B.F.A. Senior Exhibition
B.F.A. Senior Exhibition In Person & Online
The Plattsburgh State Art Museum is pleased to present this year’s B.F.A. Thesis Exhibition. This exhibition features work created by graduating Bachelor of Fine Arts students in the SUNY Plattsburgh Department of Art. This represents the culmination of each undergraduate student’s experience of developing a body of work. The exhibition features student work from a variety of studio areas: ceramics, drawing, graphic design, painting, photography, printmaking and sculpture.
Join us in person for the SUNY Plattsburgh Senior Exhibition Spring 2024
- April 5 – May 17, 2025, Regina Schoolman Slatkin Gallery
- Reception: April 5 at 3 p.m., Regina Schoolman Slatkin Gallery
Featuring:
Messages of Congratulations
Tonya M. Cribb, Director, Plattsburgh State Art Museum
As the Director of the Plattsburgh State Art Museum, it is my pleasure to congratulate our graduating seniors participating in the annual B.F.A. Senior Thesis Exhibit. This capstone exhibition showcases the work of Noah Honsinger and Kayla Lester and celebrates their outstanding achievements during their undergraduate studies at SUNY Plattsburgh. These students collaborated with each other, as well as with faculty and museum staff, to plan the exhibit. This is their first major exhibition, making it a truly pivotal moment in their artistic careers.
Over the course of the year, students are expected to write a proposal and produce a body of work that investigates an idea or set of concerns that are meaningful to them. These students have excelled in their respective concentrations to share the work you see here. They have a unique mix of interests and goals, which is reflected in the variety of media and themes in their work. Each artist has taken the same core courses but has developed a unique voice, making the exhibition distinct and exciting.
In addition to student artworks on display, this catalogue, as well as exhibit and promotional materials were completely student designed and executed, representing a mastery of conceptual and applied skills. It’s inspiring to see these students bring together everything they’ve learned over the past years.
The Plattsburgh State Art Museum welcomes you to join us in celebrating the graduating class of 2025. It has been a great pleasure getting to know you and we cannot wait to see where your future in the arts will take you.
Norman Taber & Ali Della Bitta, Art Department Chairs
This year’s show marks a quarter century of collaboration between BFA Studio Art students, the Art and Design Department faculty, and the Plattsburgh State Art Museum. The BFA Show serves not only as a capstone experience but also as a celebration of our students’ transformative undergraduate education. Through years of study these artists have labored to create a comprehensive body of work that reflects not just their personal vision, but a varied set of skills and techniques honed during their time here with the guidance of dedicated faculty.
We extend our appreciation to the museum staff for working closely with us this year, and through all the years, to make this happen. We thank the family and friends of these burgeoning artists for supporting and encouraging their growth. And I, personally, acknowledge the entire Art and Design Department faculty, past and present, for their time, commitment, and dedication to every student they have taught or mentored.
The faculty of the Art and Design Department join me in congratulating our students on their momentous achievement. On this occasion, join with us in celebrating our BFA graduates. We hope you find inspiration and appreciation for the creativity and artistry on display, and we join us in looking forward to a future bright with promise.
Dr. Meg Pearson, Dean, School of Arts & Sciences
I recently had a conversation with someone who reflected that “artists are the only people who know how to do anything anymore.” When I took a few seconds to think about it, I realized that, indeed, students trained in the studio arts emerge from their programs prepared to handle nearly anything.
Studio art itself is necessarily a hands-on experience. However, in addition to manipulating clay, holding a paintbrush, or preparing the press in printmaking for their artistic endeavors, BFA students must also learn how to run the kiln in which they fire their ceramics. They learn how to supply a photography darkroom and distinguish between chemicals. They must grow familiar with how to safely handle tools ranging from blowtorches to etching acids, and they must become proficient at cleaning and maintaining their studios. They must learn to be adept in several different fields. In addition, artists must become their own masters of public relations and branding across many kinds of media; upon graduation they enter a competitive marketplace populated by advertising firms, illustrators, galleries, designers, museums, art departments, and, inevitably, artificial intelligence.
This year’s BFA exhibition is small but mighty, featuring a cohort of students who have been exposed to all of this learning and doing by our accomplished artists, teachers, and mentors in the Department of Art and Design and the Plattsburgh State Art Museum. I feel confident that this class will show us how to do many new and wonderful things in their lives and through their practice.