Instead of Feathers: BFA Exit Exhibition Opening Reception

Join the School of Art at the opening of Instead of Feathers, the Fall 2022 BFA Exit Show. The show will be on view through December 14th.

This show is organized by and showcases the work of 21 graduating BFA students. Instead of Feathers is free to attend and features an array of work, including ceramics, painting, metalwork, and photography.

Instead of Feathers is a reference to Richard Siken’s “The Language of the Birds.”

When asked about the meaning behind the title of the exhibition, exhibiting artist Alexia Benavent-Rivera quoted Siken's work, “When an artist paints a bird, 'instead of feathers . . . he is looking at his heart.' The act of making art involves the mind holding up a mirror to itself in search of meaning and understanding. The artworks shown in Instead of Feathers are all introspections into the hearts of the exhibiting artists and the thousand-mile journeys that led them to this point in their practice and emerging career. Each piece invites viewers to dig deeper and discover its underlying meaning for themselves.”

Below is an excerpt from Richard Siken’s “The Language of the Birds.”

A man saw a bird and wanted to paint it. The problem, if there was one, was simply a problem with the question. Why paint a bird? Why do anything at all? Not how, because hows are easy—series or sequence, one foot after the other—but existentially why bother, what does it solve?
And just because you want to paint a bird, do actually paint a bird, it doesn’t mean you’ve accomplished anything. Who gets to measure the distance between experience and its representation? Who controls the lines of inquiry? We do. Anyone can.

Blackbird, he says. So be it, indexed and normative. But it isn’t a bird, it’s a man in a bird suit, blue shoulders instead of feathers, because he isn’t looking at a bird, real bird, as he paints, he is looking at his heart, which is impossible.

School of Art Instructor Jaime Bull, who is teaching the Capstone Exit class this semester, shared, “It has been an amazing experience working with the BFA Exit 2022 students, helping them plan and promote their exhibition. This class has endured lockdown, remote learning, Zoom lectures and, now that they are back and busy in their studios, the quality of their work and the camaraderie within the group is so impressive.”

The work in the exhibition spans many practices. Fox example, Peyton Bailey creates vibrant, light-filled paintings of bouquets evocative of a daydream-like space. Sophie Bier is a photographer whose work explores the connection and changes of her personal relationships through portraiture. Ceramic artist Daniela Diaz-Rios creates hand-thrown pottery inspired by patterns found throughout natural and cultural history.

The complete group of exhibiting artists includes:

Peyton Bailey
Alexia Benavent-Rivera
Sophie Bier
John Cartlidge
Daniela Diaz-Rios
Matthew Enny
Erin Faircloth
Dallis Foshee
Kat Kitchens
Michael Gray
Haley Katherine Greene
Nyala Honda
Natalia Kacharava
Kat Kitchens
Matt Lin
Jiwon Moon
Jack Perry
Adrienne Roma
Alan Shorey
Anna Giles Truax
Adeline Vondrak
Sally Williamson