Second MFA Thesis Exhibition opens April 8

Second MFA Thesis Exhibition opens April 8
Second MFA Thesis Exhibition opens April 8

Second MFA Thesis Exhibition opens April 8

calendar icon27 Mar 2013    

Graduate students Matthew Blache, Megan McLeay and Emma Nishimura in the UNL Department of Art and Art History will present their MFA Thesis Exhibitions April 8-12 in the Eisentrager-Howard Gallery in Richards Hall.

Wood sculpture
Matthew Blache, "Can You Do Me a Favor," wood, 2013.

Gallery hours are Monday-Friday, 12:30-4:30 p.m. A closing reception will be held on Friday, April 12 from 5-7 p.m. in the Gallery.

Blache is originally from New Orleans, La. He received a B.F.A. in sculpture from Louisiana Tech University in 2010. His work has been displayed at the Masur Museum of Art in Monroe, La.; La Esquina in Kansas City, Mo.; and Cuchifritos Gallery & Project Space in New York City. His MFA Thesis Exhibition, “Half True-All Real” is a convergence of his compulsion to make things and his desire to give form to his narrative, which would otherwise be verbal and, therefore, temporary. It is his attempt to transform an incantation into a relic, to relive, recreate and build his past.

Graphite drawing
Megan McLeay, "Cornerstone," graphite on synthetic paper, 4' x 5'.

McLeay is working toward an M.F.A. in printmaking. Originally from Omaha, she received her B.A. from Colorado State University in Fort Collins. She has interned with the Joslyn Art Museum, Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts and worked for the Omaha based non-profit Arts for All. She has participated in both group and juried exhibitions. The artworks in her MFA Thesis Exhibition are large-scale graphite drawings on Yupo, a synthetic paper. This exhibition is a series based on the emotional association of events, people, time and belief.

Nishimura grew up in Toronto and received her B.A. from the University of Guelph in 2005. Her work ranges from traditional etchings, archival pigment prints, drawings, sculpture and audio pieces, to art installations. Using a diversity of media, her work addresses ideas of memory and loss that are rooted within family stories and inherited narratives. Her work is in public and private collections and has been exhibited in both Canada and the United States. Using a range of techniques, from etchings, archival pigment prints, paper cutting, sculptural elements and a lot of Japanese paper, her thesis exhibition, “Geographies of Story,” will explore the different forms and incarnations that memory can take and how specific memories can be revisited, cultivated and remembered.

Pigment print
Emma Nishimura, "Locating Memory 2," archival pigment print on gampi with thread, 24.25" x 38.25", 2012. (Click to enlarge)

The Eisentrager-Howard Gallery is on the first floor of Richards Hall, located at Stadium Drive and T streets on the UNL city campus. Admission is free and open to the public.


Remaining MFA Thesis Exhibitions:

April 15-19
Sam Berner, Gregory Scott Cook and Jacob Francois
Reception: Friday, April 19 from 5-7 p.m.