Bryan B. Billingsley
Jamie DiSarno
Joelle Francht
Brian Franklin
Li Ge
Garrison Gunter
Erica Harney
Stephanie Harvey
Chuck Mahley
Robert Martin
Ian Meares
Urmilla Mohan
Amy Moosman
Joe Netta
Douglas Peltzman
Marie Rim
Christine Rothgeb
Salvatore Schiciano
Bethany Seib
Jeff Siegel
Ellie Taraborrelli
Jaclyn Tufford

Curating an MFA show is like herding cats: very challenging to do
and visually arresting when done. In Prequel, there is no theme or
common thread except that all twenty-two artists chose and were
chosen by the same university. They’ve shared space and ideas, but
each artist is wholly unique. Instead of imposing one theme or im-
plying an artificial common interest, the work is allowed to exist as
a cross-section of the ideas being explored by young artists today.
Communication, identity, nostalgia, technology, interconnectedness,
relationships, space, abstraction and uncertainty are addressed in a
wide variety of media.

Anyone who has participated in an MFA program knows that dur-
ing those two short years time is condensed. Ideas move at warp
speed because the artists are entirely immersed in both practice
and feedback. Therefore, when any MFA group exhibition opens,
it is, with any luck, already outdated—a precursor to the current
narrative. This show represents a moment in time for each of the
artists—a snapshot of the recent past and a hopeful indicator of
the future.