Senior BFA, MFA Students Showcase Thesis Work in Instagram Art Gallery
LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 4, 2020) — Soon to be graduates of the MFA and BFA programs in the University of Kentucky School of Art and Visual Studies are showcasing their theses in an online Instagram art gallery. Originally these students were going to showcase their art in-person on campus at the Bolivar Art Gallery, but due to the current situation the shows had to be canceled. The thesis pieces are now available for view on the Instagram account @socialdistancegallery.
The Instagram account was created in response to gallery closings across the nation due to COVID-19. Benjamin Cook, a painter and adjunct professor of the Art Academy of Cincinnati, launched the account because students had worked so hard on their projects, he thought not to be able to exhibit them would be very unfortunate. Cook thought turning to social media was a logical alternative to showcasing the student’s works in person.
The five University of Kentucky students to have their thesis work featured on the account are graduating MFA student April Wright, from Germantown, Tennessee, and BFA students Marisa Braccia, of Old Bridge, New Jersey; Meredith Coffey, of Lexington; Margaret Simic, of Louisville, Kentucky; and Eliza Sturgill, of Wittensville, Kentucky. The artwork of the students on virtual display are: Wright’s “Gentle Cycle,” Braccia’s “Evidence of Things Not Seen,” Coffey’s “No Thank You,” Simic’s “Overdrawn” and Sturgill’s “A Long Way From Home.”
Their thesis art, alongside other BFA and MFA art students from across the nation, can be viewed online here.
The UK School of Art and Visual Studies, part of the College of Fine Arts, offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the fields of art studio, art history and visual studies, art education, curatorial studies and digital media design.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
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