2023 MFA Thesis Exhibitions

The Newcomb Art Department announces the Master of Fine Arts 2023 Thesis Exhibitions. All Tulane MFA Thesis Exhibitions take place in the Carroll Gallery in the Woldenberg Art Center. They are open to the public and free.

Ina Kaur: ਇੱਕ ਦੂਜਾ (ik Duja) “the Other one”

As a woman and an artist living in a heightened global, political, ecologically imbalanced, and socially unequal and unjust world, Ina's work attempts to continuously move beyond cultural constructs, freeing from restrictive beliefs and assigned identities. As an interdisciplinary practitioner critiquing the otherness and oppressed identities, the work empowers the self to navigate freely and fluidly, embracing the 'other' and 'one's' own new unsettled freedom as it celebrates the ever-shifting and constantly evolving notion of self, home, and belonging.

Opening reception: Friday, March 10, 5:30 – 7:30pm

Exhibition on view: March 9 – March 17

website: www.inakaur.com IG: @studio_inkspace

Felicita Felli Maynard: Acaba, y empiezas tu, como  la agua que brilla sin luz (It ends, you start, like water that shines without light)

As a first-generation Afro-Latine interdisciplinary artist, archivist and researcher, Maynard works across various forms of mediums to critique the way beings from the African diaspora past, present and future have been memorized by history. A direct analysis of how structures of colonialism, capitalism and time have directly impacted and shifted the experiences of descendants of the African diaspora.

Opening reception: Friday, March 10, 5:30 – 7:30pm

Exhibition on view: March 9 – March 17

website: www.photofelli.com IG: @photofelli

Stephanie Steele: Ocular Navigations of Internal and External Space

Stephanie E. Steele (S.E. Steele) is an educator and artist who blends printmaking and photographic techniques to create largescale works on paper. She examines the interconnection between our internal perception created through cognitive vision, and the navigation the external world experienced through optical phenomena.

Opening reception: Friday, March 24, 5:30-7:30pm

Exhibition on view: March 23 - April 7

website: https://www.sesteelefineart.com IG: @sesteelefineart

Erica Westenberger:  Twisting in honey and swallowing dust

Erica Westenberger is an interdisciplinary artist who renders illusory narratives about experiences of internal conflict. Through graphite drawing and sculptural processes, she builds motifs that explore the complexities of mental health under the framework of myth. Tension is used as a recurrent theme within formal relationships and allegorical motifs to suggest the underlying states of apprehension that are a part of nuanced internal journeys.

Opening reception: Friday, April 14, 5:30 – 7:30pm

Exhibition on view: April 13 - 21

website: www.ericawestenberger.com IG: @erica.westenberger

Lee Laa Guillory: This is her body, which has broken for you

Guillory’s practice investigates, through ritual-based photographs and performance, the transgenerational trauma to which Black femmes in rural Louisiana have been subjected. Her intimate photographs, carefully staged and lit, frequently focus on hair and hair maintenance, and depict femmes in emotional states ranging from that of quiet reflection to that of raw fury.

Opening reception:  Friday, April 14, 5:30 – 7:30pm

Exhibition on view: April 13 - 21

Black Arts Consortium Graduate Working Group Workshop

On Friday, November 4, 2022, Tulane’s Studio Art graduate program welcomed scholars from Northwestern University’s Black Arts Consortium Graduate Working Group for a series of workshops/studio visits. Throughout the day, each of the participants (all of whom are working towards the completion of their dissertation/ thesis) were given the opportunity to briefly speak about their works in progress and receive diverse and affirming feedback from peers. 

This workshop was supported by the Katherine Steinmayer McLean Visiting Studio Artist Fund.

Ina Kaur: artist residency at MIAD

MFA candidate Ina Kaur was invited to be one of twelve artists who participated at MIADprint artist residency/workshop at Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design in Milwaukee, WI from September 26- 30, 2022. 

During her visit Ina engaged the MIAD community through an artist lecture and was part of the panel "Contemporary art practices: artistic journey across cultural boundaries and ethnic borders." The works created during the residency are on display at the MIAD galleries until Oct 08, 2022. 

 

Ina's interdisciplinary practice uses various mediums, and she continues to push the material boundaries in her work. Her newest project titled, “coloniality of expression” utilized lithography, etching, ceramics and stitching.

#miadprints2022 #miadprintmaking #tulaneart 

IG: @studio_inkspace

Up next @TulaneArt

Open NOW in the Carroll Gallery, Vacancy, an MFA Thesis Exhibition by Jarrod Jackson. The exhibition is on view Feb. 20 – March 4, 2020  (*closed on 2/24 and 2/25). A reception will be held on  Friday, February 28, from 5:30 – 7:30 pm, with a walkthrough by the artist at 6:00 pm. Carroll Gallery hours:  M – F, 9 am – 4 pm. Gallery closed on official Tulane holidays, including Lundi Gras and Mardi Gras (Feb. 24 and Feb. 25).

