PRESS RELEASE

April 12, 2005

UO's Schnitzer Museum of Art welcomes back MFA exhibition

EUGENE-Nine University of Oregon graduate students will present an eclectic mixture of media and artwork at "MFA 2005," the first Master of Fine Arts (MFA) group exhibition to be shown in the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at the University of Oregon.

The show will open with a free, public reception from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, May 13, at the Schnitzer museum, 1430 Johnson Lane. Gallery talks led by the participating artists are scheduled at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 14 and Saturday, May 21 and at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 25.

"The new 4,000-square-foot Changing Exhibitions Gallery is ideal for displaying contemporary works such as those included in the MFA exhibition," explains museum director David Turner. "Following the Andy Warhol exhibition, this show provides the public with a great opportunity to continue a dialog about contemporary art in America."

"In the four years the museum has been closed for its major renovation and expansion project, a generation of MFA students has passed through the university's art program without having the opportunity to exhibit in the museum. Last year's MFA students openly envied the 2005 graduates the opportunity to show their best work in this important venue," explains Kate Wagle, head of the UO Department of Art. "The 2005 MFA students are excited and honored to be the first class to exhibit in the new space."

Continuing through June 26, "MFA 2005" features a full range of media including ceramics, fibers, metalsmithing and jewelry, painting, photography and visual design.

"Viewers can expect this year's MFA exhibition to be diverse, richly conceived and full of surprises," says Wagle.

The annual debut exhibition is the culminating event-constituting the equivalent of a master's thesis-for art students who are candidates for the Master of Fine Arts degree, the most advanced degree offered for studio work in visual art. Throughout their final year of study, graduating students work with faculty advisers in the Department of Art and with Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art staff members to prepare their artworks for display.

On exhibit May 13-June 26 will be:
- Photography by Amjad Faur and Angaleen Schroeder
- Painting by Todd Griffith and Marshall Roemen
- Metalsmithing and jewelry by Ukiko Honda
- Printmaking by Kristie Johnson and Chad Tolley
- Fibers by Sally Metcalf
- Visual design by Joseph Stengel-Goetz

The UO Bookstore and U.S. Bank of Eugene are co-sponsors of "MFA 2005." The Register-Guard and Oregon Daily Emerald newspapers have provided media sponsorship.

For information about the exhibit, contact the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, (541) 346-3027, or the UO Department of Art, (541) 346-3610.

CONTACT: Katie Sproles, (541) 346-0942, ksproles@uoregon.edu

SOURCE: Kate Wagle, (541) 346-3610, kwagle@darkwing.uoregon.edu

LINKS:

Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, http://jsma.uoregon.edu

UO Department of Art, http://art-uo.uoregon.edu

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