Master of Fine Arts: Studio Art Candidate Exhibition 2024

 Master of Fine Arts: Studio Art Candidate Exhibition 2024

Student artists Sloane Cabrera, Ngan Nguyen, and Kathy Page

MFA: Studio Art Candidate Exhibition 2024 Reception

The Master of Fine Arts: Studio Art Candidate Exhibition featured artists Sloane Cabrera, Ngan Ngyuen, and Kathy Page whose work has been developed over the course of two years. The overarching theme of this show: Finding the Order Within Chaos. These works take on new mediums through the expansion of well-known techniques. My personal favorites are Kathy Page's printmaking technique and Ngan Nguyen's installation which is inspired by watercolor. The reception of this show had a great turn-out and visitors were able to hear the artists each speak about their work and processes. 

(Left) Red and Black (2024), (Right) Brown and Red (2024)

Artist Kathy Page has forty years of experience as a librarian, and her interest in cartographical practice is showcased in her experimental print-making. Page has stated that her current work is grounded in three overlapping concerns: organic abstraction, the search for pattern and unity, and the development of a visual language rooted in mapping and geography. I'm unsure whether the patterns present actual locations or not, but I am curious to know more about their relevance and her process in deciding what square goes in which location.

  Kathy Page, Orange and Black, 2024, monotype prints, acetate transparencies, 60" high x 120" wide

Ngan Nguyen's installation is an almost overwhelming piece had it not been for the structure of its confines. Spilling out into the gallery space, the varying items of everyday objects and paper-made grids are encased in writing of legible and illegible content. The lighting in the installation at the Sacramento State University Library Gallery turned on and off, allowing different moments of experience for all of the elements. Though this installation was visually stunning, I'm still perplexed by the artist's intention and hope to learn more about the relevance of the structures. Either way, it was an enjoyable experience to lean into the chaos.

Installation images of Ngan Nguyen's Untitled (2023)