More Posts Coming soon but... Here's a sneak peak at the class of 2020

Funky Panorama Photo by Dan Larkin 

Fall Graduate Workshare

At the end of each Fall semester, the first year MFA students present their work-in-progress in the William Harris Gallery. A time for discussion and feedback from faculty, undergraduates, and fellow graduate students, this year's Work Share was wonderfully diverse and full of engaging imagery.

Dustin Brown's photographs being viewed by other CIAS students

Dustin Brown

Chen Wang discussing her installation with Professor Josh Thorson

Chen Wang

Jee Young Bang 

Robert Gordon

Robert Gordon receiving feedback from Professor Frank Cost

Robyn Park

Field Trip to Syracuse

Last week the first year MFA students went on an excursion to Syracuse in conjunction with their Graduate Seminar class headed by professor Dan Larkin. They spent the day perusing the Everson Museum of Art, taking in a wide variety of art works. All photographs courtesy of first year MFA student, Dustin Brown.

Photographer Brian Ulrich comes to Rochester

One of the wonderful things about being an MFA in Imaging Arts graduate student at RIT is the amazing wealth of other, rather spectacular, photography resources in the area. This past week photographer Brian Ulrich made time for a special talk with graduate students from RIT, VSW (Visual Studies Workshop) and The Eastman House. Hosted by the director of VSW, Tate Shaw, we had an insightful discussion with a renowned artist who currently has new work on display in The Eastman House.

Brian Ulrich in discussion with area graduate students

First year MFA in Imaging Arts at RIT graduate students, Jee Young Bang and Katie Efstathiou

Brian Ulrich responding to a question

Post-talk discussion amidst the graduate students from the various programs

Beginning of the Semester Picnic

Last weekend, the first and second year graduate students and faculty of the MFA program came together for a relaxing afternoon of food and sunshine at faculty member Willie Osterman's house. Between a wet plate collodion shoot and a flying drone, it was an afternoon filled with photo fun!

First Year MFA student Rob Gordon with professor Dan Larkin and new faculty member Catherine Zuromskis

Professor Frank Cost demonstrates his drone for a group of first and second year MFA students

The view from above...not bad!

First year Rob Gordon poses with second year MFA students, Sarah Weiss and Naharin Shech in front of Willie Osterman's wet plate collodion camera

The congregation is assembled. Not everyday you get to have a wet plate collodion photograph of a picnic. Nice job Willie!

Summer Workshare for 2nd Year MFA Students

This past week the second year MFA students shared with the faculty and first year graduate students the progress in ideas, research and imagery they made over the summer. Between the flurry of setting up and the whirlwind of feedback and suggestions from the MFA faculty, it was a lively day in the Grad Annex!

Cory Fitzgerald sequencing his imagery

Jia Wang organizes her work

Still from Naharin Shech's video projection

MFA candidate Beth Gilbert in discussion with Dan Larkin

Josh Thorson listens as Ciara Duffy describes her summer

Carole Woodlock discusses work with 2nd year MFA student Gail Goers

Professor Ken White meets with Jia Wang 

Graduate student Naharin Shech in thoughtful discussion with Ahndraya Parlato

Gregory Halpern meets with 2nd year MFA student Sarah Weiss

Frank Cost in discussion with 2nd year MFA student Cory Fitzgerald

Solve For X: MFA Thesis Show

RIT’s William Harris Gallery hosts exhibit ‘Solve for X’

An MFA Group Thesis Exhibition

In the group thesis exhibit, ‘Solve for X’, it is the questions, perspectives, frustrations, and wonderment of the journey, not the destination, that the works of four Imaging Arts graduate students explore. Featuring the works of Yuxiang Dong, Catherine Hellsten, Yuanyuan Liu, and Jason Reimer, ‘Solve for X’ is the culmination of their graduate education work at RIT in the field of Imaging Arts and Related Media. Hosted by RIT’s William Harris Gallery, the opening reception will be held from 5 – 8 p.m. on April 23, and the exhibition will run through May 7.

From photography to video, glass sculpture to photo books, these four artists use a range of media to communicate their creative perspectives within their individual bodies of work.

In Identity Aperture: Self-portraits, Genealogy and Other Archives, Yuxiang Dong re-encounters his journey through life with the particular and unique experiences that make up the life of an individual. Dong uses a variety of media to explore the representation of identity in photographic images.

Catherine Hellsten’s body of work, Mnemonic Waters, explores episodes from the personal mythology of others by visually translating vivid memories into narratives of surreal imagery set within a glass landscape.

 无法抗拒-Untranslatable is an expression of Yuanyuan Liu’s pessimistic and helpless feelings towards an individual’s inner struggle against the powerful, external dynamics of societal and cultural influences and the mutual manipulation that takes place among people.

In his book 197_ , Jason Reimer utilizes a discordant mix of cinematic, personal, and evidential photographs to prompt a meditation of how we understand the most fundamental of human experiences—birth and death.

William Harris Gallery is located on the 3^rd floor of Gannett Hall at RIT. The gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and by appointment on weekends. The gallery is handicapped accessible and all exhibits are free and open to the public. For more information, call 585-475-2884 or visit http://cias.rit.edu/william-harris-gallery.

Graduate Walk Through

Shortly before spring break, our grad students again had the opportunity to share their ever-growing bodies of work to the MFA faculty and have some in-depth discussions about their projects. The first year grads each had a studio to themselves to hang their work in, and the second year grads exhibited their in-progress thesis publication prototypes.

Gail Goers

Some of Gail's work

More of Gail's work

Ciara Duffy laying out some of her photographs

Part of Ciara's display

More of Ciara's work

Ciara preparing for the day's events

Faculty members Ken White, Meredith Davenport, and Michael Frank taking a look

at the second year grads' thesis publication dummies.

Christian Kasners taking notes from his discussions with faculty

Cory Fitzgerald's studio

Cory getting set for the day

More of Cory's display

Some of Sarah Weiss' photographs on display

Part of Sarah's display

More of Sarah's work

Three of Naharin's video installations

Another angle of Naharin's video installations

The viewer's first peek into Naharin's studio