The Urban Arts Space, 50 West Town St., hosts Next Wave: 2012 Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition (Part 1), Wednesday, April 11 - Saturday, April 21. A reception will be held at the galleries from 6 to 8 pm Saturday, April 14.

This annual exhibition is an opportunity to sample an array of current directions in contemporary art, fresh from the studios of artists who are completing MFA degrees in the Department of Art at Ohio State. Participating artists work in painting and drawing, performance, sculpture, photography, ceramics, printmaking, art & technology, video, sound, and varied combinations of these media.

The first exhibition features the work of:

Michael Ambron
Carolyn Baginski
Evan Dawson
Nathaniel Hartman
John McCaughey
Lauri Murphy
Winnie Sidharta
Timothy Jude Smith
Kristen Spickard
Austin Stewart
Stephen Takacs
Melissa Vogley Woods
Brandon Whitacre

Funded in part by the John Fergus Family Fund.

The 2012 Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition is curated by Sarah Rogers, whose experience includes roles at the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati, the Wexner Center for the Arts and COSI. Currently, Rogers is vice president of advancement & communications for CAPA.