Hero Ready: The University of Texas at Austin 2019 MFA Thesis Exhibition

Through a broad range of disciplinary practices, the artists in Hero Ready introduce questions of analysis, subjectivity, agency, and power. What constitutes an art object, and how do we make this distinction? How does art impact our thinking and why? How is our attention held when we look—by whom, and toward what?

Hero Ready presents the culminating work of students receiving Master of Fine Arts degrees in Studio Art. All photos by Matthew Cronin.

About the MFA Studio Art program
Over their course of study, MFA students in Studio Art work closely with department faculty to fine-tune existing skill sets and develop new approaches, both conceptual and technical, to their studio practices. In a challenging interdisciplinary environment, students often work across media and in close collaboration with one another, exploring the potential overlaps and depths of established disciplines. The department’s visiting artist and critic program brings acclaimed professionals from outside the university into graduate studios. As part of the diverse intellectual community that makes up The University of Texas at Austin, students have access to resources across campus allowing for a richly informed approach to art making.

About the Department of Art and Art History
The Department of Art and Art History at The University of Texas at Austin is one of the largest and most diverse in the country. It includes the divisions of Art Education, Art History, and Studio Art and reflects the rigorous standards of a flagship institution, while offering an intimate environment for students to train as scholars, practitioners, and educators in the arts. The department’s twenty-two full-time Studio Art faculty work closely with the program’s graduate art students. The faculty proudly celebrates these eleven artists whose culminating exhibition, Hero Ready, completes their graduate education.