As part of their graduation requirements, all art majors are required to publicly exhibit a cohesive body of artwork developed during their academic career. As art is a performance-based discipline, it is important that our assessment practices are based on each student’s individual efforts and their graduation portfolios. This is an important part of our assessment practices to ensure to our stakeholders, as well as the general public, that we maintain a high degree of quality in our department’s programming.
These exhibitions are typically held at the MSSU Spiva Gallery and include public receptions. In the spring of 2020 this was not possible due to the statewide “Stay at Home” order and the closure of our campus. To make up for this, we moved the exhibitions to an online only format, which can be seen below:
Spring 2020 Capstone Exhibitions
Fall 2019, Capstone Exhibitions, images
Each year the Department of Art and Design offers a unique international educational opportunity to MSSU students by offering an Art History course with an interdisciplinary visual research/studio component. Students initially engage in Art Historical/Cultural studies abroad and upon returning engage in either Art Studio practice other scholarly visual research, the results of which are displayed in a public exhibition in the MSSU Spiva Gallery and is thematically related to that fall semester’s international themed semester.
Fall 2021, The Impossible Journey . A group exhibition of artwork created by students enrolled in the “International Art Seminar: The Art and Crafts of Japan” course. The class trip to Japan was cancelled twice due to the closure of national borders and travel difficulties brought on by the COVID pandemic. An alternative domestic trip was planned to explore the art and culture of Japan by visiting collections, gardens, and cultural neighborhoods in two of the nation’s oldest Japanese enclaves – Japan Town in San Francisco, and Little Tokyo in Los Angeles. Works created for this exhibit were inspired by contemporary and historical Japanese art and craft forms. Students synthesized their travel experiences through their own artistic practice. The exhibition included works of art by MSSU art and design majors Sarah Clements, Sadie Maples, Aspen Read, Norman Lewis, Grace Maples, Olivia Martin, Cassandra Williams and faculty trip leader, Mr. Frank A. Pishkur, professor of art.
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Fall 2020, Wish We Made it There: Our Reaction to Jamaican Art . MSSU students and art faculty planned to travel to Jamaica to study historical Taino and contemporary Jamaican Art. Instead, the Covid-19 crisis shut down their trip just days before departure. They worked through this abrupt challenge by engaging in individual research efforts to study how unique Jamaican art styles flourished at the intersections of Jamaica’s Taino Indian history and their interactions with European traditional styles during the colonial period. They critically explored how Jamaican artists’ responses in the “Primitivism” art movement challenged Western notions of tribal and “primitive” experiences and reevaluated the traditional art historical canon to perceive how Jamaican intuitive art has progressed modern art. This exhibition featured creative works made in reaction to this study of the Art of Jamaica and included works of art by honor's students Elizabeth Bryant, Avery Cozens, and Riley Rickman, MSSU art alumni Veronica Pickett (BFA Studio 2020) art and design major Phoebe Burke, and graduate student Nellie Mitchel (Post-Baccalaureate Studies in Art). This international experience was developed and led by Ms. Taylor Moon, assistant professor of art and design.
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Fall 2019, Memory/Place: Our Reaction to Contemporary Australian Aboriginal Art . Art students and faculty traveled to Sydney and Melbourne, Australia to study contemporary Australian Aboriginal Art. Afterwards they created artwork in response to their discoveries. Contemporary Aboriginal Australians are advancing the oldest continuous artistic tradition in the world. Much of Australian Aboriginal artwork (historic and contemporary) is about organizing memories, recording important sites, and bearing witness to the transgressions of murderous colonial oppressors. These artists tried to honor this tradition by reflecting on their Australian travels, and on their own (admittedly faulty) understanding of the original peoples of the Joplin region. The exhibition included works of art by honor’s student Rachael Gopalakrishnan, MSSU art alumni Lydia Humphreys (BFA Studio 2018) and art and design majors Phoebe Burke, Tracey Graves and Jamie Robinson (also an honors student). The trip was led by Mr. Kyle McKenzie, associate professor of art and design.
Fall 2018, Look to Norway . A group exhibition featuring artwork created by MSSU art and design students enrolled in the Spring 2018 International Art Seminar. This course culminated in a trip over spring break to study the art, culture, and landscape of Norway. The students traveled to Oslo, Flam, and Bergen, visiting art and cultural museums, national treasures, and historic sites. Students also participated in numerous cultural dinners and both coastal and inland fjord tours. The works of art created for this show were inspired by each student’s experiences throughout the trip. The students aimed to express the history, landscape, and aesthetic of Norway within their art and to represent the beauty and culture of Norway in every aspect of their pieces. The exhibition included works of art by MSSU art and design majors Brett Dorrance, Jenson Maydew, Hunter Mills, Amber Wagner, Cicily Atkinson, and Susan Griffith. The trip was led by Dr. Christine Bentley, associate professor of art and design.
Fall 2017, Reflections of Korea (Please Come This Way, This Way Please) A group exhibition of artwork created for the course, International Art Seminar: The Art of Korea, as the culmination of the Department of Art and Design’s study abroad trip to South Korea that summer. The eight-day immersion into the art and cultural sites of Korea included several Korean national treasures and UNESCO World Heritage Sites. While primarily based in Seoul, the MSSU group also visited Suwon and then in conjunction with the 2017 Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale, Gwangju and Icheon. The featured works are inspired by objects, architecture, aspects and/or experiences from the trip. The exhibition includes artwork by art majors Danielle Davis, Sarah Clark, Makenzie Paden, Carla Rea, and faculty trip leader, Mr. Frank A. Pishkur, professor of art.
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Fall 2016, Pure Dead Brilliant . MSSU students and faculty traveled to the UK to experience the country first hand exploring art, architecture, and works of design. They then created an exhibition of sculpture and painting created from their impressions of their trip. Led by Ms. Devon Estes, associate professor of art.
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Fall 2015, Pero, Esto es Arte? A group exhibition of students who studied in Spain and made artwork inspired by their travels. The exhibit featured travel photography, video interviews with each of the students, artwork and crafts purchased in each of the cities of Madrid, Seville, Granada and Barcelona as well as each student’s personal expressive works in his or her chosen media. Led by Mr. Burt Bucher, associate professor of art.
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