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Monday, December 7, 1987 / University Daily Kansan
Art program gives freedom
Masters focus is on student's art rather than schoolwork
By KIRK ADAMS Staff writer
Art exhibits by students pursuing master of fine arts degrees were shown last week as part of their master's theses.
Susan Nelson, Topea graduate student, exhibited her work along with Frank P. Hamilton, Kansas City, Mo., graduate student, in the third-floor gallery of the Art and Design building.
Pamela Richardson, Lawrence graduate student, had her thesis exhibition at the Lawrence Arts Center.
All three students are studying sculpture.
The Master of Fine Arts degree consists of 48 to 60 hours of graduate credit, and it's a little different from a standard master's degree.
Richard Schira, graduate director for the department of art, said that an M.F.A. thesis was unlike theses for many other degrees. The focus is not on a written thesis, but on the student's artwork.
He said that most students who were admitted to the school have the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, or had some work experience in fine arts.
In graduate work, students seek to develop their artwork working toward an art portfolio.
Nelson concentrates on sculpture, but her work also contains drawings and prints. Her sculptures are made primarily with objects she finds.
One piece resembles a weighing balance, yet not quite. A copper-colored half-circle metal grid positioned as if to rock to the pull of accompanying weights, one dangling from each side, stands on top of a tall glass dresser.
The final requirements for the degree are the thesis exhibition of the students' work and a thesis folio that includes a brief statement concerning the work.
Nelson made the half-oval out of a cooking grill she cut in half, rebuilt and painted copper. Most of the construction she does from scratch
She said that the piece could be some sort of balance, but exactly what a piece is supposed to be, she leaves open-ended.
"Even for myself I don't like to pin it down to anything in particular," she said.
"They (the sculptures) are questions about what happens in life," she said. "Hopefully that is what they will do when they are viewed, make you question about different levels of reality, different levels of their life, perceptions, how things are and how things function."
Other pieces resemble gameboards. Some appear simple, with wooden pegs and scorekeeping pointers. A more complex game has a grid of string suspended over a table
on which there is a pattern made by woodcut printing and drawing. Above it is a moveable "viewer" through which a person could sight a place on the imaginary gameboard.
Students in the master's program in fine arts concentrate on sculpture, printmaking, or painting. After 24 hours of course work, the faculty selection and institute will work to determine whether the student should begin thesis work, take additional courses or be dropped from the program.
When students are approved for thesis work, they select a graduate thesis committee of at least three members of the graduate art faculty. The committee is responsible for advising the student and for monitoring progress of students' work.
The final requirements for the degree are the thesis exhibition of the students' work and a thesis folio that includes a brief statement concerning the work. The thesis exhibition can be any public exhibit of the art.
After the exhibition, the student's graduate committee will determine whether the requirements for the thesis have been completed.
Philip Blackhurst, chairman of art and of Nelson's graduate committee, said, "We hope that they achieve a very high quality of artwork and that they're prepared as artists."
He said that Nelson's exhibit did well at expressing the goals that she was trying to achieve.
"We do place a lot of importance on the ideas and individual direction," he said.
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