May 27 - June 27, 2010

The Art Gym will present the work of Bachelor of Fine Arts degree candidates Monica Arlt, Jessica Beck, Amber Demeter, Michele Harsch and Cassidy Langendoerfer in the 2010 BFA Thesis Exhibition.

Bachelor of Fine Arts Thesis Program

The goal of the Marylhurst University Art Thesis program is to assist the senior-level student in the development of a coherent body of professional-level work. The thesis project has two components: studio work and a thesis report. The written proposal is developed in the fall and evolves over the winter and spring terms into a paper that discusses studio work progress from conception to completion. A thesis committee, made up of three art faculty members, critiques the student's progress at each stage. The studio work progresses fall and winter terms and is completed in the spring. At that time the work is subject to final review, photographed, prepared for installation, and installed in The Art Gym.

2010 BFA Thesis Candidates

Monica Arlt makes sculptures of animals in order to explore human, and more specifically family, relationships. She uses a range of materials to convey personality and character. The sculpture Daddy references the artist's father – a professional boxer – by presenting a punching bag in the form of a rhinoceros. In Badger Mama, Arlt uses reclaimed metal ductwork and a toaster to suggest a combination of toughness and nurturing. Arlt is fascinated by animal biology, behavior and mythology, and seeks to challenge preconceived notions of animals and their character.

Jessica Beck is exhibiting a series of black-and-white photographs of nature parks and preserves. Beck is interested in the preserve as an excerpt of nature that is framed by its creators and presented to the public for educational experience. In her thesis statement, Beck comments on the irony inherent in the act of framing the "wild."

Amber Demeter is honoring the memory of her dog Snickers through a series of photographs, a book and an installation including a dog bed and toys. Demeter makes both black-and-white and color images, and has drawn from a reservoir of photographs of her dog for the project. Michele Harsch uses the camera to find and frame street scenes that strike her as moments of theater. Titled Portland Players Presents: Our Frozen Moments in Between, the black-and-white photographic series includes images of people on public transit, on the street and in city parks in Portland, Oregon, and nearby communities.

Cassidy Langendoerfer photographed in Oregon and southern Washington state, seeking locations that featured boundaries between civilization and nature. Her black-and-white pigment prints often include a man-made element like a fence or dock that marks a boundary or border. As the series developed, Langendoerfer focused on sites where the boundaries were less defined, and noted the parallels with the tendency of human beings to create restraints or submit to restrictions in their own lives.