MFA recipients create new exhibit at Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara
Thomas Stoeckinger painted “American Pastoral Past Times.” The work is part of the “Unending” exhibit that will go on display Aug. 21 at Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara.
Art can be “Unending.”
That’s the point of an exhibit by that name, which will be displayed Aug. 21 to Sept. 12 at the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara, upstairs at Paseo Nuevo.
The exhibit features the work of the UCSB Master of Fine Arts 2020 Cohort.
The art varies from photography to sculptures, installation, videos and paintings.
Marshall Sharpe created “Gardens of Versaillell.”
The artists are Serene Blumenthal, Kio Griffith, Megan Koth, Marshall Sharpe, Thomas Stoeckinger and David Wesley White.
Their creations originally were meant to be the culmination of the artists’ work for their MSA degrees in the summer of 2020.
For the exhibit, the artists have created a new vision based on personal and cultural cycles of grief and transformation, according to a news release from the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara.
The museum went on to note the exhibit is taking place after the “rare full-halt” the world has experienced because of the pandemic.
“This exhibition showcases the collapse of time, tradition and production, culminating in something more slowly realized and returned to,” according to the museum.
Here’s some background on the artists, all of whom earned their MFA last year at UCSB.
THOMAS STOECKINGER
Mr. Stoeckinger is a lifelong resident of the Southern and Central California coasts. He creates objects, performances, performative objects and occasional videos. He earned his bachelor’s in fine arts in 2018 at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
His projects include miniature sculptures of The Jolly Green Giantress babysitting a little man. Among his paintings is “American Pastoral Past Times.”
Kio Griffith’s photo is called “Silence Moves Faster.”
SERENE BLUMENTAL
The Denver native earned her BFA in 2012 at the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash. She then spent several years exploring artistic interest through music, performance and film in Olympia and Los Angeles.
Through videos, performances and sculptures, Ms. Blumenthal draws connections between the past and present.
DAVID WESLEY WHITE
The Worcester County, Mass., native moved to New York City, where he earned his BFA in 2016 at Parsons School of Design. His work has been displayed in Southern California, New York City and Massachusetts.
MEGAN KOTH
Ms. Koth, who grew up in Cave Creek, Ariz., earned her BFA in 2014 at Arizona State University. Her work resides in private collections throughout the U.S.
KIO GRIFFITH
Mr. Griffith works in graphic design, printmaking, sculpture, sound, video, performance, assemblage, writings and installation. He has exhibited in nations varying from Britain to Japan, Germany, China, Turkey and Mexico.
Mr. Griffith’s work is in private and museum collections including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. He lives and works in Los Angeles and Tokyo.
His work includes his photo “Silence Moves Faster.”
MARSHALL SHARPE
Mr. Sharpe, who’s from Greensboro, N.C., earned his bachelor’s in art in 2010 at Elon University. After teaching eighth-grade English for seven years in Hawaii, he took a year-long sabbatical to return to North Carolina to pursue research and painting.
Mr. Sharpe is currently an art teacher at Utah Valley University. His work has been displayed at UCSB’s Glassbox Gallery, Gallery 113 in Santa Barbara, Cal State Channel Islands, the Honolulu Museum of Art School and various other venues.
email: dmason@newspress.com
FYI
Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara is upstairs at Paseo Nuevo/ For more information, go to mcasantabarbara.org.
