CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - A tiny nest made of fingernail clippings. A necklace made of sugar. A molded polyethylene baby crib designed to help prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. These are some of the works of art that will be on display when the Master of Fine Arts Exhibition opens Saturday (April 16) at Krannert Art Museum, 500 E. Peabody Drive, Champaign.
The exhibition of the work of 13 University of Illinois students graduating with MFA degrees in studio art or graphic or industrial design presents each artist's "tangible thesis" - their chance to use their work to spark dialogue, prompt questions and pose arguments, according to Conrad Bakker, the director of graduate studies in the School of Art and Design.
"The careful crafting of these arguments and the explicit mastery of materials evidenced in these creative works reveal the intense commitment that these artists and designers have made to their chosen fields of study," Bakker said.
The artists: Jung Eun Chang, Qi Chen, Michael Elwell, Karri Anne Fischer, Motoko Furuhashi, Anna Gutsch, Katie Latona, Huang Li, Yi Liao, Kerianne Quick, Moonki Son, Shuo Yang and Anne Youngquist.
Bakker said that this exhibition should not be considered as a "cumulative or final" presentation of the students' work but rather as a celebration of "the transition from the classroom and the studio into the world."
The exhibition, which runs through May 1, begins with an opening reception 5-7 p.m. on Saturday. A cash bar will be provided by the Corkscrew of Urbana. More information is online.