MFABook-v7-online

Sep 26, 2026

Graduate fine arts catalog text acknowledging thesis advisors, exhibition advisors, editors, designers, essayist, and participating artists from the MFA program. It includes a dedication to Peter Simensky and reflective remarks about the two-year MFA timeline, artistic curiosity, openness, and the Class of 2024’s collective cohesion. Artist statements describe material practice, themes of scale, embodiment, memory, spirituality, identity, migration, and vulnerability, accompanied by artwork titles and medium details.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages26

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

Thesis and Exhibition Personnel

Advisors, Editors, Design, Essayist

Dedication and Program Reflection

Tribute to Peter Simensky

Artist Works and Statements

Featured Artists and Artwork Media

Chair of Graduate Fine Arts Peter Simensky Susanne Cockrell Thesis Advisors Maria Porges Karen (Ren) Fiss Exhibitions Advisors Peter Simensky Glen Helfand Aaron Gach Editors Lynse Cooper Yue Xiang Dottie Lo Bue Kelley Finley Willow Design Xinling Wang Yishi Chen Essayist Sloane Holzer ARTISTS 5 Kelley Finley [kelleyfinley.com / @kyfin](kelleyfinley.com / @kyfin) 7 Deena Qabazard [deenamachina.com / @deenamachina](deenamachina.com / @deenamachina) 9 Seven Chen @seven_chenn 11 Carrie Han @[jingyi.art](jingyi.art) 13 Yue Xiang [xiang-yue-art.com / @xiangyuecreates](xiang-yue-art.com / @xiangyuecreates) 15 Xianghan Cheng @chengcxh 17 John Furth @johnfurthart 19 Jesse Muñoz @jmoonartwork 21 Duma Mock [danielmock.com / @mockthings](danielmock.com / @mockthings) 23 Jason Stern @jason_pottery 25 Dottie Lo Bue [dottielobue.com / @dottielll](dottielobue.com / @dottielll) 27 Gene VanWyk [genevw.com / @green](genevw.com / @green_bean_gene)[_](genevw.com / @green_bean_gene)[bean](genevw.com / @green_bean_gene)[_](genevw.com / @green_bean_gene)[gene](genevw.com / @green_bean_gene) 29 Xiaohan Zhou [achiiart.com / @achiiart](achiiart.com / @achiiart) 31 Molly Barker [mollybarkerart.com](mollybarkerart.com) 33 Peipei Li [popos.world / @popo.art](popos.world / @popo.art) 35 Lynse Cooper [lynse-cooper-photo.com](lynse-cooper-photo.com) 37 Willow [26willow26.art / @26willow26](26willow26.art / @26willow26) 39 Luning Ge @luningart 41 Erica Nicole Hannel[ericanicolehannel.com / @ericanicolehannel](ericanicolehannel.com / @ericanicolehannel) 43 Chrissa Chorvat [chorvatart.com / @chrissachorvat](chorvatart.com / @chrissachorvat) DEDICATED TO our dearest PETER SIMENSKY We are living in strange, strange times. That’s an understatement. But we always seem to be. In the many years that I have been working with MFA students, I have reflected on that same phrase when considering the graduate exhibition. A two-year program is such a distinct boundary of time, though it is a format that really does accommodate growth and bonding. It is such a rewarding experience to see the evolution of an art practice. So much happens in four semesters. There are myriad conversations, connections, and experiences. It is something that students and faculty go through together. In the arts, we exalt the curiosity that comes with navigating our era. An MFA program is a microcosm of exploration. In this timeframe, artists make the commitment to dive deep and be vulnerable. An MFA program relies on openness and expansion. The Class of 2024 is impressive for its strength and cohesion. This publication exists out of their pluck and sweat equity. They did this in the face of loss, that of a revered, dedicated leader and artist, Peter Simensky. His passing in December 2023 brought us all, students and faculty, closer together in grief and dialog. Our conversations became more difficult, but also more profound. Peter was deeply in support of this catalog project, and what you hold in your hand speaks, with reverence and appreciation, to his memory. This publication is also an expression of life and forward thinking. The graduating artists offer their work as a bridge to the future and to an enduring creative spirit. All of us who shared this experience with them can’t wait to see what they do next. Glen Helfand Associate Professor Chair, Graduate Curatorial Practice KELLEY FINLEY “My work uses scale and embodiment to question the internal versus the external view of the marginalized woman’s existence. These diasporic experiences are venerated and tenderly held within the sculptural, anthropomorphic containers I make, creating a sacred space. Domestic materials like fabric, thread, and medicinal herbs actualize protection, grief, monumentalization, vulnerability, and personal shrines.” Cheongsam vinyl, thread, stainless steel envelopes a 5’2” body Lotus House Wishes vinyl, thread, archiva

FAQs

What is the purpose of this publication within the MFA program?

It functions as a catalog that documents the graduate exhibition and presents the Class of 2024’s artwork, framed by dedication and reflective commentary.

Who is dedicated in the text?

The dedication is to Peter Simensky, described as a revered, dedicated leader and artist whose passing in December 2023 is noted.

What do the artist statements emphasize across the works?

They highlight identity and lived experience through material practices, including memory, spirituality, migration, vulnerability, and the transformation of physical form and materials.

Sep 26, 2026

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