MFA thesis exhibit opens May 27 at Sarah Spurgeon Gallery

Beginning next week, the Sarah Spurgeon Gallery at Central Washington University will be hosting Being and Becoming, a Master of Fine Arts thesis exhibition by student photographer Aidan Lancaster.

The opening events will take place Tuesday, May 27, 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.

Lancaster’s photographs are a raw and intimate analysis of their gender, creating tensions between societal expectations of gendered presentations and their lived reality. Vulnerable moments are depicted using a variety of coded gestures and symbols to represent the space between the dichotomies of masculine and feminine. Through self-portraiture, still lifes, and tableaus, Lancaster strives to work collectively with the viewer towards a more open and accepting understanding of gender identities.

Lancaster earned their Bachelor of Arts in Studio Arts in 2020 from Pacific Lutheran University, and is currently a third-year MFA candidate in the CWU Department of Art + Design.

The exhibit will remain on view through June 13. 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.

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Image caption: Aidan Lancaster, Untitled, 2025, Archival pigment print, 22 in. x 15 in.