MCAD MFA Thesis Catalog 2015

M aster of Fine Arts T hesis Catalog 2015

Mengqian Chen

Ellie Gagner

Timothy Jay Hamilton

Jingchi Lu

Luisa Rivera

Jo Yeh

Gabriel Zhang

Tianrui Zhang

Wenyi Zhen

From The Director

The following catalog features the creative work of nine talented artists and designers who have completed the Master of Fine Arts degree program in Visual Studies at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

This incredible collection of work represents the capstone activity of two years of intensive study and a relentless pursuit of creative excellence. The candidates graduating this spring reflect the truly interdisciplinary nature of our mentor-based program and demonstrate the importance of personal expression and achievement.

This class came together from a wide range of international and national backgrounds and has blended into a cohesive group that truly embodies both individual artistic pursuit and a lifelong commitment to meaningful careers in the practice of art and design.

The mentors, faculty, and staff of the Minneapolis College of Art and Design are proud to have had the opportunity to work with these candidates as they have developed into accomplished artists and designers. They will always have a home here at MCAD and we wish them great success in their creative careers.

Tom DeBiaso Director and Professor, Master of Fine Arts Graduate Program

Table of Contents

Mengqian Chen

Animation/Illustration

Ellie Gagner

Sculpture

page 18

page 14 page 22

Timothy Jay Hamilton Sculpture

Luisa Rivera Illustration

Jingchi Lu Illustration

Jo Yeh Illustration

Gabriel Zhang Photography

Tianrui Zhang Graphic Design

Wenyi Zhen Graphic Design

Mengqian Chen

Animation/Illustration—Haikou, Hainan, China

Illustration has long been considered a flat two-dimensional art form. Because I have always been interested in challenging the boundaries, I apply the techniques in my animation projects in combination with 3D objects and illustration work to achieve a mixed media project.

My thesis project is a children’s book with a story that mirrors the workings of a child’s imagination. The story is set in the sky, where cosmic phenomenon is imagined as the result of a single being. The sun, the moon, the rain, and the rainbow are expanded as real characters living in the sky. As this book is a combination of mixed mediums, including puppet-making, I have made my main character—the Rainbow Princess—as a little felt puppet; yet the other characters remain as 2D hand-drawings, distinguishing the Princess from the other characters. Using the elements of animation to bring the puppets and drawings to life and taking the child on a three-dimensional tour of this celestial world, draws them deeper into the fantasy. I want to let my audience feel the real objects emerging from within the layers of paper illustration in the background—then experience the fullness of the story lying deep within their own imaginations

City in Sky, 2015

Digital and mixed media

17" x 23"

Mengqian Chen

Song for Sky 1, 2015 (Top) Digital and mixed media 11" x 13"

Song for Sky 2, 2015 (Bottom) Digital and mixed media 11" x 13"

Song for Sky 3, 2015 (Top) Digital and mixed media 11" x 13"

Song for Sky 4, 2015 (Bottom) Digital and mixed media 11" x 13"

Ellie Gagner

Sculpture—Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

As a sculptor of many sorts of objects that combine cast glass, shaped and cast metal, and carved wood, I have always been curious about how things work. Work was more about whether or not something could be done, and was fueled primarily by the spirit of problem solving, and my love for the meticulous craft and technique, rather than any sort of intellectual concept.

Yet I am interested in science and the structure of living things; the body as an instrument of experience, and the complex relationships between the objects that surround us in our everyday lives along with the materials with which they have been produced. In addition, my work has often incorporated humor and subversive, ironic imagery. And since my work has been inspired by craft, its obsessiveness with perfection, with its focus on the authenticity of the material, and its function have been primary.

While most of my current work is not functional, it continues my desire for a celebration of the refined practices of traditional techniques. My latest work also deals with the fragile nature of memory, different methods of its preservation, and its inherent imperfection, as well as building and creating objects from the residual evidence of my everyday life.

