Fine Arts graduate students exhibit theses

Nine Fine Arts graduate students got a taste of the outside art world during a reception last night, as they displayed their graduating theses in Meyerson Hall for all to see -- and critique. "My studio was my cave," explained Fine Arts graduate student Sarah Roche. "Here everything looks so much more expansive." The paintings and sculptures drew a variety of reactions from the crowd, ranging from the impressed to the puzzled. Roche said the evening was a "culminating show," adding that she and her fellow classmates hoped to present a "cohesive body of work that expressed something about us." Roche's series of paintings focused on the theme of human relationships and the landscape. She even traveled to Maine last summer to concentrate on painting coastal landscapes. Fine Arts graduate student Hae-Won Won created a crowd-stopping sculpture entitled "Dress of Larva" out of muslin. Won said she was expressing the processes of "birth and rebirth," particularly those of women. These pieces represent "an evolution of my work," said Fine Arts graduate student Gregg Coker, stressing "ideas of tension and weight, and confrontational image in a vast space." The two-year Fine Arts graduate program attempts to simulate a real artist's life for the students, especially involving the set-up of their private studios. "This is a professional school," Acting Fine Arts Department Chairperson Hitoshi Nakazato said. "They should perceive themselves not as a student, but as a young artist." Nakazato said he hopes that each student will "develop a personal vision and artistic technique." "Each student should ask themselves what kind of artist they want to be and constantly question themselves," he added. The reception attracted many Fine Arts undergraduates who came to support the department and congratulate the graduate students. "Grad students serve as interfaces between the undergrads and the professors," explained Fine Arts Undergraduate Chairperson Julie Schneider. "There's a lot of interaction between grads and undergrads," College senior Paul Mangan concurred. "You pick up a lot from the grad students." Schneider also stressed the importance of the critiques that each student faces at the end of the semester. A multi-disciplinary panel, consisting of University faculty and outside artists, addresses the works from a variety of angles. "The caliber of criticism grad students get here is unparalleled," Schneider said. "The students are challenged and nurtured at the same time." Schneider explained that "the final projects that were exhibited were really bodies of research." She said students focus on one style or medium and become methodical, in a sense becoming experts in their field. The theses will be on display in the Meyerson Hall Galleries until March 29. A second graduate student thesis show will also be held on April 19.