MFA thesis exhibit opens May 14 at Sarah Spurgeon Gallery

Starting next week, the Sarah Spurgeon Gallery at Central Washington University will host "Anemoia," a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) thesis exhibition by Matthew Potter and Charlie Tadlock.

The opening events will take place on Tuesday, May 14, beginning with an artist talk from 4-5 p.m. in Randall Hall, room 117. The talk will be directly followed by a reception in the Sarah Spurgeon Gallery from 5-7 p.m.

Potter’s large-scale works on paper investigate memory through the viewpoint of abstraction. The surfaces develop a history within themselves as a result of repeated and densely layered applications of various media.

Memory itself is imbued in the marks. Potter’s childhood, spent constantly moving across the U.S. and Europe, is a major theme in his work. In addition to pursuing his painting degree at CWU, Potter has an artist studio with the ’57 Biscayne artist collective, located in the Good Art Building in Seattle’s Pioneer Square.

Tadlock’s lens-based media and installation works focus on the road through the rural American West. The regional identity of rugged independence has created a culture that centers around transience, and that positions prosperity and people as temporary. His artwork is held in the permanent collections of the University of Wyoming and Montana State University.

Tadlock is a two-time recipient of the CWU Behnke Graduate Fellowship and was recently awarded the Society for Photographic Education’s Innovations in Imaging Award for 2024.

The exhibit will remain on view through June 1. Sarah Spurgeon Gallery is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturdays from 1-5 p.m. The gallery is closed on Sundays and will be closed May 27 for Memorial Day.