Senior Thesis Exhibit

Visual and Media Arts Practice majors in the honors program work throughout their senior year to prepare for an exhibition that takes place in downtown Richmond at the end of their final semester on campus.

Throughout the undergraduate studio art program, students are required to take classes in a variety of media. By their senior year, students have a diverse portfolio of work and have begun to develop a personal style. The senior thesis class provides an opportunity for students to create their own work and present it in a professional setting.

In the fall, students focus on creating a cohesive body of work that supports a developed thesis. The spring semester is spent organizing the exhibition by completing and documenting their artwork, refining artist and thesis statements, applying for fellowships and engaging in critiques.

Past Exhibitions

The 2019 “Senior Thesis Exhibition,” was organized by the Department of Art and Art History Senior Thesis class and University Museums. The exhibition was held at the Joel and Lila Harnett Museum of Art, University of Richmond Museums. The exhibition featured the art work of seniors: Joseph McCormick, Vi Trinh, and Eibhlin Villalta.

The 2018 exhibition, “Mixtape: Senior Thesis Exhibition,” was organized by the Department of Art and Art History Senior Thesis class and University Museums. The exhibitions were held concurrently at the Joel and Lila Harnett Museum of Art, University of Richmond Museums and Valet Gallery, Richmond, VA. The exhibition featured the art work of seniors: Nene Diallo, Emma Felt, Jinny Kang, Liz Montague, and Izzy Pezzulo.

The 2016 exhibition, “This is Where We Collide,” was organized by the Department of Art and Art History Senior Thesis class and University Museums. The exhibitions were held concurrently at the Joel and Lila Harnett Museum of Art, University of Richmond Museums and Studio Two Three, Richmond, VA. The exhibition featured the art work of seniors: Amanda Kwieraga, Wenqian Leng, Brianna Rodriguez, Kelley Yang, and Dier Zhang.

The 2015 exhibitions, “Align. Alight. Awaken,” was organized by the Department of Art and Art History Senior Thesis class and University Museums. The exhibitions were held concurrently at the Joel and Lila Harnett Museum of Art, University of Richmond Museums and at Love Bomb; Richmond, VA. The exhibition featured the art work of seniors: Sarah Kadison, Mimi King, Isabel Moffly, and Amy Reader

The 2014 exhibition, “Peter Anton,” was organized by the Department of Art and Art History Senior Thesis class and University Museums. The show featured the art work of Peter Anton.

The 2013 exhibition, "The Boondoggle Scandal,” was organized by the Department of Art and Art History Senior Thesis class and University Museums. The exhibition took place at Plant Zero in downtown Richmond. The show featured the art work of seniors Zach Correa, Julia Eldred, Sarah Fagan, Kadeem Fyffe, Dee Glazer, Sarah Matheson, and Helen Vu.

The 2012 exhibition, "There's a Hole in the Ceiling," was organized by the Department of Art and Art History Senior Thesis class and University Museums. The exhibition was held concurrently at the Joel and Lila Harnett Museum of Art, University of Richmond Museums, and at the Wilton Companies Gallery, University of Richmond Downtown. The exhibition featured the art work of seniors Jon Henry, Kellie Morgan, and Elizabeth Ygartua.

The 2011 exhibition, "Not Your Grandmother's Wallpaper," was organized by the Department of Art and Art History and University Museums. The exhibition was located at the Joel and Lila Harnett Museum of Art and the Flats Factory at New Manchester Flats. It featured the art work of eight seniors: Kate Houck, Rudolph Jackson, Bertrand Morin, Eliza Morse, David Newman, Amy Nicholas, Sadie Runge and Irena Stanisic.

The 2010 exhibition, "Feed Me Art," was organized by the department with the University Museums, and featured the art work of seven seniors: Jonathan Ashe, Megan Bell, Leigh Donahue, Anthony Ferguson, Ashley Foxen, John Frey and Amy Mathis.

The 2009 exhibit, "A Light in the Attic," also a joint work of the University Museums, the department and Artspace Gallery, featured the work of four students: Ashley Davis, Dan Shoemaker, Emily Viviani and Sara Perkins.

The 2008 exhibit, “Precisely That,” was organized by the University of Richmond Museums and the Department of Art and Art History in collaboration with Artspace Gallery, and was sponsored in part by 12 12 Gallery in Richmond. The exhibition included art works by Anne Hazel, Stephanie McBride, Haley McCall, Alicia McCarty, Rafiya Naim, Natsumi Oba and Kimberly Wirt.