DANBURY, Connecticut — Western Connecticut State University’s 2022 Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition will have a second showing on June 21-July 9 in New York City at Blue Mountain Gallery, 547 West 27 St., Suite 200. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, June 23, from 5 to 8 p.m.
The gallery is open for viewing from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays through Saturdays. The reception and exhibit are sponsored by the WCSU Department of Art. The exhibit was previously open at The Gallery at the university’s Visual and Performing Arts Center, and is supported by the Jason and Ellen Hancock Student Endowment Fund at Western Connecticut State University.
The M.F.A. Thesis Exhibition is the summation of two years of intensive, creative study and extensive interaction with resident faculty and visiting artists. The Master of Fine Arts in Visual Arts is the preferred degree for the practicing artist who is preparing for a professional career in the visual arts. M.F.A. degrees are available in painting, illustration and interdisciplinary visual art. The M.F.A. Thesis Exhibition is the capstone experience of the graduate program, demonstrating a personal direction and mastery in the work of the artists. Four graduate students presented their thesis work and are featured in the exhibit:
Janelle Chandler is an illustrator based in New Haven County. In 2019, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Illustration from Western Connecticut State University, and recently earned her M.F.A. in Visual Arts, Illustration. She is currently enrolled in the Society of Botanical Artists Distance Diploma Program, United Kingdom. Chandler is a member of several artist organizations, including American Woman Artists, American Botanical Society of Artists and Colored Pencil Society of America. In 2020, her work was selected for an international juried exhibition at the Derwent Pencil Museum in Keswick, England. Her website is https://jchandlerartistry.com/.
Kelsey Gilmore is from Northport, New York, and currently resides in Bethel. Her artistic practice includes paintings, works on paper and prints. She received her B.B.A. in Marketing from Iona College in 2017 and worked in management for a design company and product development with a shoe designer before earning her M.F.A. in Visual Arts, Painting, at WCSU. Her work can be seen on Instagram at @kelseygilmorestudio.
Don Houston grew up in Tampa, Florida, and has lived in New Haven county since 2011. He attended a summer program at Ringling School of Art and received his Bachelor of Science degree from SUNY Maritime College in 2009 before earning his M.F.A. in Visual Arts, Painting, at WCSU. His work can be viewed @Don.Houston.art.
Robert Charles Hudson, a resident of Bristol, earned his M.F.A. in Visual Arts, Painting, at WCSU after receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture from the University of Connecticut. Hudson has exhibited in solo and group shows in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and Washington, D.C. His Connecticut solo shows include the Hartford Public Library, Mattatuck Museum and the New Britain Museum of American Art, where his work is in its permanent collection.
For more information, contact the WCSU Department of Art at (203) 837-8403, visit the M.F.A. program’s website at www.wcsu.edu/art/graduate or contact WCSU Public Relations at pr@wcsu.edu.
