As Above, So Below

Featuring Cameron Barker, Chelsey Becker, Mia Fabrizio, Billy Foshay, Grace Gomez, Liz LaPides, Sally Lee, John Lehman, Marla McLeod, Andrew Perini, Gabriel Richardson, Ralph Robinson, Gil Spears, Yixiang Tong, Karli Tucker, Denise Waite, and Kimothy Wu.

Tufts University Art Galleries and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University proudly present As Above, So Below, the Master of Fine Arts virtual exhibition launching June 1, 2020. A Zoom celebration featuring artist talks and a virtual walkthrough will take place Thursday, June 4, 6:30pm EST.

Organized and presented in a digital format, the online exhibition highlights the work of 17 new and emerging voices in contemporary art. A digital exhibition catalogue will be available for download; an individual webpage for each student will feature images of their work; and an interactive 3D model of the Tufts University Art Galleries’ exhibition spaces at the Aidekman Arts Center in Medford will highlight the students’ work in conversation with one another. The graduating students will also lead a gallery tour of this model and talk about their respective work at an online event held over Zoom on June 4.

Often attributed to ancient author Hermes Trismegistus, the phrase “as above, so below” describes how everyday earthly events reflect the larger forces of the universe or heavens above. Students gravitated to the phrase as a way to connect the microcosm of their artistic practices to a larger macrocosm governed by the cosmic and social, political, and economic systems outside our grasp and control. The exhibition was titled before the Covid-19 pandemic, and little did anyone realize just how much larger realities would soon change and reorganize even the most small-scale activities of daily life.

While a physical exhibition in the Aidekman Arts Center has been postponed until a future date in spring 2021, the 2020 SMFA MFA Thesis class has embraced the online exhibition format and their resulting presentation represents a capstone of two years of work in the graduate program.

About the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University
Founded in 1876, the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University is a unique art school affiliated with both a major art museum—the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston—and a Tier-1 research university. Originally established within the museum, the school began its relationship with Tufts when the university began providing accredited degrees to SMFA students in 1945. SMFA officially became part of the Tufts’ School of Arts and Sciences in July 2016.

SMFA at Tufts provides an exceptional fine arts education that allows students to craft individualized programs of study while being mentored closely by world-renowned faculty and staff. Graduates are creative thinkers and problem-solvers who succeed in a wide variety of careers. SMFA at Tufts is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD). For more information, visit smfa.tufts.edu.

About the Tufts University Art Galleries
Housed within a research university and an art school, the Tufts University Art Galleries engage with artists, scholars, and works of art to provoke discourse around cultural and social contexts. Through exhibitions, programming, research, and collecting, we create a pedagogical platform for the Tufts community and wider publics. For more information, visit artgalleries.tufts.edu.