Six graduating Master of Fine Arts students from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s School of Art, Art History & Design will present their MFA Thesis Exhibitions in the Eisentrager-Howard Gallery in Richards Hall in April. The simultaneous solo shows will be on display in three rounds with a new pairing each week, April 1-19.
The first round runs April 1-5 and features the work of Lindsey Day (painting) and Nicholas Sheldon (printmaking). The second round runs April 8-12 and features the work of Kat Cox (ceramics) and Mallory Trecaso (photography). The third round runs April 15-19 and features the work of Iren Tete (ceramics) and Erik White (painting).
Just prior to the closing receptions on April 5 (Day + Sheldon), April 12 (Cox +Tercaso), and April 20 (Tete + White), the artists will present public lectures at 5 p.m. Each artist will have around 20 minutes, plus questions. Please refer to the event schedule below for the times and locations of the lectures and receptions.
General hours for the MFA Thesis Exhibitions are Monday–Friday, 12:30-4:30 p.m. However, during the course of each exhibition week, each student is required to meet with their Examination Committee and undergo an oral exam—a two-hour assessment that allows the committee to examine all aspects of the student’s thesis. Due to the scheduling of these MFA oral exams, the gallery will be closed during these times. Please refer to the general schedule below for specifics. Signs will be posted on the Gallery doors each time, as a reminder.
General event schedule for the MFA Thesis Exhibition three rounds:
April 1-5 MFA Thesis Round 1 | Lindsey Day + Nicholas Sheldon
April 1 The gallery will close at 3 p.m.
April 2 The gallery will be closed between 1-3 p.m.
April 5 Talk | 5-6 p.m. | Brace Laboratory Rm. 206
Reception | 6-8 p.m. (or immediately following the talk) in the gallery
April 8-12 MFA Thesis Round 2 | Kat Cox + Mallory Trecaso
April 10 The gallery will be closed all day.
April 12 Talk | 5-6 p.m. | Richards Hall Rm. 15
Reception | 6-8 p.m. (or immediately following the talk) in the gallery
April 15-19 MFA Thesis Round 3| Iren Tete + Erik White
April 17 The gallery will close at 3 p.m.
April 19 Talk | 5-6 p.m. | Richards Hall Rm. 15
Reception | 6-8 p.m. (or immediately following the talk) in the gallery
The Eisentrager-Howard Gallery is located on the first floor of Richards Hall at Stadium Drive and T streets on the University of Nebraska–Lincoln city campus. Admission is free and open to the public. Please contact the School of Art, Art History & Design for more information and assistance at (402) 472-5522 or schoolaahd@unl.edu.
Below is more information about the artists and their exhibitions.
Lindsey Day | Crushing Caution
Risk is inherent in life through experience. I routinely evaluate my exposure to danger, harm, and loss, with respect to my lack of total control within both my life and my art. Risk dwells within the process of art making and within the livelihood of the artist—where physical and financial ability are largely dependent on outside influences. My work and research in Crushing Caution reveals personal definitions of risk through narratives and imagery associated with the domesticity and urbanity of the American Midwest. Through painting, I am inserted into a system of my own fabrication. I become a contractor, an urban planner, a material contributor, and a liberal performer. I am both the recipient and the conductor of any possible risk.
Nicholas Sheldon | A Walk Through Shadows
A Walk Through Shadows is an investigation of dream states and their emotional and psychological effects. From life and death, to love and war, each work is a response to the surreal and bizarre nature of dreaming and the themes and topics that seep from the subconscious. Each piece becomes a window into the mind that allows for the examination of the fantastical, the absurd, and the truly weird.
Kat Cox | Entangled
My sculptures are an assembly of engaging surfaces, revealing textures, vibrant colors, and seductive surfaces. These structures incite wonder—inviting one to explore the beauty found in the strange and offering the viewer a way to interact with the discomfort of the unknown through their exuberance. Each sculpture inhabits its own environment or narrative and each is adorned for its own role—finding a balance between discourse and harmony, captivation and repulsion.
Mallory Trecaso | Restorative
Restorative examines intimate views of home interiors that metaphorically embody how I view myself physically. The home represents me after an extended hospital stay that included a significant surgery. The interior spaces reference my body through cracks, patches, and markings on the walls—mirroring my own scars. Imperfections within the house are constant reminders of my own physical state. For example, in [the image] Preservation, the large crack centered in the frame breaks the continuous pattern of wallpaper held together with tape—resembling the mark left after my body was adhered back together. With photography, I am able to capture the home in its actual state, symbolically referencing my acceptance of the need for constant restoration.
Iren Tete | This is Just to Say
The works in This is Just to Say are an exploration of possibility and the transformative power of time. My fascination with the malleable nature of memory is translated into vignettes that reside in the liminal space between solidity and fragility. The resulting works are solid monuments that capture and solidify the transient. Each piece captures and solidifies a moment—transforming a memory into a solid monument.
Erik White | Malleable Perspectives
I attentively paint hastily formed figures, symbols, objects and scenes that were modeled with “never-dry” clay onto stretched canvases of various sizes. The paintings depict the malleable character and the crude, unrefined treatment of the clay to suggest its fragility, impermanence, and its physical construction. Those visual attributes serve as a metaphor for the social construction of the concepts within the chosen imagery. My artistic process is very playful, but the content of the images is usually about serious contemporary issues. The figures, symbols, and scenes relate to my ideas and opinions surrounding current American attitudes. My hope is that the paintings are used to rethink, reimagine, and converse about these ideas. Our political climate is becoming more and more polarized, and I have worked to develop a voice that is somewhat humorous and somewhat serious—ultimately creating opportunities for discuss important issues.