February 1 - 12, 2011

Contact: Thomas Moore
Director of Arts Management
410-455-3370
tmoore@umbc.edu

This release is available as a pdf file.

UMBC's Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture (CADVC) presents the MFA Imaging and Digital Arts Thesis Exhibition, which annually features works by graduates of UMBC's MFA programs in Visual Arts. This exhibition has included installation, performance, film, video, photography, animation, interactive art, sculpture, and audio works, as well as painting, drawing, and print media.

Works by Jill Fannon, Joseph Faura, Andy Hayleck, Matt Sterling and Rolando Vargas will be on display. (Pictured in this release is an image by Joseph Faura.)

An opening reception will be held on Thursday, February 3rd from 5 to 7 pm.

About the Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture
The Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture is dedicated to the study of contemporary art and visual culture, critical theory, art and cultural history, and the relationship between society and the arts. The CADVC serves as a forum for students, faculty, and the general public for the discussion of important aesthetic and social issues of the day. Disciplines represented include painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, photography, digital art, video, film, television, design, architecture, advertising, and installation and performance art.

Since 1989, the CADVC has incorporated a number of public programs into its exhibition programming schedule to further impact the communities it serves. Symposia, lecture series, conferences, film series, visiting artist series, and residencies have all been fundamental in an effort to create an ongoing dialogue about contemporary art and culture. The Center has also initiated a number of projects with Baltimore and surrounding schools to integrate the contemporary artist and their concerns into the classroom. These projects take place on-site at both middle schools and high schools and are team taught by the instructors at these schools, professional artists, and students from the CADVC's Internship Program.

The Center produces one to two exhibition catalogues each year. Each document is fully illustrated and contains critical essays on the given subject by a variety of distinguished professionals in the field. Recent publications include Postmodernism: A Virtual Discussion and Paul Rand: Modernist Design. These books and catalogues are published and are distributed internationally through Distributed Art Publishers.

Since 1992, the Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture has actively pursued the organization of exhibitions that contain the aesthetic, theoretical, and educational potential to reach both a national and international audience. Over the years, the CADVC has traveled these exhibition projects to a broad spectrum of museums, professional non-profit galleries, and universities national and internationally. Recent traveling exhibitions include:

• For All the World to See: Visual Culture and the Struggle for Civil Rights (2010)
• White: Whiteness and Race in Contemporary Art (2003)
• Fred Wilson: Objects and Installations (2001)
• Adrian Piper: A Retrospective (1999)
• Bruno Monguzzi: A Designer's Perspective (1998)
• Minimal Politics (1997)
• Kate Millett, Sculpture: The First 38 Years (1997)

Beyond the scope of these traveling exhibitions, the Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture also undertakes projects such as the Joseph Beuys Tree Partnership. As part of the educational mission of the CADVC, one graduate thesis exhibition and one undergraduate senior exhibition are presented each year. This multi-faceted focus for presenting exhibitions, projects and scholarly research publications focused on contemporary art and cultural issues positions the Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture in a unique position within the mid-Atlantic region.

Hours and Admission
Tuesday through Saturday 10 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.
Admission is free.

Telephone
Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture: 410-455-3188

Public Information
UMBC Arts website: http://www.umbc.edu/arts

Directions
The CADVC is located on the ground floor of UMBC's Fine Arts Building. Daytime metered visitor parking is available in the Walker Avenue Garage. Online campus map: http://www.umbc.edu/aboutumbc/campusmap/
• From I-95 between Baltimore and Washington, take exit 47B. Follow Route 166 toward Catonsville. Turn right on Hilltop Circle and proceed to public parking.
• From I-695, take Exit 12C (Wilkens Avenue) and left on Hilltop Road. Turn right on Hilltop Circle and proceed to public parking.