Catalog essay (1999)
Catalog Essay, University of Miami MFA Exhibition, Lowe Museum, Spring 1999.
Since we radically expanded our graduate program and began regular open critiques some years ago our graduate students have become the vital center of our program. The ten artists in this show may be the best and strongest class we have had, and as such they constitute a dramatic justification for the emphasis we had placed on graduate studio study in our department.
The primary overall characteristic of recent graduate work has been "quality in diversity." Our MFA artists reflect current contemporary interests and find very original methods to exploit those interests. This group embodies these traits of originality and diversity, working with traditional media such as painting and printmaking as well as, and often in conjunction with, more contemporary media (such as the computer) and contemporary methods (such as installation) to make work which is surprising, engaging, and original. This is an exhibition of vigorous work by talented artists dealing with the themes of our time, and we look forward with pleasure to the art they will make in the coming years.
Once again we are grateful to the Lowe Museum for the use of their elegant new exhibition space and to the Jacobs family for their generous contribution to our graduate program.
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