ECU School of Art and Design hosts 2016 MFA Thesis Exhibition
East Carolina University’s School of Art and Design is hosting the 2016 MFA Thesis Exhibition until May 20 in the Wellington B. Gray Gallery.
The 2016 exhibiting artists who will graduate with master of fine arts degrees in May are Sarah Harvell, Alyssa Karpa and Amber D Watts.
Artwork by ECU graduate student Sarah Harvell featured at the 2016 MFA Thesis Exhibition
The exhibition includes a wide range of materials and aesthetics with artists representing three studio areas in the School of Art and Design—Harvell in metal design, Karpa in textile design and Watts in painting.
In her artist statement, Harvell wrote “I revere the strength, beauty, and practicality of a seedpod in all its life stages… I represent these forms in copper with shell forming, a technique that enables me to mimic the sensuous forms and curving lines of seedpods.”
“This body of work depicts my process of therapy and rejuvenation found through creating art,“ Karpa said. “Displayed here are several fiber art techniques—embroidery, crochet, rusting and decaying fiber, and creating sculpture with hog gut and wire—that illustrate my recovery from abuse as well as the methods that now help me cope with residual anxiety.”
Artwork by ECU graduate student Alyssa Karpa featured at the 2016 MFA Thesis Exhibition
In writing about her art, Watts said “I am passionate about the topic of food because of my sociocultural identifiers. The lenses I wear… include being the oldest of three daughters, the mother of a boy, a feminist, a consumer, a producer, an artist, a student and a teacher. Through the construction of mixed media assemblages, I critique contemporary food culture in the United States.”
Artwork by ECU graduate student Amber D Watts featured at the 2016 MFA Thesis Exhibition
Gray Gallery is located off 5th and Jarvis Streets in the Jenkins Fine Arts Center at ECU. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. Call 252-328-1312 for more information.
–Crystal Baity