Contact: Sasha Steinberg
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Works of a graduating Mississippi State senior will be on display from Thursday [Nov. 20] through Dec. 5 in the university's Colvard Student Union Art Gallery.
Free to all, the Bachelor of Fine Arts Thesis exhibit by Michael J. Wilkerson of Tupelo is titled "From Nothingness." The collection features dynamic ceramic creations inspired by aspects of Asian cultures, primarily the Japanese tea ceremony and Chinese Zen rituals.
Also open to all Nov. 20, a public reception honoring the son of Jack and Martha Wilkerson will be held 5-6:30 p.m. in the second-floor gallery. Complimentary refreshments will be provided.
Wilkerson, who will be recognized formally at 5:30 p.m., has specialized in ceramics. His work on a series of teapots and tea sets for the exhibit concludes a final year of research and thesis studies, as well as four years of art courses.
"The classical Chinese texts I've been reading focus a lot on the power of 'nothingness' and the usefulness of 'what is not,'" he said. "This ties into my ceramic work, as well as life in general. We all have a choice to make something out of the nothingness."
Part of the College of Architecture, Art and Design, the MSU art department is home to the Magnolia State's largest undergraduate studio art program.
For more information about the department and its sponsored exhibits and events, contact Lori Neuenfeldt at 662-325-2973 or LNeuenfeldt@caad.msstate.edu.
Additional information about the college is available at www.caad.msstate.edu, facebook.com/CAADatMSU and twitter.com/CAADatMSU.
Complete details about Mississippi's flagship research university are available at www.msstate.edu, facebook.com/msstate, instagram.com/msstate and twitter.com/msstate.