Twenty-one young artists poised to graduate from York’s Bachelor of Fine Arts program in the Department of Visual Arts are showcasing their work in a juried exhibition, titled Racing Thoughts, in Toronto until April 12.
The show, on in the main space of the Propeller Centre for Visual Arts at 984 Queen St. West in Toronto, features works in a wide variety of media, including sculpture, installation, painting, drawing, book works, photography, time-based art and print media. Its official opening on April 5 attracted more than 300 people.
"This exciting exhibition brings together work by some of our top undergraduate students," said Visual Arts Department Chair, painter and curator Janet Jones. "It was thrilling to see such a great turnout from York and the arts community at large."
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Right: Opening day of Racing Thoughts at the Propeller Centre
On the same weekend, three solo exhibitions by MFA students from the Graduate Program in Visual Arts also opened at Toronto art galleries, all within a few blocks of one another, said Jones.
"The strong presence of York students on the Toronto arts scene speaks to the quality of the work being produced in our programs and the dedicated faculty who help make this happen," said Jones.
The undergraduate artists featured in Racing Thoughts are: Clare Barker, Maaike Bouhuyzen-Wenger, Yi Chai Chan, Sarah Chomko, Takashi Hilferink, Angela Jordan, Adrian Law, Jennifer Lee, Kristie MacDonald, Alexandria Mainella, Emily Martin, Caitlin McVeigh, Victoria Moote, Shannon Moynagh, Ed Nichols, Devang Pandya, Heather Phillips, Carolyn Self, Amy Shackleton, Danila Tersigni and Lana Zimonjic
The exhibition was juried by York Visual Arts Professors Kevin Yates and Matt Brower as well as Emelie Chhangur and Michael Maranda, assistant curators at the Art Gallery of York University.
"We chose the works from those on display at Brainstorm, the visual arts open house in March," said Brower. "We were looking for a broad representation of styles and for work that had a clear vision of what it wanted to accomplish. We all felt strongly that our selections were successful in both articulating their objectives and achieving them."
Right: Michel Daigneault
Visual arts Professor Michel Daigneault, who played an integral role in organizing the exhibit, said Racing Thoughts was an apt named for the exhibit. "After witnessing the exhilarating energy in the student studios on all four floors of the Goldfarb building during Brainstorm, we came up with the title of Racing Thoughts. The artworks’ confidence, conviction, quality and mastery resembled a final sprint. Racing Thoughts is also the meeting of different disciplines and subjects; the combination offers unexpected possibilities."
The Propeller Centre is open Wednesday to Saturday from 12 to 6pm.