2021 MFA Thesis Exhibition Announced at Western Connecticut State University

The Department of Art at Western Connecticut State University has announced the 2021 MFA Thesis Exhibition at the Blue Mountain Gallery located at 547 West 27th Street, Suite 200, New York City.

The exhibition will run from June 23 through July 10th, with hours open to the public from noon to 6 pm, Wednesdays through Saturdays. The MFA Thesis Exhibition is the capstone experience of the graduate program, demonstrating a personal direction and mastery in the work of each artist. Six graduate recipients of the MFA in Visual Arts degree will present their work: Virtual exhibition link Ryan Ames of Newtown, CT

Ames' artistic passion is editorial illustration, mixing conceptual design and symbolic language to encapsulate a story and educate the viewer in both familiar and new subjects. Recent works such as his "Hindsight" series, depicting the heartbreak of children lost to gun violence around the world, break from the digital mold of his previous works, using an unconventional painting process with stenciling and acrylics. Ames received a B.A. in Media Studies and Studio Art from WCSU in 2014, and worked for a Silicon Valley firm for several years as a project manager for development of educational applications for children before returning to Connecticut to pursue his graduate studies. Alison Booth, of Sherman, CT

The foundation of Booth's MFA thesis work at WCSU has been the search for her unique narrative and storytelling vision, realized in many of her paintings through self-portraits. She finds inspiration to create her narrative in nature and in her personal relationships to people, places and objects often overlooked, ignored or forgotten. Nostalgia, play and careful observation assume important roles in her work. A student of the visual arts since her childhood in New York City, she took an early interest in drawing and majored in art at Fiorello H. Laguardia High School in Manhattan. She attended Alfred University and completed her BA at WCSU in 2016. David Flook of Bridgewater, CT.

Flook's body of work has been dramatically influenced and reshaped by the personal and social impact of the pandemic over the past year. His paintings depict memories and moments that reflect the people and places holding special importance in motivating him through challenging times. A native of the United Kingdom, Flook attributes the origins of his education of art and design to his apprenticeship creating original works for clients at a cutting-edge U.K. tattoo studio. Following his move to the United States, he embarked on art studies to prepare for a career in the visual arts, earning a BA degree at WCSU with dual concentrations in painting and illustration. Rachel Rossier of Bethel, CT.

A painter and art educator, Rossier primarily works with acryla gouache and acrylics to create her works on illustration board and canvas. Her portraits address the intrinsic beauty and dignity of the human person at rest, while her most recent paintings document her journey as a joyful convert through the view of a Raggedy Ann doll. The geometric shapes, intense colors and floral images that fill these narrative and psychological landscapes, influenced by her childhood experiences in both the United States and Mexico, evoke senses of whimsy and urgency. She earned her BA degree in art at WCSU with dual concentrations in illustration and painting. Kathleen Spezzano, of Woodbury, CT.

Spezzano seeks to express the thoughts, emotions and imagery inspired by her keen interest in Wiccan/Pagan beliefs that magic lives in nature, the elements and forces of energy in the world. Her works use a wide variety of materials including acrylics, inks and iridescent mediums to depict imagery drawn from holidays, deities, mythical creatures and other themes found in Wiccan/Pagan tradition. Her MFA thesis work focuses on the creation of a personal oracle card deck, "The Oracle of Shadows." A native of Greenwich, Spezzano studied illustration and creative writing at Montserrat College of Art and completed a BS in Equine Studies at Post University. Jennifer Sullivan, of Avon, CT.

Recipient of a BA in Art History from the University of Saint Joseph, Sullivan draws upon her knowledge of art history to inspire and challenge her interdisciplinary work. Her diverse studio practice includes painting, collage, mixed media and printmaking. For her MFA thesis, she used her continuing observations of change over time in floral arrangements on her dinner table to create a body of work depicting larger-than-life flowers within interior spaces. Unlike traditional still-life images, she notes that she painted her works through the lens of her feminism, revealing the flowers' anthropomorphic qualities and offering a glimpse into the artist's life.

To view more of the work in the WCSU MFA Virtual Thesis Exhibition, go to: https://www.wcsu.edu/art/gallery/exhibitions/2021-mfa-thesis-exhibition/

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