MFA Student Candidates to Exhibit Their Work

PULLMAN, Wash. – The Washington State University Museum of Art in collaboration with the WSU Fine Arts department, will exhibit the Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition, April 13 – May 5. There will be an opening reception Friday, April 13 at 6 p.m.   

This annual showcase represents the culmination of two or more years’ work by the Master of Fine Arts graduate candidates. MFA student candidates will present works from a variety of mediums including digital media, drawing, painting, printmaking and sculpture. The exhibit will feature works with a wide range of subject matter, content and style. 

This years’ group of candidates includes: Chris Ireland, digital media; Laura Mogollon-Lee, printmaking; Roman Lystvak, painting; Isaac Powell, painting and drawing; Valerie Powell, painting and sculpture; Peter Reichardt, printmaking; Michael Richardson, sculpture; Charles C. Siegfried, painting and drawing; and Jamie Marie Waelchli, digital media and drawing. 

“The student candidates have been working diligently over the course of the past two years to get to this point. I’m confident I speak for everyone when I say it’s been a pleasure and I think the exhibit illustrates our hard work and commitment to the arts,” said Richardson, a native of Odessa, Texas, and a sculptor since 2002.  

Chris Watts, a professor in the WSU Fine Arts department, and this year’s graduate advisor, has been the formal coordinator of the MFA students for seven years. When asked if the exhibit will have an overall theme, he said, “the strength of the Fine Arts department and the MFA program is we don’t have a certain style, each student is allowed to shine on their own–find their own path. This year’s group was no exception; they continued the long standing tradition of creativity and excellence.”   

Funding and support for this exhibit was provided by Washington Art Consortium, Washington State Arts Commission, Friends of the Museum of Art/WSU, WSU Fine Arts Department, College of Liberal Arts, Registered Student Organization and the Hilltop Restaurant. 

The Museum of Art is located on Wilson Road across from Martin Stadium in the Fine Arts Center on the WSU campus. Gallery hours are Monday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., open until 7 p.m. on Thursday and closed Sunday. For more information please contact the museum at (509) 335-1910. 

www.wsu.edu/artmuse 

Michael Richardson, Zeno’s Hands, 2006