MFA in Visual Art candidates in the Sam Fox School at WashU will present their thesis exhibition, “Slow Gardens,” at the Kemper Art Museum May 2-July 28.

The exhibition marks the culmination of work for 11 students in the graduating class of 2025. A testament to the program’s interdisciplinary nature, student work ranges from multimedia installations to oil paintings to tapestries and more. The art on display grapples with themes like climate change, femininity, militarization, love, and the self.

Students chose the name of the exhibition as a group, noting the duality of gardens as both a place of care and also a container with notions of control. At the same time, slowness indicates a sense of making time and space for contemplation.

The exhibition is also the first under new MFA-VA Chair Tiffany Calvert’s leadership. “I’ve been so impressed with the Sam Fox School students in my first year here,” Calvert said. “This cohort has really challenged themselves; their work is challenging, diverse, and inventive. I look forward to seeing their work come together at the Kemper.”

The museum will host a public celebration, including gallery talks with the artists Friday, May 2, from 5:30-8:00 p.m. The exhibition is organized by Leslie Markle, curator for public art at the Kemper Art Museum. The museum dates back to the 1880s and is nationally accredited, as well as being well-known for its significant collection.

Featured Artists

Eva Agüero
Sam Berger
Catie Cook
Tahia Farhin Haque
Addyson Hoey
Jungsoo Kim
Mu Lan
Carmen Ribaudo
Grace C. Ryder
Roy Uptain
Czesława Wojtkowski

“Slow Gardens” will appear alongside “Seeds: Containers of a World to Come,” an exhibition of work by 10 internationally known artists investigating environmental fragility, preservation, and possibility.