LANSING, MI.- Kresge Art Museum will display the artwork of four Master of Fine Arts degree candidates at the annual Michigan State University Department of Art & Art History Master of Fine Arts Exhibition from March 24 to April 6, 2007. The featured artists are: Daniel Berhanemeskel, Rob Kolomyski, Janet Lorch, and Stephanie Palagyi. The opening reception will take place on Friday, March 23, from 7 to 9 p.m. The MFA candidates will introduce and discuss their work in a gallery walk on Thursday, March 29, at 7 p.m. The exhibition and reception are sponsored by the MSU Graduate School .

This year artists exhibit work in painting and graphic design. This exhibition is the culmination of an MFA degree program that emphasizes extensive creative exploration under the supervision of a faculty guidance committee. Focused work in an area of concentration, as well as coursework in art history and related fields, helps each artist situate their work within the larger discourse of the present practice of art. As part of the MFA curriculum, the candidates work closely with curators and staff at Kresge Art Museum to plan, promote, and mount the show.

Daniel Berhanemenskel’s work is the result of research into science, religion, philosophy, mythology and daily life. He describes it as a visualization of information that was religiously prophesized, scientifically predicted, philosophically premised, or mythically told re-contextualized into his own visual lexicon. As an artist, Rob Kolomyski is interested in the journey of painting. Beginning with the memory of a specific person, place or object, he allows the simple act of mark-making to unfold the experience in new and exciting ways.

Because Janet Lorch believes that in today’s visual culture we are confronted with a daily overload of images, her work addresses the ease with which such images become part of our visual landscape, and how they influence and inform our world. Stephanie Palagyi’s paintings explore complex systems, attempting to create balance while utilizing random processes in combination with intentional and prescribed methods. In her work, she seeks to further this complexity by incorporating representational moments within the space of an abstract painting. The resulting forms within her paintings are based on patterns and structures found in organic objects.

“This exhibition is an excellent example of student creative endeavors being shared with external audiences in a public environment,” said Tom Berding, Chair of the Department of Art & Art History. This particular exhibition also continues the history of successful collaborations between the Department of Art & Art History and the Kresge Art Museum , setting the stage for exciting future possibilities.

“By displaying graduate student art at Kresge Art Museum , we offer the community an opportunity to see their accomplishments and for the students to be recognized publicly for their work,” says Director Susan J. Bandes. “These annual exhibitions are eagerly anticipated by students, faculty, families and the community.”