Wayne State University's Art Department Gallery is pleased to present 2011 MFA Thesis Exhibition: Deborah Kingery, Chad Riley, and Josephine C. Hazen from Friday, February 25 through Friday, March 25, 2011. At the completion of their Master of Fine Arts degree programs at Wayne State University, Kingery, Riley, and Hazen exhibit work that serves as a summation of their graduate experiences. Their insightful and finely crafted works illustrate why Wayne is considered as one of the top fine arts graduate programs in the region, from which many highly lauded artists have graduated.

DEBORAH KINGERY

Deborah Kingery is a working artist, educator and student completing her Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree at Wayne State University (WSU). She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Foreign Language (German) - both from WSU.

Deborah is a photographer and painter with works featured in national and international, solo and group exhibitions. Her work has been published in several books, journals and newspapers, including This Is Detroit- 1701-2001 by Arthur Woodford. Deborah has won numerous awards, scholarships and assistantships based on her art and academic achievements. Her most recent awards include Graduate Teaching Assistantships in 2008-2009 and 2009- 2010, and the Sowinski Scholarship in 2010-2011.

She has been an adjunct faculty member at WSU for six years and has been the director of several photography departments within major institutions, such as Henry Ford Hospital and WSU.

Her work is permanently on display at the Steel Workers Archives Museum in Bethlehem, PA.

CHAD RILEY

Chad is a working artist and student completing a Masters of Fine Arts degree at Wayne State University (WSU). He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Windsor, School of Visual Arts in Ontario, Canada.

As well as an artist and student, Chad is the Gallery Director of the Leamington Arts Centre and a member of the South Essex Arts Association in Ontario. He also volunteers and holds several positions on boards and committees with various arts agencies and galleries.

Chad's work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally in over fifty solo and group exhibitions and has recently been published in two books, various magazines, and featured on the CBC evening news. Chad has won numerous awards, scholarships and assistantships based on his art and academic achievements. Most recently, he has received the Graduate Professional Scholarship for 2009-2010 and 2010-2011. He has lectured for various groups and institutions such as the Shooters Photography Club, and has also juried several art and photography exhibitions. His work is permanently displayed in a variety of offices and public buildings across Windsor and Essex County including the Windsor Metropolitan Hospital.

JOSEPHINE C. HAZEN

Josephine received her BFA from the University of Windsor. For decades, her work has combined a wide range of mediums including printmaking and sculpture. She has exhibited in galleries and public venues across Canada, United States and Europe. She is the recipient of the Thomas C. Rumble Graduate Fellowship at Wayne State University (WSU).

In 2008, while working on her MFA in Printmaking at WSU, Josephine was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer. Being faced with this disease has put a different spin on how she approaches the content of her creativity, and the thrust of her life in general.

Josephine C. Hazen: "I feel an artist gives a piece of themselves to the world. To me, art is visual communication and an awareness of self through the creative act. I have a need to communicate my experiences as a narrative through visual means. In doing so, I realize that all of us are connected in some way or another, either through experiential sameness or psychic awareness of something larger than ourselves."

The exhibition's opening reception is on Friday, February 25, from 5:00 to 8:00 PM. It is free and open to the general public. The Art Department Gallery is located in the Art Building on the campus of Wayne State University, near the intersection of Cass Avenue and Kirby Street. Metered street parking is available, and is free after 6:00 PM.

The James Pearson Duffy Department of Art and Art History is a division of Wayne State's College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts, educating the next generation of visual artists, designers and art historians. Wayne State University, located in the heart of Detroit's midtown cultural center, is a premier urban research university offering more than 350 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to more than 31,000 students.

For more information, contact Tom Pyrzewski at tpyrzewski@wayne.edu or 313-577-0770