Root Division showcases the work of current MFA candidates in the Bay Area through a biennial exhibition and archive project called MFA Now. For 2020, we are choosing to highlight the many talented and successful artists who have opted out of the degree route, in a counterpoint juried exhibition called MFA Never. This second iteration of MFA Never features 21 Bay Area artists working in varied mediums. Similar to MFA Now, MFA Never will include a catalog publication and an exhibition juried by Kevin B. Chen, Eleanor Harwood, & Marie Martraire.
MFA Never was conceptualized by Root Division's Curatorial Committee member, Rhiannon Evans MacFadyen, to create opportunity for underrepresented artists, those who are unaffiliated with alumni networks, and may not have had the debut opportunity offered by the MFA thesis exhibition. MacFadyen is the founder of Black & White Projects and A Simple Collective, a contemporary arts organization dedicated to, "access, equality, ingenuity, creativity, and independence. The goal of the MFA Never project is to create room for dialogue around alternatives to the MFA route, especially in thinking about how higher education can be exclusive in terms of financial viability, and in representing artists of color, queer artists, "outsider" artists etc. We are looking to create visibility for artists who have found a life and practice in the visual arts outside of the academic machine.
The MFA Never 2020 catalog is an inclusionary publication of the over 120 artists who submitted work to this year's MFA Never open call. The book includes a full page dedicated to each contributing artist and a compilation of essays by Root Division staff, and the panel of exhibition jurors, serving to unpack some of the issues surrounding decisions to not pursue higher education, navigate the contemporary moment in Bay Area outside of the MFA Programs, and find connections between the exhibiting artists.
The MFA Never exhibition features:
Peter Adamyan
Stephanie Aderholt
Jayasri Alhamdaputri
Nicole Anderson
Marie Bergstedt
Melissa Bolger
Sarah Borusso
Cameron Clack
Spencer Davie
Richard Dweck
Hunter Franks*
Stanley Goldstein
Sarah HaBa
Clint Imboden
Pablo Manga
Lena Martinez-Miller
Christine Meuris
Anastasia Schipani
Afatasi The Artist
Margaret Timbrell**
Bret Woodard
*Current Studio Artist
** Alumni Studio Artist
About the Jurors:
Kevin B. Chen
Kevin B. Chen has been involved in the Bay Area arts community for over two decades as a visual artist, curator, and educator. He currently serves as faculty at San Francisco State University’s School of Art and at Stanford University’s Department of Art and Art History, a member of Recology's Artist in Residence Program Advisory Board, and a Curatorial Committee member of Root Division and Pro Arts Gallery. He recently served as co-chair for the City of Oakland's Public Art Advisory Committee and managed the de Young Museum’s Artist Residency Program and Public Programs. He has curated projects for Headlands Center for the Arts, Minnesota Street Project, San Francisco Arts Commission Galleries, University of Nevada Reno, San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, San Francisco Art Institute, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, SOMArts Cultural Center, and Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco & Kearny Street Workshop. Previously he served as Programs Manager at Kala Art Institute, and Program Director of Visual Arts at Intersection for the Arts for over 15 years, where he curated over 70 exhibitions and hundreds of public programs. He received his BA from Columbia University in Psychology and East Asian Languages & Cultures and is represented by Jack Fischer Gallery in San Francisco, CA.
Eleanor Harwood
Eleanor Harwood is the Director of The Eleanor Harwood Gallery, which opened September 2006. The programming of the gallery focuses on emerging to mid-career artists exhibiting nationally and internationally. The roster includes artists that are represented in major collections. The gallery actively promotes and encourages career growth for represented artists.
Eleanor Harwood curated the Adobe Books backroom gallery from the end of 2002-2006. She is also a painter and has worked on various curatorial projects in the Bay Area. Primarily exhibiting painting, drawing and sculpture, the gallery specializes in work with complex craft and concept. The gallery’s aesthetic often includes meticulous work not so much for its order but for its integrity of purpose.
Marie Martraire
Marie Martraire is the director of KADIST San Francisco. She has curated exhibitions exhibitions as well as performance and film programs locally and internationally. Her writings have been published in Journal for Curatorial Studies, Journal for Chinese Contemporary Art, LEAP Magazine, Art Practical, and SFAQ, among others.