93°16’37”West), 2014

Crow Beak (44°57’26”North

Polystyrene, graphite, reclaimed library shelves, polyester clothesline rope, and swivel casters 74" x 48" x 32"

Ellie Gagner

Detail of Crow Artifacts, 2014 (Top)

Glass, bronze, walnut, resin, and steel

36" x 30" x 12"

Crow, 2014 (Bottom)

Kiln-cast glass and steel

16" x 22" x 10"

The Crow Caller, 2014

Mixed media

24" x 18" x 30"

Timothy Jay Hamilton

Sculpture—Newberg, Oregon, USA

“The deepest problems of modern life derive from the claim of the individual to preserve the autonomy and individuality of his existence in the face of overwhelming social forces, of historical heritage, of external culture, and of the technique of life.”

Georg Simmel, The Metropolis and Mental Life (1903)

The frantic pace and energy is manifested in the lights, signs, laws, advertisements, roads, and buildings; contemporary icons of systems designed for efficient, standardized living. Over time, the interconnectedness of man-made systems has woven together a new kind of environment just as multifaceted as our natural world.

My ongoing project series, Recordings, dives into the details of transportation systems through experimental drawing performances that attempt to scientifically graph in the quality of a line the experience of human interactions with systems. The works combine drawing, sculpture, and performance to examine the role of systems in cities and how they affect/are engaged by the surrounding communities. Recordings IV is a series of performances and interventions that investigate the Minneapolis and St. Paul Skyway system and how it affects the social structure of the citizens that use it. My work in Recordings aspires to bring public awareness to our reliance on systems and the ways that they affect our daily lives in subconscious ways.

timothyjayhamilton.com

timothyjayhamilton@gmail.com

Untitled (Ghosts), 2014

Intaglio prints of decommissioned commercial cutting boards on paper 30" x 40"

Timothy Jay Hamilton—Sculpture

Timothy Jay Hamilton

Theoretical Landscape 1.0, 2014 (Top) Steel, wood, brass, motor Size variable

Recordings, 2013 (Bottom) Pen on paper, wood, steel, aluminum, audio Size variable

Detail of Theoretical Landscape 1.2, 2014 (Bottom) Steel, wood, brass, motor Size variable

Jingchi Lu

Illustration—Jingzhou, Hubei, China

My work has circled around seeking out and expressing the problems of the young girl in modern society. With the rapid developments of world economies and technologies, modern young girls’ thought and behaviors have radically changed. My project will look at young girls aged 15-22 years old, and their complex social, personal and fashion behaviors in modern society. My project is 10 pieces of illustrations created with watercolor and ink.

In this work, I examined the relational situations of young girls in modern society and the content of their work from their school and social lives. This work depicts the young girl’s specific behaviors related to phenomenon and problems such as excessive dieting and eating disorders, their dependence on makeup and plastic surgery, obsessional worship of the TV star and pop singer, addiction to games and social media, and their pursuit for that brand name. From the research of modern young girl’s life and thoughts, I will use metaphor and symbolization to represent those phenomenons from young girl’s daily life in this project.

Girl’s Princess Sickness, 2014 (Top) Watercolor 20" x 16"

Addiction to Social Media, 2015 (Bottom)

Watercolor 20" x 16"

Walk of Fame, 2014

Watercolor and gauche

16" x 20"

Jingchi Lu

Maze, 2014 (Top) Watercolor 16" x 20"

Lady’s Room, 2014 (Bottom) Watercolor 20" x 16" Illustration

Luisa Rivera

I am a figurative painter and illustrator, with a strong focus on narrative images. Most of my work is done with water-based paints, such as acrylic, watercolor, gouache and ink. Usually, I use paper as a substrate, although I also employ other materials such as cardboard and wood, depending on the project. Paper cutting has also become a useful tool that has allowed me to explore other ways of composing an image. Recently, I have also combined paint, paper-cutting, and wheat paste to create large-scale works.

The main focus of my work is nature and our relationship with it throughout history. I am interested in our primal connection to all natural things, and how humanity has broken this link over the past decades. Through my paintings I suggest to the viewer reflective and metaphoric passages to track these lost connections with nature. In order to achieve this holistic perception, my work also addresses other aspects of our existence that we are neglecting such as the human body, instinct, spirituality, among others. For this reason, I make use of folk culture, stories, and mythologies (either existent or created by myself) to create narratives.

