The second of three MFA Thesis Exhibition runs April 11-15 and features the work of Kendall Johnson, Qwist Joseph and Erin Schoenbeck. A closing reception will be held April 15 from 5-7 p.m.

Gallery hours for the MFA Thesis Exhibitions are Monday-Friday, 12:30-4:30 p.m. Admission to the gallery is free and open to the public.

Johnson’s exhibition is titled “Until It Doesn’t.” He grew up on a farm in Haven, Kansas. He went to Kansas State University, where he received his B.F.A. in printmaking. His work has been exhibited in Des Moines, Iowa; Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska; Ontario, Canada; and Minya, Egypt. In his artist statement, he writes, “My experiences fuel an exploration of self and identity. I often feel pitted against myself. There are two parts of me: my physical exterior body and an abstract emotional interior. Both struggle, taking it out on each other, fighting. The struggle to find the balance can be destructive. I have not been kind… . I am a trembling body becoming steady.”

Joseph’s exhibition is titled “When the Wind Stops.” He was born and raised in the foothills of Fort Collins, Colorado. After many years of working and learning alongside his Dad at the family foundry, he received his B.F.A. in pottery from Colorado State University and ventured to the nearby town of Loveland, where he and his partner opened a hybrid studio gallery space. After three years of individual studio practice and multiple artist assistantships, they moved to Lincoln. In his artist statement, he writes, “The sculpture I create exemplifies my interest in objects, their creation and our tendency to covet them. Humans have developed elaborate and diverse systems to categorize and dictate the value of things. As a culture we elevate and protect art, and its display is a platform in which this object obsession is exaggerated. Through the podium of art exhibition, I explore the idea of object-ness.”

Schoenbeck’s exhibition is titled “Maybe the Gate Could Be a Fan.” She was born in Lincoln and grew up in the town of Cortland, Nebraska. She received her B.F.A. from Northwest Missouri State. At UNL, she is enrolled in the painting and drawing program, but works across disciplines. In her artist statement, she writes, “My artwork is a means of coping with the complexity of everyday life. To touch and arrange objects is an attempt to find relief from tension felt daily from a constant stream of information, visual and otherwise. Each assemblage or grouping of different textures, colors and forms can be understood as a talisman. The objects are chosen intuitively or by their formal qualities and then become meaningful with deliberate placement or repetition.”