self-persecution (detail). Daniel Simone, artist
The Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum hosts an exhibition of work by graduating MFA students from Tuesday, April 8, through Friday, May 2. A reception for the Master of Fine Art (MFA) Thesis Exhibition 2025 will be held Thursday, April 10, from 5–7 p.m.
Work in the exhibition represents the culmination of three years of intense creative study and exploration in a variety of media by students in the Western Carolina University School of Art and Design. This year’s exhibiting graduates are Joey Martin, Jeannie Regan, YuWen Renjie and Daniel Simone.
Martin’s paintings and drawings explore the absurdity of the human condition as the world grapples with solutions to social and environmental problems. His inspiration is Nature, both as a source of awe and as a casualty of human intrusion.
Simone’s alternative prints and papers explore themes of identity and everyday waste. Their creative practice is cyclical, involving the recycling of refuse and previous work into new works of art.
Material experimentation is also important to Renjie, who has studied in China and Japan as well as the US. She uses regionally specific materials and cultural craftsmanship to express connections among places, communities and people.
Finding ways to engender empathy and strengthen social bonds is at the heart of Regan’s work. “I have established a series of interactive social practice works that encourage the community to connect through shared creative experiences,” she says. “My work is typically event-based, with a degree of humor and play that is designed to open doorways to kinder and more empathetic ways of being.”
As a working parent as well as a student, Regan has found the MFA program at WCU flexible, accommodating, supportive and impactful.
“In terms of my own work, I hope that viewers feel inspired to engage in creative activity and strengthen social bonds,” she says. “I hope that they feel joy and find it fun, too. As for the exhibition as a whole, viewers are going to see four very different artists who have spent three years honing their craft, consolidating research and deeply reflecting on what makes us, us. The four of us really do love and support each other, so saying goodbye to our cohort will be a little bittersweet, too. If there are viewers who are wondering if they’d like to take the leap and go (back) to art school, I hope you see this show and it inspires you to go for it, too.”
To learn more about the exhibition, visit arts.wcu.edu/mfa-25. The WCU Fine Art Museum is located at 199 Centennial Drive, Cullowhee. Hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Free parking is available at the Bardo Arts Center parking lot.
