WCSU In Danbury To Showcase 2025 MFA Thesis Exhibition

DANBURY, CT — Western Connecticut State University’s Department of Art will present the 2025 Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition at The Gallery in the university’s Visual and Performing Arts Center. The exhibition will open with a reception on March 27 and run through April 13.

The event, co-sponsored by the Department of Art and the Alumni Association, will feature the work of six MFA candidates. The opening reception, scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. on March 27, is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 1 to 4 p.m. on weekends. Attendees can RSVP online here.

The MFA Thesis Exhibition serves as the culminating experience for graduate students, showcasing their mastery and personal artistic direction. This year’s exhibition includes works by six artists:

• Tony DeZinno, a photographer and interdisciplinary artist from East Hampton, explores themes of identity, politics, and memory, particularly within the LGBTQ community. His work incorporates digital and film photography with handmade processes, reflecting on nostalgia and personal history.
• Andrea B. McLaughlin, a Bethel-based painter, creates paper collages composed of her own paintings, sketches, and prints. Inspired by nature, her work captures multiple moments in time, inviting viewers to experience a layered interpretation of place.
• Jillian K. Mirabal, an illustrator from Putnam Valley, N.Y., integrates painting, photography, graphic design, and digital imagery in her work. Influenced by surrealism and horror aesthetics, she examines the unsettling and the unspoken through her art.
• Joseph Nolan, a painter from Waterbury and a Marine Corps veteran, focuses on portraiture as a means of honoring local veterans. His recent works have been exhibited in the Waterbury Hospital Art Corridor and the Library Art Gallery in Prospect.
• Cristina Querrer, a multidisciplinary artist from Mystic, incorporates mixed media, found objects, and organic materials in her experimental work. Drawing from her experiences of cultural hybridity and displacement, she explores themes of memory and resilience.
• Sluggo, an artist from Chester, uses digital media to examine the intersection of nature, childhood nostalgia, and aesthetics. Inspired by taxidermy, online children’s games, and the natural world, their work reflects a deep connection to environmental and spiritual themes.