his essay “Différance.” In an excerpt from her essay, she says, “Derrida describes the structure of his discussion of differance through ‘assemblage,’ which reflects the ‘structure of an interlacing, a weaving, or a web, which would allow the different threads and different lines of sense or force to separate again, as well as being ready to bind others together.’ ” Viewers are invited to visit the exhibition, pick up an exhibition catalog that includes the complete essay and images of the work, and learn more about the explorations of the UO’s newest contemporary artists.

For more information, please contact UO Department of Art at 541-346-3610, or director of graduate studies, Christopher Michlig, assistant professor, at cmichlig@uoregon.edu.

Exhibiting Artists:

Farhad Bahram
Fei Chen
Matt Christy
Alex Krajkowski
Anne Magratten
Andrew Oslovar
Brandon Siscoe
Megan St. Clair
John Tolles
Jessie Rose Vala