In just three years of intensive study, the 16 students in the graduating class of the 2024 Master of Fine Arts in Illustration became a cohesive group, according to Brendan Leach, associate chair of the program. Their artistic connection is evident in the visual thesis exhibition, Flood, which opened in early June in Gallery FIT at The Museum at FIT; it continues through June 30.
“Illustration is a commercial industry, and these students all made deeply, deeply personal work that’s all situated and contextualized in very urgent times,” Leach says. “Usually the students who come to FIT want to work and get a job. Lots of times in the thesis class, we are guiding their professional ambition. But in this one, there was so much personal expression.”
The exhibition features works on paper, digital art, augmented reality, graphic novels, and picture books. “When I think of the word ‘flood,’ I think of, most importantly, a rising since of urgency. It’s the times we live in and the times these students are graduating as burgeoning artists, as adults and people. The work really reflects that.”
Click through our slideshow above to see the artists with their thesis collections.