Illustration—Santiago, Chile

There Will Come Soft Rains, 2, 2014

Mixed media on paper

13" x 19"

Luisa Rivera—Illustration

Wolf Moon, 2014 (Top)

Gouache, acrylic, and ink on paper

62" x 44"

Detail of There Will Come Soft Rains, 2014 (Bottom) Mixed media on paper 13" x 18"

Luisa Rivera

Wildium, 2015

Graphite, watercolor, and gouache on paper

8.5" x 12" Illustration

Illustration—Taipei, Taiwan

Wanting to be a writer and a comic artist as a child, I found illustration marries these two impulses and promises me a more conceptual approach to narrative by first visualizing, and then representing the metaphors I propose in my stories. I specialize in narrative and story-based illustrations as an illustrator, but also, my skills in storyboarding and directing have significantly benefited me in telling visual stories through a “camera vision,” which creates a rhythm and a narrative climax on a flat surface.

Born and raised in Taiwan, a small island country that has been colonized multiple times, my generation is called the “rootless generation,” because of the lack of a national and cultural identity, and my “rootless” feeling has only grown stronger with time, as I stay in the states. After some identity-seeking preliminary projects, my thesis project evolved toward that which responds to the fundamental question: “What makes a being an identity?” To approach this difficult question, I chose to use animal figures instead of human figures to subtly echo the issues of difference and identity. Using animals will also allow a gap between those aspects about identity that create conflict in favor of a “soft” introduction of difference. joyehillustration.com

You Will Still Be Mine Next Winter, 2013 Ink and digital print

8.5" x 11"

The Gardener #16, 2014 (Top)

Pencil, ink, and digital print

12" x 13.5"

The Gardener #4, 2014 (Bottom)

Pencil, ink, and digital print

12" x 27"

The Day I Left #1, 2014 (Top) Ink and digital print 15" x 20"

The Day I Left #2, 2014 (Bottom) Ink and digital print 15" x 20"

Gabriel Zhang

I am a Singapore/Boston/Minneapolis-based photographer. Although I began as a graphic designer, the focus of my work soon developed more toward photography. As I explored new ways of creating sensual images—the conceptual frame and focus of my work changed.

Since I have been focused on this passion, which revolves around the creation of images that evoke a uniquely private vision, yet also reveal the universal quality that is embodied in the naked figure. My work has expanded as my skills have brought me closer to my goals. My work is essentially about capturing, freezing, and presenting these unique moments that express our shared humanity through the particular lens of “beauty.”

And in so doing, one of these expressions that spoke so profoundly to me, was the attraction between people that the camera was able to present. During shoots I stress spontaneity with my subjects. One of my goals is to create the atmosphere of an intimate relationship with them. This intimacy allows me to create a link between my subject and myself to transform my interior to their exterior.

Photography—Singapore

Lay With Me, 2014

Digital photograph

18.72" x 12.48"

Gabriel Zhang—Photography

Gabriel Zhang

Doll House, 2014 (Bottom)

Digital photograph

12.48" x 18.72"

Sing Me a Song, 2014 (Top)

Digital photograph

18.72" x 12.48"

The Dinner Invitation, 2015

Digital photograph

11.25" x 13.75"

Tianrui Zhang

Graphic Design—Jinan, Shandong, China

My thesis work focuses on the social-cultural identity of the citizens living in the Chinese community where I grew up and through illustration showing what has happened socially, culturally, and personally during the past few decades. It describes the lives our citizens have left behind; and yet in many ways, are still living with today through the eyes of a contemporary individual. This work comments on those events with no overt criticizing, no honoring of official platforms, just “seeing” and “feeling” it with the eye and the mind.

