MFA Thesis Exhibitions are on display between April 3-21 in the Eisentrager-Howard Gallery in Richards Hall. The third MFA Thesis Exhibition runs April 17-21 and features the work of Emily Reason and Stephanie Wright. A reception will be held April 21 from 5-7 p.m.

Emily Reason

Reason’s exhibition is titled “Ephemeral Permanence.” Reason sees beauty as inextricably linked to nature and spirituality. In her artist statement, she writes, “I present my symbolic vocabulary, which when defined by the viewer is colored by their own experiences. For me, object-making is a necessary means to make permanent what is ephemeral… . . Wildlife plays the role of itself—elusive, mysterious and majestic, as well as metaphor for human character and spirituality. Barns, silos, sheds, jars, jugs and bowls carry the mark of the man-made world. I insert into my narrative works complex dynamics of domestic and wild, beauty and destruction, order and chaos.” Reason is a Graduate Fellow with the Center for Great Plains Studies. She grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and received her BFA from West Virginia University. Between her degrees, she completed two artist residencies, taught workshops, co-founded a gallery of fine craft in North Carolina, authored an instructional book on wheel-throwing pottery and operated her private ceramics studio. Reason uses clay to memorialize culture and poignant personal experiences.

Stephanie Wright

Wright’s exhibition title will be announced at the exhibit. The subjects of her prints are in performance for a human audience. She writes in her artist statement, “These animals address broader human experience; certainly the notions of ‘human nature’ and culture are themselves human constructs. Our ability to empathize with animals is tied to the perceptions that human society creates for them through fables, myths, religion, everyday interaction and animal husbandry. Our reaction to recognizable animal figures is affected by the meaning that we apply to them. We self-consciously work to define our existence through them. The animals in my work perform, unhappily for the viewer. Like hand puppets, they are stand-ins that allow me to talk about living through fear, social anxiety and disenchantment. I’m uncomfortable and dissatisfied. I’m afraid to have kids. I’m afraid to be the boss. I’m afraid to be a teacher and I’m afraid to be a lover. I’m afraid to compete. I’m afraid to play the game. But I’m afraid to be alone.” Wright grew up in Louisiana and earned her BFA at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.