NMSU MFA student Monica Martinez' digital photography "Untitled-3" is among the artwork on display at the University Art Gallery April 27 for the MFA exhibition.

"Taking a Break" is an oil on canvas artwork by NMSU MFA student Tiago Finato, one of the works on display at the University Art Gallery as part of the MFA exhibition April 27.

New Mexico State University’s Department of Art will host a variety of activities at an open house from 5-8:30 p.m. Friday, April 27 and from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saturday, April 28, ranging from exhibitions of students’ work along with art sales and art history lectures, workshops and demonstrations. All the activities are free and open to the public.

“The Department of Art is opening its doors to community members, current and prospective students and families visiting NMSU,” said Julia Barello, art professor and department head. “Visitors are encouraged to explore the facilities, meet our graduate students, participate in workshops, and view the work that our students have been creating.”

The University Art Gallery at NMSU will present “NOT ONLY, BUT ALSO: 2018 MFA Thesis Exhibition” from 5:30–7:30 p.m. Friday, April 27.

“This year’s MFA show gathers together a broad range of creative interventions into the questions we face everyday,” said Jasmine Woodul, gallery administrator. “As you walk through the galleries, engaging with these works, you will encounter a number of efforts to ask what it means to be someone now, what identity is and how we might find it, maintain it and come to own it.”

MFA candidates whose work will be exhibited are Fahimeh Foudazi, Joshua Flores, Madison Manning, Mónica Martínez-Díaz, Tiago Finato, Patrick Shaffer and Jeffrey Erwin.

While the work of seven master’s degree students will be displayed at the gallery, six bachelor of fine arts students will show their work at the same day in an exhibition titled “hOURs” from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Wells Hall on campus near the corner of Wells and Locust Streets. Other activities will be held in D.W. Williams Hall and Williams Annex.

“The BFA show will feature an eclectic body of work ranging from war trauma and post-traumatic stress to balance, perception, exploration of emotion and queer theory,” Barello said.

Artists featured in the BFA show are Sara Baecher, Rush Allen, Min Tan, Bradley Oechsler, Nicholas Luchenbill and Leti Ortiz.

Schedule of Art Open House Events:

Friday, April 27

• Open Studios, D.W. Williams Hall and Williams Annex, 5–7:30 p.m.
• Almost Famous Student Art Sale, D.W. Williams Hall, 5–7:30 p.m.
• MFA Exhibition Reception, UAG, 5:30–7:30 p.m.
• Small Flavors: Student Art Exhibition, Williams Annex, Room 107c, 5:30–7:30 p.m.
• BFA Exhibition Reception, Wells Hall, 6:30–8:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 28

• Open Studios, D.W. Williams Hall and Williams Annex, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
• Almost Famous Student Art Sale, D.W. Williams Hall, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
• MFA Exhibition, UAG, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
• MFA Gallery Talks, UAG, 2–3pm
• BFA Exhibition, Wells Hall, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
• Art History Lectures, D.W. Williams Hall, Room 205, 12–1:45 p.m.
• Small Flavors: Student Art Exhibition, Williams Annex, Room 107c, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
• Workshops/Demos, D. W. Williams Hall, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
- Photograms, Williams Annex, Room 118, 10–11 a.m.
- Pendants, Room 209, 11 a.m.–12 p.m.
- Exquisite Corpse Drawing, Room 212, 12–1 p.m.
- Alginate Molds, Room 107, 12–1 p.m.
- Press Mold Bowls, Room 120, 3–4 p.m.

For more information, please call the NMSU Department of Art at 575-646-1705 or visit https://artdepartment.nmsu.edu. Additional information can be found on Facebook and Instagram @nmsuart.