For Mason Gross visual arts students, a senior thesis doesn’t look quite like a 25 page research project. Instead, graduating art students get to curate their own show in the Civic Square gallery on Livingston Avenue in downtown New Brunswick. The gallery has seven rooms and work from each student is installed throughout. The senior class is divided into two groups where each group works together to curate a show, for a total of two exhibits in the spring. The first show titled “Feast or Famine” opened earlier this month and ran until April 9.
Paintings by Greg Bautista
The thesis shows are always a big deal at Mason Gross for the participating artists and for the underclassmen. It is a culmination of four years worth of intensive studio work and artistic growth, offering a moment of appreciation and inspiration for friends, family, and peers. The reception for this show was held on March 31st, where I got to check out the show and talk to some of the seniors about the process of installing the show, what their work is about, and what their plans are for post art school life.
I spoke first with Greg Bautista, a senior with a concentration in painting. He told me about how he had been working on his paintings since back in January up until the night before the installation date. Greg makes larger scale oil paintings and after graduation plans on renting a studio to continue being able to work on his art. When asked if he expected to be making the paintings he is today when he first walked into Rutgers, he said, “Not at all.” Between years and even months, an artist’s style and practice can change so much.
Installation by Emily Knowles
Emily Knowles, a painter and sculptor, discussed her installation called “As Told by Ginger.” Tired of making serious paintings, Emily decided her thesis would be about revisiting things she did when she was younger and creating pieces that were important to her on a more personal level. Her goal was to stop making super serious work, and it was definitely accomplished in her multimedia installation which playfully featured sound, paintings, and sculpture. Her post-grad plans include moving in with some other artists and trying to find a job to make rent. She told me, “What’s most important is to be able to sustain your art. I already knew going in what the situation would be like, but what’s the alternative? Jobs are jobs, and I chose this. Other forms of life are boring.”
All exhibitions at Mason Gross are free and open to the public and all are encouraged to visit. “Feast or Famine” is already closed, but the second thesis show will be up from April 15 through May 2. Support the arts, check it out.
DP
Photos by: DP