Every year, the best thing about the end of the Spring semester at SAIC is the slew of gallery openings from different departments and degree programs. We finally get to see what our friends have been holed up in their studios working on all year, we run into old faces and new acquaintances, and of course, we indulge in free booze and the typical gallery fare: cheese, crackers, and fruit platters. (Or occasionally, the Betty Rymer Gallery will bake cakes for all of us, or the AIADO Department will host champagne and pizza— video coming soon!)

This year, F Newsmagazine presents videos from two of the most anticipated and vastly different end-of-year shows at SAIC: Art Bash and the MFA Thesis Exhibition. Art Bash, an exhibition curated by the Department of Contemporary Practices, is comprised of first-year undergraduate work selected by faculty. Conversely, the MFA Thesis Exhibition is comprised of work completed by outgoing graduate students, many of whom are at least a decade removed from their college freshman experience.

In the Art Bash video, first-year students exhibit works made from unconventional materials— string, sugar cubes, stickers, books. While many of the works started as class assignments, all of them reflect the experimentation that results in the first-year experience at SAIC. In the MFA Thesis video, Painting/Drawing grad Erin Washington exhibits a painting made with blackberries and saliva. Sound grad Becky Grajeda and Film, Video, New Media and Animation grad Sebastian Alvarez create immersive time-based experiences, while Sculpture grad Andrew Norman Wilson creates an environment where guests are invited to relax, have a massage, watch a video, and even put on a protective mask. He says it’s a response to the “unknown future” that will occur after graduation.

Art Bash Video Credits:
Camera/Edit: Chelsey Hoff, Theodore Darst

MFA Thesis Exhibition Video Credits:
Camera: Alfredo Salazar-Caro
Interview: Alejandra Montserrat
Edit: Chelsey Hoff