95 artists from San Francisco Art Institute’s Master of Fine Arts graduate program presented innovative thesis work in Edge Effect, the 2015 Master of Fine Arts Exhibition at Herbst Pavilion in Fort Mason Center — incidentally, the reported proposed future home of SFAI’s MFA candidates studios. The final manifestation of an intense, 2-year period of professional and artistic development through creative collaboration, cooperative training, experimentation and investigation, this four-day exhibition, organized by Professor and MFA Chair artist Tony Labat and Vice-President for Exhibitions and Public Programs Hesse McGraw on view from May 14 through the 17th revealed the wide breadth of disciplines and practices: installation, painting, photography, video and film, sculpture, printmaking, and performance, of the talented artists of one of the oldest art schools in the country.

The artworks in this encompassing exhibition illustrate a jubilant finale to a demanding, but certainly rewarding journey. Each exhibiting Master of Fine Arts student achieving their degree this year underwent a rigorous academic program to enrich and expand their artistic practice through thoughtful instruction and encouraged experimentation, informed and influenced by the current aesthetic and philosophical theories, global and local socio-political environments, and the current conditions of contemporary fine arts. While a majority of work was done independently in the studio, these students also received significant academic support and direction in one-on-one graduate tutorials, critique seminars, and regular theory and history coursework with dedicated and knowledgeable faculty throughout the program. While marking the completion and achievment of their MFA degree, Edge Effect is also illustrative of just the beginning of each of the 95 artist’s professional arts careers.

More about SFAI’s Master of Fine Arts program can be found here.