Released: March 30, 2009
Lincoln, Neb. - The second of three MFA Thesis Exhibitions opens April 13 at the Eisentrager-Howard Gallery in Richards Hall on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln city campus. Three Master of Fine Arts candidates in the Department of Art and Art History will show their work in the exhibition.
MFA Thesis Exhibition II will run April 13-17 and features the work of Sarah Barnard Blitz, Jewel Noll and Kelly Manning. A closing reception will be held April 17 from 5-7 p.m. in the gallery.
Blitz's exhibition, "Of Vapor Beneath the Evening Star," expresses the beauty and magic present within reality using an otherworldly sensibility. Manipulated natural imagery is the language she uses sculpturally to reconnect with both the actual woods and the metaphorical woods of inner self. Contained within the pieces is a narrative for the viewer to discover. Blitz is a native of New York State where she received her B.F.A. from Alfred University in 2002. She has also studied at Syracuse University in New York and the University of Colorado at Boulder. She has worked at the Sheldon Museum of Art as a Hixson-Lied Fellow during her time at UNL.
Manning's exhibition is entitled "Displacement." She paints from intimate photographs of herself and her husband bathing. Her work concentrates on ephemeral water formations and how they interact with the body. Within this context are themes of body image, sexuality and a reconciliation of the private and public self. Manning received her B.F.A. in studio art and her B.A. in economics from the University of Nebraska at Kearney in 2005. She is the recipient of a Hixson-Lied Fellowship.
Noll's exhibition is entitled "Saturated Memory" and is an exhibition of large-scale prints investigating the stains of our personal histories and the uncertainty of memory. Noll deals with the concept of memory through the investigation of staining paper. A stain is the residue of what was there, the footprint of experience and the proof of existence. Originally from Wisconsin, Noll received her B.F.A. degree in printmaking from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in 2006. She has exhibited both nationally and internationally in both print and installation and is the recipient of a Hixson-Lied Fellowship.
MFA Thesis Exhibition III will run April 20-24 and will feature the work of John Carrasco, Autumn Cipala and Seth Green. A closing reception will be held April 24 from 5-7 p.m. in the gallery.
Gallery hours for the MFA Thesis Exhibitions are Monday-Friday, noon to 4 p.m.