33 Livingston Ave
New Brunswick, New Jersey
United States
In the midst of a global pandemic, undergraduate thesis students have come together virtually to revive, collaborate, create—and to present work at the culmination of their undergraduate studies at Rutgers. The online gallery rutgersbfa2020.net combines two exhibitions: Inside Songs featuring 45 students in Visual Arts, and Déjà Rêvé featuring 26 students in Design.
The self-curated virtual exhibitions reflect the breadth of students’ practice and capture the interdisciplinary mission of the program, featuring works in design, drawing, media, painting, photography, print, and sculpture. Themes and approaches range widely, from personal concerns of memory, perception and anxiety to global issues of immigration, representation, and labor practices. In the current moment, many of these young artists and designers are reframing their work, forced to look inward and still very much aware of the worlds they inhabit.
The students pivoted quickly to an online platform from their planned gallery exhibitions. They rallied together and showed incredible resilience and creativity in a time of crisis. This online exhibition demonstrates how a creative community can come together to produce something transformative in a moment of uncertainty. Mason Gross School of the Arts is proud to bring its annual BFA Thesis Exhibitions online to audiences far beyond New Brunswick, New Jersey.
About the undergraduate program
The BFA in Visual Arts at Mason Gross weaves together studio classes and topical seminars. The program is interdisciplinary, confronting students with a wide range of techniques, materials, visual languages, and cultural issues. The BFA in Design reflects the rapidly evolving nature of visual communication and technology. Students work in a wide range of concrete and dynamic media, shaping content and form in both speculative and real-world situations. In both BFA programs, creation and critical analysis go hand in hand. The BFA experience is supported by a robust faculty of practicing artists and designers, graduate student mentorship, and a remarkable visiting artist and designer lecture series, offering access to a wide professional community.
About the Department of Art & Design
Housed within a nationally ranked research university, The Department of Art & Design at Mason Gross School of the Arts seeks to cultivate a diverse community that values visual literacy, critical dialogue, experimentation, and the skills necessary for sustaining a creative life as artists and designers. Central to its vision is engaging in interdisciplinary research and embarking on collaborations within Rutgers and beyond, leaving an imprint on the global arenas of contemporary art and design. The department offers the BA in Art, BFA in Visual Arts, BFA in Design, MFA in Visual Arts, and MFA in Design.
