43 emerging artists from CCA debut work at Minnesota Street Project

This spring, 43 emerging artists from CCA’s Graduate Program in Fine Arts will debut their work in a two-part exhibition at Minnesota Street Project.

Organized as part of the CCA curriculum by a team of faculty that includes Glen Helfand, Jackie Im, Ranu Mukherjee, and Astria Suparak, the annual MFA Thesis Exhibition culminates the graduate students’ two years of work within the program and marks their transition to the public stage in a professional gallery setting. The exhibition is free and open to the public and features two Saturday opening reception events on March 31 and April 14, 3-6pm.

“This year marks the first time we are presenting the entire cycle of MFA thesis exhibitions at one location: Minnesota Street Project (MSP), a Bay Area organization that is quickly becoming an international platform for artists today,” says Fine Arts Associate Professor Glen Helfand. “It is an invaluable opportunity for our students to showcase their work to the public, and is likewise an ideal opportunity for the Bay Area community to see the work of an exciting group of emerging new talents.”

Students featured within the exhibition hail from across the country as well as from across the globe, including China, Iran, Brazil, Turkey, Spain, South Korea, Taiwan, and more. Their work includes a wide range of genres from textiles to painting, sculpture and installation, as well as photography, glass, works on paper, social practice, and more.

The opening of the MFA Thesis Exhibition at Minnesota Street project also comes as CCA’s MFA Fine Arts program is strengthening its relationships with San Francisco’s Dogpatch neighborhood -- the heart of one of the most vibrant contemporary art communities in the city. For five years, beginning in September 2018, studios for the students in the Graduate in Fine Arts program will be moving to the American Industrial Center, just a few blocks away from MSP.