First Year MFA Students Curate Show in WJB Gallery

Focusing on collaboration, students in the first year MFA seminar curated an exhibition currently on view in the William Johnston Building Gallery. “Between the Lines” explores how visual artists are influenced by, and in conversation with, written language.

An exhibition by first year MFA students is on display in WJB Gallery.

The project came out of a class taught by Meredith Lynn, assistant professor of art and curator of the Museum of Fine Arts, and was an opportunity for students to reflect on the many kinds of research, scholarship, and speech they encounter as graduate students. Each student selected a written work to pair with a visual piece, and both are shown side-by-side in the gallery. The writings range from poetry, song lyrics and social media posts to theory and fiction. Including this breadth of material was important to the student-curators, who wanted to emphasize that inspiration and influence can come from anywhere. The visual artworks include painting, printmaking, sculpture, and video, and illustrate the multi-media focuses of the students in the Department of Art.

“This project was entirely driven by the students, from identifying a theme to installing the show,” said Lynn. “It’s been exciting to watch them work together and collaborate while focusing on the methods of research and creativity that unite them as a cohort. We’re so excited that the Florida State University community is going to be introduced to this group of students through this thoughtful presentation.”

The exhibition is on view through January 10, 2023 with a closing reception from 5-7 p.m. 

MFA student Tevin Lewis poses with his artwork featured in the exhibition.