Carnegie Mellon University
March 11, 2011

Press Release: Carnegie Mellon School of Art MFA Thesis Exhibition "Up Down Up Down" Opens March 18

Contact: Eric Sloss / 412-268-5765 / ecs@andrew.cmu.edu

mfa exhibitionPITTSBURGH—Five Master of Fine Arts candidates from Carnegie Mellon's School of Art will present their thesis work in "Up Down Up Down," the annual MFA exhibition at the Miller Gallery at Carnegie Mellon University, opening Friday, March 18 with a reception from 6-8 p.m. The exhibition will run through April 17, 2011.

Artists are Jesha Chen, Courtney Dow, Nicholas Sean Glover, Daniel Luchman and James Robert Southard, and the work on view includes sculpture, installation, video, audio and photography.

On Tuesday March 22, the MFA candidates will present their work in a lecture at the Miller Gallery from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., with critique and discussion led by special guest Tina Kukielski, associate curator at the Carnegie Museum of Art. The event and the exhibition are free and open to the public.

"Each year the graduate students extend themselves to produce something extraordinary. Jesha will push the envelope; Sean will produce yet another magical bricolage; Daniel will combine the poetic and the profound; Rob will puzzle us with some photographic conundrums; and Courtney will present us with a wry intellectual challenge. This year's exhibit promises to be bold, ingenious, thought-provoking and tinged with humor," John Carson, head of the School of Art, said.

The School of Art, ranked #1 in the nation for its multimedia MFA Program, produces artists of exceptional ability and initiative who are able to connect meaningfully with the communities around them.  More information can be found at www.cmu.edu/art.

The Miller Gallery is located in the Purnell Center for the Arts on Carnegie Mellon's campus. The gallery, free and open to the public, is open from 12 to 6 p.m., Tuesday-Sunday. Visit www.cmu.edu/millergallery for more information.

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The Miller Gallery at Carnegie Mellon University supports the creation, understanding and growth of contemporary art through exhibitions, projects, lectures, events and publications. The Miller Gallery is the contemporary art gallery of Carnegie Mellon and is one unit of the College of Fine Arts. It is located in the Purnell Center for the Arts on Carnegie Mellon's campus in Pittsburgh, Pa. The Miller Gallery is open to the public from 12 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Admission is free. For more visit http://www.cmu.edu/millergallery

Photo credit: "Cone of Cones" Nicholas Sean Glover