This series is inspired by the social and cultural phenomena of the past, to the rise of the particular issues of the nation in the present caused by the economic management system, and more importantly, felt in the great historical shift of China’s entire social and cultural structure. Although my generation sits right on the edge of this shift, my parents’ generation is perhaps the last to fully experience the “before.” In this work, I use the combination of digital illustrations and motion graphics referencing pictorial languages, such as icons and signs. The work deploys idioms and social-cultural phenomena that occur in employment, education, and daily life.

Pictographic Typography #6, 2014

Digital print

20" x 26"

Tianrui Zhang—Graphic Design

Tianrui Zhang

typography #1, 2014

Digital print

Pictographic

20" x 26"

SoundType Alphabet, 2014 (Bottom Left)

Digital print

24" x 34"

Cells, 2013 (Bottom Right)

Digital print

20" x 28"

Kinetic, 2014 (Top)

Digital print

26.5" x 17.5"

Wenyi Zhen

Graphic Design—Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China

Inner conversations have a powerful impact on the emotional well-being and motivation of the individual. Becoming aware of exactly what people are saying to themselves can help people understand why they react the way they do to events and people in their lives. My thesis project is using mobile application to help people monitor and recognize their inner voice. The exhibition examines the way graphic design communicates with users to create better experiences with technologies.

This work identifies the problem of how people can get accurate, logical “self-talk,” and in the end, how positive “self-talk” can change their behavior and help them to reach their goals. The function of this has three levels: to analyze the situation; correct the individual’s internal programming; and to enable people to know how their behaviors need to change. Data visualization is a crucial part in the work to show people how their inner voice can and should change, and to encourage people to think more positively. Technology supports this work, but the important point is how designers use these technological tools to make wonderful things designed to help people, even change their lives.

Emo-Tracker, 2014 Mobile application design

17" x 22"

Wenyi

Wenyi Zhen

Self-Talk

Slow, 2014 (Top)

5" x 8"

My Monologue, 2014 (Bottom)

Digital print

8" x 11.5"

MINNEAPOLIS COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN

2501 Stevens Avenue

Minneapolis, Minnesota 55404 mcad.edu

©2015 Minneapolis College of Art and Design

All artists and their corresponding artwork published in this book are copyrighted materials. All rights reserved.

CREDITS

Tom DeBiaso Director and Professor Master of Fine Arts Program

Kiley Van Note Assistant to the Director

Amber Newman Designer, MCAD DesignWorks

Rik Sferra Photographer

Frenchy Lunning and Ann Benrud Copywriting and Editing

Western Graphics Printing and Binding St. Paul, Minnesota

ABOUT MCAD

Recognized nationally and internationally for its innovative and interdisciplinary approaches to visual arts education, the Minneapolis College of Art and Design is home to more than 700 students and offers professional certificates, bachelor of fine arts and bachelor of science degrees, and graduate degrees.

Founded in 1886, MCAD was one of the first colleges to offer the BFA degree. The college has earned the highest accreditation possible and has the highest four-year graduation rate of all Midwestern visual arts colleges. And college facilities contain the latest in technology, with multiple studios and labs open 24 hours a day.

MASTER OF FINE ARTS IN VISUAL STUDIES AT MCAD

The MCAD MFA program is a community of makers, thinkers, theorists, researchers, and creative professionals working in a mentor-based, interdisciplinary educational environment. A majority of credits are earned through one-on-one work with a faculty mentor throughout the two years. In addition to the mentorship students take a critique and liberal arts seminar each semester and have the option to pursue internships and a range of engaging educational opportunities. The final year culminates with a capstone thesis exhibition and paper. Our student body is diverse with a robust international presence. The subject of student inquiry responds to social, cultural, and professional needs as well as to entrepreneurial opportunities, stretching across art and design practices. Students in the program pursue creative work in a mentor based, interdisciplinary environment that includes graphic design, printmaking, paper and book arts, painting, photography, illustration, sculpture, drawing, animation, interactive media, filmmaking, comic arts, furniture design, and installation art.

For more information, contact or visit the following sites:

ADMISSIONS

mcad.edu/admissions/prepare/graduate

OFFICIAL MFA PROGRAM SITE

mcad-mfa.com

mcad.edu/academic-programs/graduate/master-fine-arts