Thomas Stollar, a Master of Fine Arts ceramics student, will premiere his exhibition entitled “Metonymic” as part of the Master of Fine Arts exhibition presented by the School of Art & Design at the West Virginia University College of Creative Arts.

The exhibition will be on display from March 20 until April 3 in the Paul Mesaros Gallery of the Creative Arts Center.

There will be an opening reception from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, March 20, at the gallery.

All the events are free and open to the public.

Stollar is from Pennsylvania and received his undergraduate degree from West Liberty University. He said his work attempts to bridge the gap between art and life.

“I am interested in things that happen in our lives that we do not consider to be of much importance, and yet, in my opinion, those things shape who we are,” he said.

“I am also a lover of objects and creating them. My thesis show tries to bridge the gap between the art object and all the ‘art’ that happens in regards to the creation of that object.”

For the month of January, Stollar kept an informal journal that catalogued his experiences, in an attempt to understand the ideas, interactions and thoughts that help to shape his own character.

“At the end of each day, I would review the journal and try to decide which experience had the biggest impact on my character,” he said. “I then tried to think of a way to symbolize that experience.

“Those symbolizations were then used to decorate block-like forms that I created that have the ability to fit together in a variety of ways.”

The School of Art & Design presents a Master of Fine Arts exhibition annually in the Mesaros Galleries. The body of work presented by each candidate represents the highest level of achievement by the students as they receive their Master of Fine Arts degree.

For more information on the event, contact Robert Bridges, curator of the Mesaros Galleries at 304-293-2312.

-WVU-

Lb/3/12/12

CONTACT: Charlene Lattea, College of Creative Arts
304-293-4359, Charlene.Lattea@mail.wvu.edu

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