MFA Thesis Exhibitions are on display between April 3-21 in the Eisentrager-Howard Gallery in Richards Hall. The second MFA Thesis Exhibition runs April 10-14 and features the work of Louise Deroualle, Bryon Hartley and Stuart Gair. A reception will be held April 14 from 5-7 p.m.

Louise Deroualle

Deroualle’s exhibition is titled “Substrato para devaneios.” She is interested in creating objects that can reach individuals in an emotional way through their formal qualities. She writes in her artist statement, “The content of my work comes from personal experiences and encounters with the natural landscape around me. Contemplating my surroundings allows me to have a quiet and introspective moment of interaction with myself, making it possible for me to get in touch with my own subjectivity and understanding the way I perceive and experience the world.” After receiving her BFA from the Fundação Armando Alvares Penteado in Sao Paolo, Brazil, in 2001, Deroualle became an apprentice to Brazilian ceramic artist Lucia Ramenzoni with whom she worked for the next seven years. In 2009 she opened her own ceramic studio in which she taught ceramics classes and designed and produced a line of handmade functional pottery. Since 2010 she has been involved with both the Curaumilla Art Center in Chile, and the Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Aspen, Colorado, as a studio and teaching assistant.

Stuart Gair

Gair’s exhibition is titled “Object Landscape.” The functional vessels he makes are for use and display. Gair writes in his artist statement, “It is of the upmost importance that each piece has a duality of utilitarian purpose and serves as an object of beauty and intrigue when not in use. Formal considerations are a result of an in-depth exploration of historical objects from Japan, China, and Korea as well as mid twentieth century Scandinavian, American, and British forms. I draw comparisons from these pieces to one another and to everyday objects that surround me.” Gair received a history degree from Ohio University. Recently, he completed a residency program at Watershed Art Center as the Salad Days artist, which required him to make more than 500 plates for an annual fundraiser held in Newcastle, Maine. Gair examines a wide range of wares that have endured through time with a particular interest in how form follows function, silhouette and volume. All of the pieces that he creates are fired to cone 8 in a soda kiln. His background in the study of history provides him with insight about his own work in reference to a larger historical context. This summer, Gair will attend the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, Montana, as a Resident Artist.

Bryon Hartley

Hartley’s exhibition is titled “Pause.” He is a sculptor who works with glass, wood and metal. He writes in his artist statement, “Creating Art honors the traditions of making by hand and presents an arena where I am the designer and the maker. When I make, I hunt myself down; I pursue that moment when a piece is finished and I can pause. The making process totally consumes me, hours are spent planning, sketching, fabricating, jig building and mold making. I reach the point of exhaustion trying to figure out positive and negative space, perfecting a line, curve, or form. Sleep is longed for, but I drive on. I am chasing perfection and once it is reached, I am a peace. It is a euphoric high.” Hartley grew up in central Illinois and currently maintains a residence and studio in Dawson, Illinois. He earned his BFA from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. He has presented his work in countless group exhibitions and has several public art pieces on display across the country.