“Critical Mass,” a juried exhibition of work by undergraduate visual artists from the College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA), will be on view Jan. 29-Feb. 19 at 914Works, 914 E. Genesee St., Syracuse. The exhibition is free and open to the public.
A professional jury reviewed submissions and selected 10 artists to represent the best undergraduate thesis work. A public reception will be held on Thursday, Feb. 5, from 6-8 p.m., at which time three awards will be given to the students whose work best demonstrates outstanding artistic achievement. The jurors will select the winning work based on its ability to astound and amaze the viewer through a skillful understanding of material, composition and concept.
The artists selected as finalists in “Critical Mass” are John Catania ’15, Lily Fein ’16, Yegor Mikushkin ’16, Hannah Moore ’17, Mathew Pevear ’15, Kati Rehbeck ’15, Emma Silverstein ’17, Ricardo Varona ’16, Paul Weiner ’15 and Holly Wilson ’15.
The jury includes Monika Burczyk, executive director of Sculpture Space in Utica, N.Y.; John Massier, visual arts curator at Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center in Buffalo, N.Y.; and Mary E. Murray, curator of modern and contemporary art at Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute in Utica.
“Critical Mass” is curated by Allison Kirsch ’15, who is pursuing a double major in sculpture and English and textual studies. The exhibition is her Renée Crown University Honors Program Capstone, a major creative project or research thesis that serves as a pivotal point in a student’s academic career and the beginning of an intellectually stimulating professional life. Kirsch, who received a Crown-Wise Scholarship from the Honors Program to assist with funding, hopes her Capstone Project will give exceptional students the experience of presenting their work in a gallery setting prior to the completion of their undergraduate degree.
914Works is an intimate space for VPA students and faculty to present individual or group exhibitions, readings and small-scale performances. The gallery is open Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. For more information about the exhibition, contact Kirsch at 856-287-7205 or aakirsch@syr.edu or visit Facebook.
