Last night I went to the opening of the 2008 MFA Thesis Exhibition, and it was completely overwhelming. I am going to have to go back two or three other times when there aren't so many people around, because I want to sit (or stand) and really absorb everything. The GD peeps did a really amazing job planning out the space and showcasing a wide variety of media within it. I spent an enjoyable 20 minutes or so sitting in the video room watching all manner of short movies, and another stretch of time at the book walk drooling on er, looking at three years worth of book projects.

I didn't get much of a chance to wander around the other departments, but there were two pieces that I really enjoyed.

This ID thesis project by Gretchen Hooker addresses the challenge of providing urban gardening space where local soil is either paved over or contaminated. The bags get filled with soil and have openings at different heights designed to accomodate plants with different root lengths. The weight of the bags keeps them from blowing away, and they even have pockets so that you can anchor a special system of canopy poles to provide shade. I want some!

This ceramics project by Nathan Craven was absolutely stunning, and I was not alone in this opinion because there was a crowd of people around it all night. There were thousands of 6" tall extruded shapes, standing on end, to make an intricate pattern. They went from standing on the floor to being stacked against the wall, and (if you weren't wearing heels) you could stand on top of them and walk around on it. The colors ranged from delicate blues to deep reds, and they were SO gorgeous I wished I could take a piece home with me.