Manetti Shrem Art Studio

Kelley O’Leary (M.F.A. ‘22) has just received a Kala Art Institute Parent Artist in Residency for 2024-2025. This is O’Leary’s second residency a Kala Art Institute. In 2022, O’Leary participated in their Artist-In-Residence (AIR) Program.

Justine Di Fiore (M.F.A. ‘ 23) will be featured in the latest group show at the Minneapolis gallery Dreamsong. With references to Giotto, Michelangelo, Morandi, and Paul Thek, among others, the artists participating in “Pas de Deux” explore what it means to appropriate another artist’s work, either directly or slyly, wholesale or in part, and how distinctions between homage, facsimile, commentary, subversion, and criticism bend and shift, allowing the past to be ceaselessly reread in the present.

Berggruen Gallery’s summer invitational, “California Gold,” celebrates Californian history, iconography, and culture. Alum and art studio lecturer Christopher Woodcock (M.F.A. ’10) is one artist featured in this show that highlights artists with ties to California and the Golden State whose works expresses a diverse set of viewpoints and relationships.

Shed Projects‘ latest exhibition ”ECHO” is a two person show featuring Melissa Pokorny (M.F.A. ‘88) and professor emeritus Lucy Puls. 

“ECHO” opens Saturday, June 22  and will be on view through August 3.

Congratulations to the art studio M.F.A. class of 2024 and to Nitheen Ramalingam and April Camlin, recipients of the Keister & Allen Art Purchase Prize and LeShelle & Gary May Art Purchase Prize. 

Nitheen Ramalingam was awarded the Keister & Allen Art Purchase Prize for his “Venmani martyr’s day, 2021” series that meditates on the 2021 commemoration of the Kilvenmani martyrs, juxtaposing the joyful unity of the peasantry with a gloomy undertone hinting at the movement’s decline.

Sofía del Pedregal Moscatelli (M.F.A, ‘22) has been awarded a residency at Skowhegan in 2024. The Skowhegan Residency program is a nine-week intensive and residential program providing studio practice and mentorship with distinguished faculty. Sofia will join Skowhegan for the summer session running from June 8-August 10, 2024.

The latest group show at the Axis Gallery features recent paintings by six regional California artists, including Jose Arenas (M.F.A., ‘00), Jeff Mayry (M.F.A., ‘16) and graduate program advisor Rachelle Agundes. “Up-Cycle” is on view from May 31-June 30 with a Second-Saturday opening reception on June 8 from 5-8 p.m.

Justine Di Fiore (M.F.A. ‘23) will participate in the Studio System Experimental Residency Project at the Torrance Art Museum. Justine’s residency runs from June 1-29 and will culminate in a closing reception at the museum on Saturday June 29, 6-9pm.

Congratulations Justine!

“In The Garden” at Canepa Selling in Los Angeles features new work by Will Maxen (MFA ‘23) and Sam Rathbun (MFA ‘23).

“In the Garden” opens May 30 with a reception from 6-9 pm.

Grand Central Art Center at Cal State Fullerton is hosting Julia Rigby’s (M.F.A., ‘20) solo exhibition “Julia Rigby: Fever Dream.”  Opening June 1, Rigby will show new video and sound installation work, including a sound sculpture designed for the opening reception

On view from June 1-August 11, 2024
Opening reception on June 1 from 7-10 pm.

Congratulations to Kota Ezawa! He will debut a new work – “Grand Princess” — at Independent New York with Fraenkel Gallery and Ryan Lee Gallery on May 9-May12.

Commonwealth and Council returns to Frieze New York with a presentation by Associate Professor Beatriz Cortez, Clarissa Tossin, and Suki Seokyeong Kang.

Hong Chun Zhang’s large scroll drawing “Life Strands” has been included in a group show entitled “Hair Pieces” at Heide Museum of Modern Art in Melbourne, Australia. Zhang made this large charcoal drawing (5 feet x 30 feet) in 2004 for her M.F.A. thesis show at UC Davis (M.F.A., ‘04). ”Life Strands” is on loan from White Rabbit Collection on Contemporary Chinese Art in Sydney, Australia for this invited group show. 

Alum Kyle Austin Dunn (M.F.A., ‘12) will present his first European solo exhibition at Galeria Nicola Pedana in Caserta, Italy. “Motto” opens April 27 and is on view to June 22, 2024.

“Beatriz Cortez & Candice Lin” is a new exhibition at Performance Space featuring works deeply engaged with the histories of colonialism and migration across time and space. Associate Professor Beatriz Cortez and Candice Lin are both artists whose work challenges viewers to see non-human objects through the lens of performance and to consider objects as beings with agency.