The MFA Thesis Exhibitions continue in the Eisentrager•Howard Gallery in Richards Hall through April 16. Four graduating Master of Fine Arts students in the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s School of Art, Art History and Design are presenting their work in the final two rounds.
The simultaneous solo shows are on display in two remaining rounds, with a new pairing of artists each week between April 5-16.
The third round runs April 5-9 and features the work of Matt Carlson (sculpture) and Chance Allen (painting). Carlson and Allen will be having remote artists talks on April 8 at 5:30 p.m. Connect via Zoom. The gallery will be closed for oral examinations at 8 to 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. April 7.
The fourth round runs April 12-16 and features the work of Taylor Sijan (ceramics) and Amythest Warrington (ceramics). The two artists will present a live tour of their exhibitions via Instagram (@taylorsijan and @amythest_the_ceramicist) on April 15 after 4:30 p.m. The gallery will be closed for oral examinations until 2 p.m. April 14 and after 2 p.m. April 15.
General hours for the MFA Thesis Exhibitions are weekdays, 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. or by appointment. Call 402-472-5522 to make an appointment. The gallery will be closed to all visitors during oral examination times listed above during each round.
Until further notice, all students, faculty, staff, and campus visitors are required to comply with current CDC safety guidelines (social distancing and facial coverings) in response to COVID-19. Details, exclusions and updates can be found at the City of Lincoln’s website and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln website. Additionally, all campus visitors must enter Richards Hall via the north doors if unaccompanied by student, faculty or staff. If greeted by an attendant at the stairs, please call the number below for further assistance.
Below is more information about the remaining artists and their exhibitions.
Chance Allen | “Short Stories, Tall Tales”
Allen makes graphite drawings and oil paintings that depict intimate still lives that are driven by narrative. Real and imagined stories are thrown against tightly structured compositions. The imagery within these still lives combines his personal history as well as other histories such as, art, music, and pop culture. But all of the images draw heavily from the American visual language and iconography.
The still lives are limited in elements and focus on the relationship between the object and image. Using only a few objects forces these pairings into a standoff with one another so that they supersede their literal presence for a new symbolic one. Through this method of storytelling, he explores things like his future death, love, and conflict surrounding family.
Matt Carlson | “Tomorrow is the Worst Day Since Yesterday”
Carlson uses art to question these structures and examine the role of systems as a method of understanding and navigation. Whether its creating a system of mark making to draw conversations he has with his son, or using the time he spends in a car as the basis to create large-scale drawings, he uses these quotidian experiences as a basis to create art. He aims to draw attention to the aspects of our lives that we, both as individuals and as society, often take for granted, or simply are not recognizing as events that impact our daily lives. He practice includes sculpture, drawing, installation, social practice and experiential art. The emphasis is placed on the process that creates the work, rather than the final product itself.
A native of San Diego, California, Carlson spent his early 20s exploring various areas of the country before settling in North Carolina. There, he earned a B.F.A. in sculpture and ceramics from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and an A.A.S. in photography from Randolph Community College. Before arriving in Lincoln, he spent 3 ½ years working alongside people with autism and their families. Advocating for people living with disabilities and their families continues to be important to his life and a driving force behind his work.
Amythest Hultman Warrington | “The Weight of it All”
Warrington was born in Iowa City, Iowa, but she was raised in a mobile military family growing up around the U.S. and Europe. She received her Bachelor of Fine Art in ceramics with minors in art history and art from the University of Northern Iowa in 2014. While working on her bachelor’s, she studied abroad at the Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute for a semester in Jingdezhen, China, through West Virginia University’s China Program.
Her mobile upbringing taught her that the details may differ from group to group, but the essence or core experiences surrounding loss, empathy and belonging are a universal language connecting us all. Warrington’s work explores the dichotomy between strength and frailty associated with these universal connectors through clay’s unique physical properties of malleability, recyclability and permanence once fired. Her meticulously crafted beautiful objects draw you into serious and often taboo subjects to comfort those who need it, while challenging those that are comfortable and providing a way forward through art.
Taylor Sijan | “Growth”
Sijan makes functional pottery that is richly decorated with layers of abstracted botanical imagery. As she works, she balances design decisions based on her understanding of aesthetic beauty influenced in the decorative arts, Art Nouveau, and the individualistic usefulness of contemporary American functional art pottery. By making vessels, she aims to connect her reverence for plants, nourishment and beauty with people who then add their own meanings and interpretations to her work after it becomes a part of their life.
