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Home » News » FSU Art Alums, Jim Graham & Laura Tanner-Graham: MFA exhibition at Univ of Illinois

FSU Art Alums, Jim Graham & Laura Tanner-Graham: MFA exhibition at Univ of Illinois

Published April 15, 2013
april11_illinois_img2

Jim Graham, Pound | Cake, 2012. Oil on canvas, 78 x 78

inches. Courtesy of the artist.

School of Art & Design at the University of Illinois
at Urbana-Champaign
MFA exhibition

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign School
of Art and Design 408 East Peabody Drive,
Champaign, IL 61820
Opening reception:
Saturday, April
13, 5–7pm
T:217 333 0855
www.art.illinois.edu
 
The 2013 Master of Fine Arts exhibition of the School of Art and Design at the University of
Illinois at Urbana Champaign is the culmination of three years of creative research and practice.
Held in the Krannert Art Museum with an opening reception on Saturday, April 13 from 5–7pm,
this exhibition features the work of Amy Gilles, Jim Graham, Laura Tanner-Graham, Dan Gratz,
Ben Grosser, Ben Hatcher, Paul Shortt, Michael Smith, and Jessica Tolbert. Along with a written
thesis, this exhibition functions as an educational space in which objects, images and ideas are
positioned to propose arguments, ask questions, and sustain inquiry. This is an ideological space
that still requires the careful consideration of craft and the meaning of materials. All of this is
serious work and the art works in this exhibition reveal the intense commitment that these
artists have made to their chosen field of study—they are good at what they do and they have
something interesting to say. Additionally, their work in here and their practice out there provides
an interesting model into what might become a more sustainable way of thinking about the
art world and the function of art in the world. The School of Art and Design at the University
of Illinois celebrates their achievement.
About the MFA Program of the School of Art and Design at the University of Illinois

The MFA Program of the School of Art and Design at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
is committed to training artists and designers at the highest professional levels. Accredited
by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design and highly ranked in the U.S. News
and World Report, the School of Art + Design is regarded as one of the outstanding public
university art programs in the United States. The MFA programs at the University of Illinois
emphasize the development of individual and/or collaborative practice in preparation for
careers in both fine arts- and client-based contexts, including gallery exhibitions,
product/media design, university research, education, public or community-based
work, curatorial practice, performance and activism. MFA students at the University
of Illinois are independent, motivated, and interested in contextualizing their practice
within a stimulating environment of a tier-one research University. The Graduate Faculty
at the University of Illinois are professional artists and designers, active at the highest
levels of academic, professional and creative production. Graduate faculty include Conrad
Bakker, Luke Batten, Eric Benson, William Bullock, Stephen Cartwright, Cliff Shin, Nan Goggin,
Ryan Griffis, Jennifer Gunji Ballsrud, Kevin Hamilton, Patrick Hammie, Laurie Hogin, Jimmy
Luu, Deana McDonagh, Alan Mette, Matthew Peterson, Melissa Pokorny, Kevin Reeder,
Linda Robbennolt, Joel Ross, Tammie Rubin, Ernesto Scott, Joseph Squier, Billie Theide,
Brad Tober, Deke Weaver, and David Weightman.
If you are interested in learning more about the Graduate Programs in the School of Art and
Design at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, please contact Ellen De Waard,
Graduate Studies Specialist: edewaard@illinois.edu.