MFA Glass
1st floor, Sculpture, Studio 140E
Social media: @baybey.baybey
Gerald A. Brown
Untitled, Laminated crystal, 2.5 × 2.5 × 2 in.
Image credit: Priya Vaswani
My work is concerned with the physical presence of things. Through the combinations of disparate textures, colors, or forms, I seek to uncover moments where material expectations do not match up. This research engages in interdisciplinary conversation, linking semiotics, material science, and glass art techniques. Moments of material ambiguity open a gap in knowledge the work can step into. That moment of unknowing, the possibility of reality not being what you thought it was, breaks down the systems of understanding about how the world functions and suspends your disbelief. Maybe that sculpture is alive, maybe it is really huge, maybe I am really small. The work pushes through the veil to say “here I am” and you recognize it. Depending where you put the face on the hammer, you may make eye contact.
Exer Thurston
Time spent with material is integral to their Exer Thurston's work. They spent several years working as a farmhand in Northeastern Vermont before receiving a BA in Studio Art from the Ohio State University in 2023 with a full ride. They have worked at several arts institutions including the Wexner Center of the Arts, STARworks Art Center, Columbus Glass Art Center, and the Ohio State University. They are currently pursuing an MFA in glass at Tyler School of Art and Architecture in Philadelphia as a University Fellow. Exer’s research is broad, covering studio art, curation, linguistics, biological sciences, translation, taxonomy, and queer theory. They work largely as a glass caster and mold maker, but also work with metal, stone, ceramic, paper, neon, and fiber. Their work is focused on the object as entity, utilizing and disrupting material expectations to create works with a sense of autonomy.