2022 MFA THESIS EXHIBITION OPENING RECEPTION; ART ALUMNI NIGHT: Live and in person! From 6 to 8 p.m. in the Gallery at the Visual & Performing Arts Center. Free and open to the public. Co-sponsored by the Department of Art and the Alumni Association

The Master of Fine Arts is the terminal degree for practicing, professional artists. The MFA Thesis Exhibition is the capstone experience of the graduate program, demonstrating a personal direction and mastery in the work of the artists. Graduate candidates presenting their thesis work this year are:

Janelle Chandler is an illustrator based in New Haven County, CT. In 2019, she earned a BA in Illustration from Western Connecticut State University, where she is currently pursuing her MFA in Illustration. She is also enrolled in the Society of Botanical Artists Distance Diploma Program, United Kingdom. Inspired by the beauty of nature and botanicals, she translates her subjects onto paper, working primarily with colored pencils and watercolor. In her artist statement, she writes, “In nature, we have the opportunity to experience any color imaginable, and there is never a shortage of shapes, textures, compositions, and even mathematical formulas”. Janelle is a member of several artist organizations, including American Woman Artists, American Botanical Society of Artists, and Colored Pencil Society of America. In 2020, her work was selected for an international juried exhibition at the Derwent Pencil Museum in Keswick, England.

Kelsey Gilmore is from Northport, NY, and currently resides in Bethel, CT. Her artistic practice includes paintings, works on paper, and prints. She received her BBA in Marketing from Iona College in 2017, and worked in management for a design company and product development with a shoe designer. She is now pursuing her MFA in Painting at Western Connecticut State University. Working from observation and memory, she explores the convergence of figuration and abstraction while hinting at themes of nature. Her paintings encompass a wide range in scale, from 8 x 10 inches to 6 x 8 feet. In her artist statement, Kelsey writes, “I am interested in the connection that exists between myself, nature, and the unknown essence from which we both came from; the tiny miraculous moments that happen while present in everyday life. My work reflects the awareness that is mirrored within us through light, shapes, and shadows existing in the natural world. . .There is a collaboration between myself and the material, a growing relationship that ebbs and flows until we both become one.”

Don Houston grew up in Tampa, Florida, and has lived in New Haven County, CT since 2011. He attended a summer program at Ringling School of Art and received his BS from SUNY Maritime College in Bronx, NY, in 2009. For two years, he worked on ships, one doing runs from Houston to LA through the Panama Canal; the other from the Far East to the Middle East. While working on the ships, he was greatly influenced by the isolation and indifference of the ocean. After moving to CT, he re-discovered his love of painting and attended classes at Parsons School of Design. He is now pursuing his MFA in Painting at WCSU. He writes in his artist statement, “The act of painting for me is a voyage. I don’t always know where it will take me, and navigating from blank canvas to completed work can be a stormy, emotional journey. I have some basic outline, some goal I want to achieve in the painting; as long as I am playing with light and color, the canvas can get as deep as the oceans I often paint.”

Robert Charles Hudson is a resident of Bristol, CT, pursuing his MFA in Painting at WCSU. He received his BFA in Sculpture from UCONN and draws inspiration from his African American heritage and family traditions in quilting. His Thesis work includes a series of paintings entitled “Bowtie”, which refers to a symbol used by slaves on their quest for freedom. In his artist statement, Robert explains, “When slaves headed North, . . . they would look for symbols on quilts to show them the way. The bowtie symbol indicated the necessity to travel in disguise, to change into clothes worn by a person of higher status to continue their escape on the Underground Railroad.” Furthermore, he writes, “I added a contemporary twist of color to the symbol of the Bowtie. In my opinion, this employs a relief to such a horrific period in American History.” Robert has exhibited in solo and group shows in CT, MA, NY, and Washington, DC. His CT solo shows include Hartford Public Library, Mattatuck Museum, and New Britain Museum of American Art, where his work is in its permanent collection.

The exhibition is on view in the gallery through April 10, 2022.
Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Friday, noon to 4 p.m. and Saturday – Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m.