In addition to supplying critics with fodder for the talent-scout game, MFA shows can also be useful barometers of change, signaling new approaches to a familiar medium. So the fact that four out of six graduates from the Photography MFA program at RISD incorporate a variety of media like sculpture, video, artist books, and performance art in their thesis exhibition says a lot about the mercurial role of photography in contemporary art.
Holly Shen Chaves
Holly Shen Chaves is an independent curator, writer, and artist liaison. She is currently Curator for Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center's Ambulatory Care division, developing an arts program to exhibit contemporary art in outpatient clinics in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Shen Chaves is also Editor in Chief of the Arts in Bushwick Blog, a community forum dedicated to chronicling the activities and events of the nonprofit organization and a platform to foster thoughtful and spirited dialogue about arts and culture topics.
