The air that inhabits

MFA in Visual Art candidates from Washington University’s Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts will show their work at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum April 8–July 24. This exhibition represents the capstone project for 11 artists in the graduating class of 2023. In addition to the public opening April 8, there will be a gallery talk with the artists May 13 from 2–3pm. 

The exhibition title is taken from the poem “Variation on the Word Sleep” by Margaret Atwood, chosen by the candidates for its evocation of both the physical and the poetic. 

Artists explore a range of artistic practices and mediums, including painting, sculpture, sound, installation, video, and performance. Through their respective works, they explore a variety of themes such as race, class, feminism, environmentalism, consumerism, and more. 

The 2023 MFA in Visual Art candidates are: Alex Braden, Allena Marie Brazier, Alex Rosborough Davis, Jamie Harris, Megan Kenyon, Sharlene Lee, Jorge Rios, Anna Schenker, Seulki Seo, Samantha Slone, and Karen L. Yung. 

Chaired by Professor Lisa Bulawsky, the Sam Fox School’s MFA in Visual Art program is a two-year, residential program of no more than 30 candidates. The interdisciplinary program within WashU’s tier-one research setting offers students a site for rigorous inquiry, humanity, and intellectual generosity. In addition to Bulawsky, MFA in Visual Art faculty include: Jamie Adams, Heather Bennett, Amy Hauft, Meghan Kirkwood, Arny Nadler, Patricia Olynyk, Tim Portlock, Tom Reed, Jack Risley, Denise Ward-Brown, Cheryl Wassenaar, and Monika Weiss. 

The air that inhabits: 2023 MFA in Visual Art Thesis Exhibition is organized by Leslie Markle, curator for public art, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum. Support is provided by the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts and the William T. Kemper Foundation.