The Charles Danforth Gallery

One of the Merriam-Webster definitions of "phantasmagoria" is "a constantly shifting complex succession of things seen or imagined." The artists who graduated in May 2020 have adopted "Phantasmagoria" as the title for their long-awaited exhibition in the Danforth Gallery, suggesting the mercurial passage between the real and surreal that many of their works explore.

 

Seeing the work in person marks another passage, this time from virtual to real. Viewers who experienced these artists' Virtual Exhibition in May can now stand before the soft fraying of the edges of Becky Pass's paintings, the crystalline details of Shana Rowe Jackson's skyscapes, and the feathery lucidity of Jenn Messier's drawings. Viewers can gaze up at Marcea Crawford's murals, which now take their intended places on the sides of campus buildings.

 

After months in which nearly every aspect of our lives has been transformed, the exhibition Phantasmagoria reminds us of another Merriam-Webster definition for the word: "a scene that constantly changes." In the spring, these works forged from the artists’ individual experiences, artistic training, and many hundreds of hours of work in the studio turned difficulty to art. Then, these artistic achievements in diverse media found their audiences through screens. Now viewable in person, Phantasmagoria transforms these artists' visions from virtual to real.

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Phantasmagoria: 2020 UMA Senior Thesis Exhibition is on view in the Danforth Gallery in UMA’s Jewett Hall from September 2 – October 2, 2020. The gallery is open, while requiring face coverings be worn and physical distance of six feet between people be maintained at all times, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. In these very unpredictable times, please call and confirm daily gallery opening times if you are traveling to see the exhibition.