VCUarts invites the public to experience the two-part 2026 MFA Thesis Exhibition, curated by Egbert Vongmalaithong, Assistant Curator of the ICA, and guest curator Taylor Jasper, the Susan and Rob White Associate Curator of Visual Arts at the Walker Art Center. The exhibition unfolds across two rounds at VCU’s Institute for Contemporary Art at the Markel Center in Richmond, Virginia, presenting the work of graduating MFA students in Craft/Material Studies, Graphic Design, Kinetic Imaging, Painting + Printmaking, Photography + Film, and Sculpture + Extended Media.
The MFA Thesis Exhibition marks the culmination of two years of sustained inquiry, intensive research, and rigorous studio practice. The resulting works are as materially diverse as they are conceptually layered, reflecting the complexity and vitality of the cultural moment in which they were produced.
Together, these practices demonstrate a shared commitment to pushing disciplinary boundaries while exemplifying the intellectual rigor and exploratory depth that characterize graduate study at VCUarts — qualities that continue to position the program among the United States leading schools of art and design.
Participating Artists
Round 1 (March 20–April 5)
Erin B Ehren, Cole Kamerick Alfelt-Eller, Nathaniel Newcomb, Daša Kulikova, Frances Adair Mckenzie, Colin Goodpasture, Kevin Hopkins, Megan Koeppel, Eva Foldy, kodiCrone (a.k.a. Miri Sluis), Catie Leonard, Tori Mitchell, Hammet Reavis
Round 2 (May 1–May 17)
Amelia Baxter, Kika Castrellon, HWIY, Luz Del Carmen Salama-Tobar, Clara DeWeese, Fatima Kaleem Khan, Madaline Gardner, Irene Piazza, Leroy Winter, Brice Goldberg, Jiayi Liang, Nneoma Njoku, alexis torres-marroquín, Lorna Williams, Yangyang Zhang
View the catalog for the 2025 MFA Thesis Exhibition.
For more information about the opening receptions, performances, and hours of operation, visit icavcu.org.
Visit arts.vcu.edu to learn about VCUarts graduate programs.
