Upcoming Art Shows: MFA Thesis Show, "It Appears to Be a Circle" and Kinder Art Exhibit

The 2022 MFA Thesis Art Show, It Appears to Be a Circle, is now open at UCSB's Art, Design, & Architecture Museum! This exhibition, which features the work of Marisa de la Pe~a, Tom Dunn, and Chad Ress, will be available until May 29th.

Shaping and reshaping, It Appears to Be a Circle fashions the ephemeral moments in time into tangible experiences that awaken the senses. Within these walls you will find the works of three artists who propose their own ways of imaging how their various practices can lead them down circular paths, loops, and returns - an ouroboros escapade. Drawing on the past years spent manifesting their visions, exploring theories, and furthering their own artistic voice, these artists welcome you to explore the realms of the politicized night sky, ancestral inheritance, and the instinctive worlds they have shaped.

There will also be a reception party held on Friday, May 20 from 5:30-7:30p with a cake cutting at 6p.

Also, don't miss the Kinder Art Exhibit: UCSB X IV ELEMENTARY this coming Saturday, May 21 from 12-4p. This event will be held in the Jewel Box Gallery of the Art, Design, & Architecture Museum (just behind the main building). Snacks and drinks will be provided.

Throughout the 2021-22 school year, the Education and Outreach Program's undergraduate interns of UC Santa Barbara's Art, Design, & Architecture Museum have worked in partnership with Isla Vista Elementary School's Expanded Learning to lead a weekly after-school program that introduces art and art history to children at an early age. The interns have collaborated to construct various lesson plans to teach kindergarten students about key concepts in art history. In conjunction with the educational material taught each week, every lesson ends with a unique art project to reinforce the concepts learned. Throughout the weekly lessons, students have had the opportunity to learn about various artistic movements across geographies, time periods, and mediums. This has ranged from more traditional modes of artistic expression, such as genres in portraiture and landscape painting, to more modern and contemporary practices, such as Surrealist collages and three-dimensional works inspired by Alexander Calder's kinetic sculptures. Additional examples range from art histories of Pointillism to Abstract Expressionism using the AD&A's own collection, and experimentation with different mediums including pastels, painting, and collaging.

It is the goal of the Education and Outreach Program to foster early interests and skills in art, creativity, visual analysis, geography, history, and to encourage community building through art. The culmination of this community art and art history education project with the kindergartners of IV Elementary is presented in Kinder Art Exhibit: UCSB x IV ELEMENTARY, which features artworks the students have been creating with us throughout the year.