Placeholder showcases the work of this year’s BFA seniors: Melia Ortiz, Daniel Goldstein, and Sofi Hailu. These artists take an experimental approach to their practice as they challenge their traditional ways of thinking and working. Through this experimentation, they have grown their artistic expressions and found ways to creatively explore concepts such as identity, nature, and belonging. Using the mediums of ceramics, photography, and animation these artists look at how people relate to themselves, others, and the earth.

Even as their work culminates in this exhibition, the artists continue to grapple with this need to build connections in light of necessary social distancing during this pandemic. It is important to acknowledge the effect these circumstances have on creative expression. However, Ortiz, Goldstein, and Hailu believe that art can provide an outlet for emotions they are experiencing during isolation, and it has provided them with new perspectives on their work. The viewers are invited to explore this showcase virtually and use art as a means to connect with themselves, the earth, and others through the art.