Master of Fine Arts Thesis Defense by Maya August Palmer
Advisor: Elena Peteva
Subject: Master of Fine Arts Thesis Defense by: Maya August Palmer
Topic: Microlandscapes and the Ordinary: An Exploration in Space and Belonging
Committee: Elena Peteva, Serra Victoria Fells, Suzy Schireson, Jess Worby
Date: May 1, 2026
Time: 2:00 PM
Location: New Bedford Art Museum
Abstract
Due to the evolution and expansion of human society and infrastructure, the ecosystem where the human and non-human reside has become a novel, constantly shifting landscape. This thesis approaches painting as an ecological encounter at ground level, where insects, soil, plant matter, and human discard gather in quiet, unplanned relationships. Informed by a background in biology and neuroscience, the work recontextualizes traditions of scientific illustration, still life, and Dutch trompe l’oeil to attend to interaction, decay, and the extended life cycles of objects beyond human intention or use. Rendered on translucent Dura-Lar plastic and placed directly on the floor, the paintings inhabit the viewer’s space rather than remaining distant, asking for bodily awareness, patience, and care. These constructed micro-worlds depict semi-urban ecosystems in which organic and inorganic matter coexist without hierarchy, granting insects, trash, soil, and infrastructure a shared dignity and agency. Influenced by Object-Oriented Ontology and materialist philosophy, the work resists anthropocentric narratives in favor of networks of relation, material persistence, and recontextualization over time. Contemporary artist inspirations include Ellen Altfest, Josephine Halvorson, and Antonio Lopez Garcia. Through meticulous rendering, site-responsive placement, and the subtle uncanniness of simulation, this body of work invites viewers to slow down, crouch close, and encounter the overlooked not as symbol or metaphor, but as a living presence within contemporary ecological landscapes.
New Bedford Art Museum : 608 Pleasant St, New Bedford, MA 02740