Please join the Newcomb Art Department for the 2020 Art History Graduate Student Association Lecture, "The Apocalypse of the Duc de Berry and the Apocalyptic Great Schism," by Richard K. Emmerson, Visiting Distinguished Professor, Florida State University, on Thursday, February 27th at 6 pm in Stone Auditorium. This lecture is supported by the Terry K. Simmons Fund.

On Friday, February 28th we will be screening "Unveiled Views: Muslim Women Artists Speak Out," a film by Alba Sotorra, at 5:30pm in Stone Auditorium. The Middle East Film Nights at Tulane series is sponsored by Newcomb Art Department, Newcomb Intitute, and CELT (Center for Engaged Learning and Teaching). This is a FREE screening and refreshments will be served.

MFA Thesis exhibitions 2020

The Newcomb Art Deparment at Tulane University is pleased to present our 2020 MFA Thesis Exhibitions at the Carroll Gallery in the Woldenberg Art Center.

The exhibitions include works in  sculpture, painting, photography, and glass by MFA candidates Blas Isasi, Jarrod Jackson, Juliana Kasumu, Sara Abbas, and Mark Morris. 

Please join us on Friday, February 14th for a gallery reception from 5:30 - 7:30 pm and a walkthrough with artist Blas Isasi at 6:00 pm in the Carroll Gallery.

MFA Open Studio Night

Tulane University Newcomb Art Department will host an MFA Open Studio Night on Tuesday, May 7th from 5 – 8pm in the Woldenberg Art Center.

First year students

• Sara Abbas
• Jarrod Jackson
• Juliana Kasumu
• Blas Isasi Gutiérrez
• Mark Morris

Second year students

• Joris Lindhout
• Allison Beondé
• Holly Ross
• Joshua Edward Bennett
• Johnny Glass
• Cora Lautze

MFA Open Studios

The Newcomb Art Department at Tulane University invites you to attend our MFA Open Studio event, Thursday, November 1st from 5:30-7:30pm at the Woldenberg Art Center.

Sara Abbas (Painting) Studio 502
Joshua E. Bennett (Digital Arts) Studio 123
Allison Beondé (Photography) Studio 500
John Glass (Glass) Studio 119
Blas Isasi Gutiérrez  (Sculpture) Studio 123F
Jarrod Jackson (Painting) Studio 504
Juliana Kasamu (Photography) Studio 500
Cora Lautze (Printmaking) Studio 123D
Joris Lindhout (Digital Arts) Studio 506
Mark Morris (Glass) Studio 115
Holly Ross (Ceramics) Studio 108


[photo: Juliana Kasamu, Process #2, 2015]

MFA Thesis Exhibitions: Abdi Farah and Skylar Fein

Newcomb Art Department, Tulane University MFA Thesis Exhibitions

Abdi Farah:  KNEEL
Skylar Fein:  School’s Out Forever

exhibitions on view:  March 22 – April 6, 2018

opening reception: 
Thursday, March 22, 5:30 – 7:30 pm, walkthroughs by the artists at 6:00 pm

Gallery hours: M – F, 9 am – 4 pm
Gallery closed on official Tulane holidays, including March 30.

MFA Thesis Exhibitions: Sadie Sheldon and Cassie White

Newcomb Art Department / Tulane University MFA Thesis Exhibitions

Sadie Sheldon:  Scenic Viewpoint
Cassie White:  Kin

exhibitions on view: March 8 – 16, 2018

closing reception: Friday, March 16, 5:30 – 7:30 pm
with walkthroughs by the artists at 6:00 pm

Carroll Gallery hours: M – F, 9 am – 4 pm
Gallery closed on official Tulane holidays.

MFA Thesis Exhibitions: Carola Casusol and Danielle Inabinet

Newcomb Art Department / Tulane University
MFA Thesis Exhibitions

Carola Casusol Demythified Borders
Danielle Inabinet  Manipulations: Vessels in Porcelain

exhibitions on view through March 2
closing reception:  Friday, March 2, 5:30 – 7:30 pm, with walkthroughs by the artists at 6:00 pm

Carroll Gallery hours: M – F, 9am – 4pm
Gallery closed on official Tulane holidays.

MFA Artist Talks

Please join the Newcomb Art Department for a series of Artist Talks by current MFA candidates.

Christopher Gray honored in International Student Exhibition

Christopher Gray, MFA candidate 2017, was recognized by the Glass Art Society with an Honorable Mention for his work, "Meander White," a kilnformed glass sculpture shown in the 2016 International Student Online Exhibition.

In his artist statement Gray describes the sculpture's intellectual and formal inspiration.

Labyrinths can be perplexing and enlightening at the same time. One can be constructed as if to disorient, and another to be used as a meditation device. Both have a common design yet carry an extreme polarity and duality within their uses.

The Carroll Gallery will host Gray's MFA Thesis Exhibition next month.

At left: Christopher Gray, Meander White, 2016, kilnformed glass, 12.5 x 5.5 x 2.5 in.

