Master of Fine Arts (MFA) graduates were looking forward to showing their work at the Prichard Art Gallery after spring graduation until a global pandemic took the world by storm.
The reception, first planned to be in April and May, was pushed to September and October.
“Students come to the University of Idaho and they’re here for three years,” Prichard Director Roger Rowley said. “And part of that celebration of commitment of time is to have the next exhibition, and so we offered to still have the exhibit.”
The 2020 MFA show will be available for viewing at the Prichard Sep. 11 through Oct. 11.
Though many were distraught about the delay, students are gracious to still have a physical place to present their art.
Having a physical show gives viewers the opportunity to experience a physical object compared to a photo. There are textures and shadows that get lost in scanning and are hard to reproduce.
“In real life, you know you can’t touch the art because people are watching, but you could actually touch it, and there is a different mental game happening when it’s a physical object,” UI MFA alumna Theresa Rushing said. “You can walk around, see the light reflecting off of it and when it’s just a photo, you’re staring at one static moment that you can’t interact with.”
Theresa Rushing graduated this spring, earning a MFA and taught classes including beginner art and design, ceramics and beginning drawing. She will be showing her pen and ink drawings as part of her thesis. Her drawings represent wisdom and dead foliage, how they often are neglected and show beauty which typically goes unnoticed.
Along with Rushing, other MFA graduates will be showing their work at the exhibit’s debut.
Robbie Mann is a UI MFA alumnus who will be showing his work online during the exhibit. He majored with a focus in painting and drawing and taught foundation courses. He will showcase portraits drawn with oil pastels and a series called men in power, depicting political power and the confident artist.
Dongming Zhao graduated with a major in art pedagogy and emphasis in drawing and painting. At her time at UI, she taught 100 and 200 level courses and was a teaching assistant. She will be showing fabric drawings that allowed her to combine Chinese and oil painting. They show eastern and western art coexisting and complementing one another. Her art represents her personal experience in Chinese culture and America.
Kaleb Brass, a UI MFA alumna is not included in this article, but their work can be seen during the exhibit.
The exhibit will be open this Friday for patrons to view, but there will be no opening or closing reception.
We’re asking students to not have parties or big gatherings, and if we as the university are throwing a party it is counterproductive and sending the wrong message, Rowley said.
“We feel the sense of obligation to students who have dedicated three years to developing and creating artwork that culminates in their MFA Exhibition,” Rowley said. “We want to honor and celebrate their achievements. While many MFAs will only have an online exhibit, it is important to recognize the mutual commitment of the students and institution toward this advanced work in the arts by having an actual gallery exhibit.”
Emily Pearce can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @Emily _ A_ Pearce.