hear my voice: MFA Candidates Exhibition II

Exhibition Dates: April 8 through April 22, 2022
Opening Reception: April 8 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

MFA Candidates Exhibition II artists: Bary Birm, Vincent Granela, Kourosh Jeddi, Martha Underriner, and Sonia Vera-Leon.

hear my voice is not your typical exhibition presenting a culmination of a master fine arts candidate’s studies. Not for these artists. Especially not during this pivotal time in their career with a global pandemic raging in the background. Disrupted livelihoods, personal health, and connectivity between one another created an unfathomable experience. As a result, many resorted to some strange form of forced isolation. Like the educational process, curating this exhibition was equally affected. Conversations and studio visits were disjointed by distance and time, but to their credit, each artist remained steadfast in their pursuits finding enlightenment in the process of making and pushing.

Presented in two parts, hear my voice features unique groups of artists, projects, and works. Each component unveils a remarkable series of commonalities among their presentations, how they approach their work, and how they speak to one another. There is much to explore in this exhibition. First is a variety of media ranging from painting and sculpture to installation and performance, and second, the various perspectives on the profoundly introspective world and simultaneous yearning to communicate with audiences.

Truth, politics, and society run dominant throughout the artists’ works in part one. What may seem like dark territory also reflects a unique light and problem-solving notion to each artist’s project. Many works are direct in their message and offer opportunities to examine and interact with their intentions. Here, the artist’s voice is less about me but more about us—how we collectively come to terms with facets of humanity such as anonymity, homelessness, equity, faith, and care for all people.

– Jeremy Mikoljczak, Guest Curator