2026 MFA Thesis Exhibition

Exhibitions

Thursday, April 9 – Thursday, May 14, 2026

Exhibiting Artists

Exhibition Dates and Locations

New Bedford Art Museum
608 Pleasant Street, New Bedford, MA 02740
April 9 – May 14
Opening Reception: April 9, 5-8 pm

AHA! Night Reception with ArtTALKS: Thursday, April 9 at 6 pm
AHA! Night Reception with ArtTALKS: Thursday, May 14 at 6 pm
Gallery Hours: Thursday – Sunday: 9 am to 5 pm; free entrance with UMassD ID
Hatch Street Studios (Studio 215)
88 Hatch Street, New Bedford, MA 02745
April 17 – May 14
Reception: Saturday, April 18, 5-7 pm, Welcome Remarks 5:30 pm
Hatch Street Open Studios: Saturday, May 9, 10 am – 6 pm
UMassD Art and Design Studios
Dartmouth Towne Center Plaza, 458 State Rd., North Dartmouth, MA 02747
April 17 – May 9
Closing Reception: Thursday, May 7, 4-6 pm
Gallery Hours: Daily 9 am to 6 pm
UMass Dartmouth Bailey Theater at Campus Center
Live theatrical production “Wild Cactus” by textile artist Allison Morones (MFA Fibers ‘26) set against 23-yards wide hand-stitched moving panorama
Date: Friday, April 10, at 4 pm & 7 pm (two performances followed by Q&A with the artist)

VIEW THE ONLINE EXHIBITION

Greetings from Dean Baxter

The 2026 College of Visual and Performing Arts MFA exhibitions call for many kinds of celebration.

First, we celebrate the students. Across the venues of ADS, Hatch Street Studios, and the New Bedford Art Museum we encounter the exceptional skill and well-developed personal aesthetics of our graduates. At the same time, seeing the works in conversation with each other and observing the interactions among this cohort, it is clear that spanning the variety of their chosen media and thematic imperatives, this group of students has created a vibrant and nurturing community. Moreover, hearing this graduating class of students talk about their work, one is struck by the insightful ways they understand their contributions to the histories of art and contemporary practice. A celebration is well-merited, indeed.

It is also an opportunity to salute the mentoring work of faculty, in particular that of Suzanne Schireson, who extended her term as graduate program director to ensure a continuity of experience, and Rebecca Hutchinson, whose new leadership continues the legacy of thoughtful, caring support and direction. Faculty advisors and committee members, take a bow as we applaud the fruits of your guidance. Additional thanks go out to those who craft ADS into productive studio space, particularly Jessica Fernandes Gomes, Lin Dong, and Shingo Furukawa, as well as the collective of the guards who have worked with us on extending access hours. The mounting of the exhibition and creation of its related online and print materials are also due to the work of Vinny Martin, Paula Erenberg Medeiros, and Laura Franz. My particular thanks go out to the faculty Suzanne Schireson, Jess Worby, Anthony Fisher, Elena Peteva, and Paula Becker, along with department chairs Anna Dempsey, Victoria Crayhon, and Michelle Bowers, who pulled together with me in collaborative conversations during my very first weeks on campus. Those talks were the key to devising where we would hold our MFA exhibitions this year, and how to create greater security and sustainability for those exhibition spaces moving forward.

Finally, the exhibitions simply would not have occurred without the insight and vision of Gallery Director Viera Levitt.

Thank you for welcoming me to my first CVPA MFA exhibitions and to the UMass Dartmouth and South Coast cultural communities. I am so proud to be here to celebrate.

Denise Amy Baxter
Dean

Gallery Director’s Notes

So much is happening in the world at the moment, while simultaneously, a lot is happening in the Art & Design Studios at UMass Dartmouth, where our graduate studios are located. These two worlds seem to run parallel to each other: one turbulent and increasingly overwhelming, and another within the academic bubble—filled with paint, fiber, clay, and camaraderie over cups of tea with cardamom. But as shown in the work of these exhibiting MFA candidates, these experiences cannot be isolated from one another.

Each of these artists shares a deep dedication to their chosen medium and theme. Yaren patiently and relentlessly layers ceramic coils, weaving vessels that resemble veins in the human body—details that feel uncomfortably similar to her anatomically inspired pen drawings. Sarah’s illustration work has bloomed into paintings of private interior sanctuaries where women gather, depicting her fellow students and herself in poignant compositions that reference Persian art. Similarly, Arghavan connects traditional Persian weaving motifs with a powerful message carried by a needle; her work is a call for freedom and a focused, clear voice that demands to be heard and amplified.

The work then shifts toward the unexpected and the illusory. Immer combines his often off-balance ceramic forms with surprising found materials that were never intended to be part of an artwork; they appear to occupy the space held only by each other and their own gravity, like dancers caught in a sudden moment by a camera. Maya has mastered the art of quiet enchantment, surprising viewers with elaborate, realistic drawings of detailed, unglamorous objects on the floor or a dandelion "growing" from a museum wall. Ali invites us into a 10x10-foot cube filled with intense, grotesque black-and-white drawings that rotate in segments, opening like a revolving door and resembling the pages of a cyclical book. His work carries the artist's responsibility of creating in a time that demands more questions than answers.

The exhibition further expands into digital and vibrant physical realms. MITRAAVRS presents an unusual PC-based world where gaming and identity mix with the now-nostalgic language of the early web—a place where one can get lost, trying on lives like clothes, without an easy resolution. In contrast, Alison Bergman lets her ceramic shapes explode with color and energy. These forms tap into a childhood spark, a Bauhausian utopian freedom, and the joy of a cluttered, cozy environment that might be a music score or a fireworks reenactment. Finally, Allison Morones brings her complex vision to life in front of a 23-foot-long, hand-stitched panorama. The result of a year of thoughtful planning, her work is a complex, immersive project that integrates music, sound, light, and an incredible, lively puppet performance.

While these artworks are vastly different, they find a surprising harmony. Like the artists themselves—who come from various geographical and psychological backgrounds—these works meet right here, right now. Together, they support one another as they cross the threshold into the second quarter of the 21st century, reflecting on our current times through what they understand and feel best: art. Please join us to celebrate their incredible work in this exhibition across three distinct spaces in Dartmouth and New Bedford, all united by the thread of community these students have developed over the past three eventful years.

Thank you,
Viera Levitt

For more information, please contact Viera Levitt, UMass Dartmouth Gallery Director and exhibition curator at gallery@umassd.edu.

@UMassDartmouthGalleries
@UMassDartmouthGalleries