verb
/tran(t)sˈplant/ move or transfer (something) to another place or situation, typically with some effort or upheaval.
This is an online exhibition of current national and international graduate students working within the visual studio arts. We have a collective experience as graduate students, though vary from school to school. Initially, the experience of graduate school is similar to a plant being uprooted. Students leave their previous environment, and learn to establish new roots and adapt in order to thrive. With this comes new questions, new answers and new ideas. This exhibit presents excellent work being produced by graduate students today and reflect our shared experience.
– UM MFA Candidates, 2018
Spring 2018
“My jurors choice award goes to Anthony Kascak’s “Moon Jar With Mossy Oak” , do to it’s originality and obvious deep social and cultural references. As a ceramic artist I personally like the craftsmanship of the black moon jar and due to it’s outstanding use of composition and it’s thoughtful dichotomy of visual information and mystery, I am happy to say this was one of my favorite submissions right out the gate. Congratulations Anthony on such amazing work and I look forward to seeing more form you in the future.
“I chose Rebecca Ou’s piece “Interior Stretch” as my juror’s choice. I appreciate the performative value in this piece, which also stands as a stunning photo. The artist’s use of the female body as a sculpture and object is provocative. Her incorporation of the preexisting architecture of the space, the radiator, warms the body that is being restricted and confined in a fabric that reads as both visceral and feminine. I commend Rebecca Ou on her beautiful, and thought provoking work!
“Hannah McBroom’s pieces immediately jumped out to me while going through the work. As a painter, I appreciate compositions of the mundane that transcend beautifully into thoughtful moments through paint. I really responded to her sense of color and variation in painting technique. The levels of information she gives throughout her pieces push and pull from objective to non-objective painting that I found quite incredible. McBroom’s work was immediately agreed upon and we were all impressed by!
“My Juror Selection was ‘Illusion Imitation’ by Guigen Zha. I felt this piece demonstrated exceptional craftsmanship and a unique use of material. The artist combined historical and contemporary references in an innovative way, blurring the lines between reality and perception. I was drawn to the overlapping imagery, and the thoughtful and intimate interaction between the two characters. I felt there was a story hidden behind the layers of this work, and it left me desiring more.
“Out of all of the submitted works, I picked “MaMuk” by Heesoo Kwon as my juror’s choice. It was one of the works that jumped out at me early on, and the more I examine it, the more I enjoy it. MaMuk invokes positive feelings, feelings of pleasure, of imagination, and of exploration. It pulls forth a childlike exuberance for the world. This is a delightful take on the adventure of graduate school! Just as one explores the reality of MaMuk, one explores graduate school and the rest of their lives. MaMuk pulls forth positivity through its use of bright colors, and various objects used for its form. These various objects include fabric with teddy bears on it, silly googly eyes, pastel colored fake flowers and ribbons, among other things that I can’t quite identify; it’s bright and cheerful.