Thesis and Exhibition

Second-year students are required to register for a two-semester sequence that includes Thesis (08:081:703) in the fall semester and Exhibition (08:081:704) in the spring semester. The sequence is a 4-credit per semester course led by the graduate director. Students in Thesis and Exhibition are required to attend biweekly meeting with the graduate director and all graduate students.

Exhibition

Fall

Toward the beginning of the fall semester, second-year students recruit three faculty members to serve on their Thesis Advisory Committee, one of whom is chair of the committee. The committee will oversee and provide feedback and support on the development of artwork leading to the thesis exhibition and group exhibition in New York, as well as the thesis statement. It is the student's responsibility to schedule regular studio visits throughout the two semesters with all the committee members to view and discuss work-in-progress.

Spring

In the second semester, students are required to exhibit their work in a thesis exhibition at the Mason Gross Galleries. This exhibition is a culminating presentation of the student's artistic pursuit of two years of study in the program. Faculty committees meet with each graduate student for 40-minute reviews. During the review, faculty evaluate the student's work and progress in the program. Students are required to prepare a one-page written artist statement prior to the review, and will be expected to articulate and defend their artistic strategies and intentions in the statement and during the review.

Thesis Statement

Students are also required to write a 3-5 page thesis statement that includes a discussion of the thesis exhibition. This text may include the evolution of the work and its influences, relevant theoretical and historical inquiries, and other pertinent fields of study surrounding the work. It is in various measures personal, discursive, and critical, and must include at least three images documenting the exhibition.

Grades for Thesis and Exhibition are assigned. Passing this course and graduation are contingent upon the successful and timely completion of the written thesis statement as well as the thesis exhibition, and requires the approval of all three members of the thesis/exhibition advisory committee.