Art, meet science

by Alicia Duplessis Jasmin

In Phytoplankton: A Studio in the Woods (pictured), Pippin Frisbie-Calder, a graduate student in printmaking in the Newcomb Art Department at Tulane, accomplishes the goal of intertwining the worlds of science and art. Completed through a combined process of pen-and-ink, screenprinting and watercolor, Frisbie-Calder succeeds at uncovering the realm in which microscopic marine plants from the wetlands of Louisiana dwell.

Phytoplankton is a spherical presentation, allowing viewers to observe what a scientist would see under the circular lens of a microscope.

Frisbie-Calder said the process to obtain the microorganisms was quite challenging. Samples were collected from nearby lakes, bayous and ponds and taken to a lab for a magnified view.

[continue reading the article on Tulane New Wave]
 

Gene Koss and Skylar Fein to be honored at NOMA

NOMA’s annual fall soiree in the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden will be held on Friday, September 23, 2016.

This year’s LOVE in the Garden honorees include Gene Koss, Professor of Glass at Tulane for nearly forty years, and incoming graduate student in Photography, Skylar Fein, as well as Eleanora Rukia Brown, Ashley Longshore, Alexa Pulitzer, and Josephine Sacabo.

The evening events will kick off with a Patron Party at 7 pm, Garden Party at 8pm, followed by a Late Night Party at 9pm. The New Orleans Museum of Art is located at 1 Collins Diboll Circle in City Park. For more information, see:
https://noma.org/event/love-garden-2016-presented-whitney-bank/.

Wiley Aker exhibits in New York, Greece, and South Korea

Wiley Aker, MFA candidate in Digital Arts, has three exhibitions opening in September. Aker’s work in video, sound, and new media explores the psychological landscapes that mediate reality in the post-internet world. The Governor's Island Art Fair in New York, New York (shown at left)  will be open every weekend in September. The RETHink Art Festival in Rethymno, Greece, the first digital art festival realized in Crete, will run from September 9th-12th. The exhibit "Artist and Location" at the CICA Museum in Gimpo, South Korea will be on view from September 23rd-October 9th. This exhibition explores the concepts of location, diaspora, and globalization. Aker's work can also be viewed at: vimeo.com/wileyaker.

Jeffrey Stenbom receives Silver Academic award at Emerge 2016

Army veteran and Tulane alumnus Jeffrey Stenbom (MFA, Glass, 2015) received the Silver Academic award at Bullseye's ninth biennial exhibition, Emerge 2016.

Stenbom's sculpture of monumental kiln-cast glass dog tags titled, To Those Who Have, was first shown in his MFA exhibition at Tulane University's Carroll Gallery.

Christopher Gray (MFA candidate, 2017) was also named a finalist in the competition.

[photo courtesy of Pamela Price Klebaum]

Two Tulane Artists in Bullseye Glass Biennial

Christopher Gray (MFA candidate 2017) and Jeffrey Stenbom (MFA 2015) have been named finalists in Bullseye Glass' ninth biennial exhibition Emerge/Evolve 2016. The award ceremony for this international juried competition will take place on June 25 at the exhibition's opening reception at Bullseye Projects in Portland, Oregon. Shown: Christopher Gray, Meander White (L);  Jeffrey Stenbom, To Those Who Have (R).

Jeffrey Stenbom's MFA exhibit in Top 10 best shows in 2015

Jeffrey Stenbom's MFA exhibition, "Thank You," was selected by Doug MacCash as one of the Top 10 New Orleans Art Exhibitions in 2015. MacCash interviewed Stenbom in March and recorded a video of the exhibition in the Carroll Gallery. Stenbom's thesis exhibit included  installations of cast glass military boots, bootprints and monumental glass dog tags. MacCash wrote, "Stenbom, who was a combat soldier during the Iraq War, said that for him, producing (glass) sculpture is key to coping with post traumatic stress disorder. 'More than talking in a group or something or taking medication, making artwork's been my therapy,' he said. In short, he said, 'art saved my life.'"

The original article and video can be viewed on nola.com.

Jenna Turner to exhibit in the Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale in South Korea

Jenna Turner, Subversion (detail)

Jenna Turner (MFA 2014) has been accepted into the 8th Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale in South Korea. A total of 2,629 entries by 1,470 artists from seventy-four countries were received, among which 108 pieces by 101 artists from twenty-eight countries were selected after the preliminary screening.​

Turner's entry, Subversion, was completed in 2014 as part of her thesis show and is currently on view at Good Children Gallery. 


In order to attend the biennial, Jenna will be traveling to South Korea at the end of April with an Alberta Foundation for the Arts Cultural Relations Grant.

Second Saturday at Good Children Gallery

Good Children Gallery is proud to present "Lost in the Foundry,"  the works of Dan Alley, Jane Cassidy, Patrick Coll, Weston Lambert, Patch Somerville, and Jenna Turner in an exhibition curated by Good Children Gallery member Srdjan Loncar. The exhibition showcases the diverse practices of these emerging artists (all stemming form the Tulane MFA program), whose work is arranged in in juxtaposition, creating new narratives, in the space of the gallery. ​

The opening reception will be Saturday, March 14, from 6-10pm. Good Children Gallery is located at 4037 St. Claude Avenue.