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NewsJun 8, 2021

Graduates hold thesis exhibition at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art

Trailblazing MASS MoCA show, 'An Unpredictable Time & Place,' debuts July 2

Painting with yellow, orange, gray, blue and red by MFA graduate Tracy Hayes
“Replicate and sublimate,” graphite and watercolor on paper, by Tracy Hayes ’21

Enterprising graduates of our MFA in Visual Arts program found a dynamic solution to display their thesis projects amid the pandemic and the temporary closure of Lesley’s campus galleries.

Desiring the physical experience of a thesis show, the 22 artists that graduated in June 2020 and January 2021 partnered with the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) in North Adams, Mass. to host a unique, one-day exhibition.

An Unpredictable Time & Place” will be on view in the MASS MoCA Building 6 Event Space and Mezzanine for one day, on Friday, July 2, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., with a socially distanced reception toast at 7 p.m.

“The graduating classes of June ’20 and January ’21 truly demonstrated their professionalism, adaptability, and excellence in the unprecedented context of the pandemic,” says MFA in Visual Arts Director Ben Sloat. “I’m extremely proud of their efforts and collaborative spirit, working together to curate, design, and share tasks in putting this ambitious exhibition together at a venue as prestigious as Mass MoCA, the largest contemporary art museum in the country.”

The following 22 MFA graduates from June 2020 and January 2021 hail from 11 different states. They represent the 32nd and 33rd graduating classes of the MFA in Visual Arts program.

Exhibiting artists

  • Corina S. Alvarezdelugo - Simsbury, CT
  • Vincent Andrews - Fort Worth, TX
  • Tyahra Angus - Boston, MA
  • Anne Barnes - Washington, DC
  • Steven Cabral - Somerville, MA
  • Laura Domencic - Pittsburgh and Erie, PA
  • Edi Friedlander aka Sika Foyer - New York, NY
  • Tracey Gaan - Bellevue, WA
  • Julie Hamel - Loudon, NH
  • Tracy Hayes - Nashua, NH
  • Maciej Kieszkowski - Portsmouth, RI
  • Jessica Lau - Somerville, MA
  • Mary Lesser - New Haven, CT
  • Shana Martin - Hurst, TX
  • Mariana Paz - Quincy, MA
  • Ransome - Rhinebeck, NY
  • Deborah Read Belguendouz - Concord, MA
  • Cindra Ross - Highlands Ranch, CO
  • John Steiner - Boston, MA
  • Tara Tamaribuchi - Seattle, WA
  • Brian Unwin - Wayland, MA
  • Ash Young - Middletown, CT

Learn more about this exhibition and visit the artists’ Instagram account to see more images of the work in the show. The exhibit is open to the public.