Midpoint 2017, an exhibition of work by current second-year MFA candidates in University of Maryland’s Department of Art - 3/29

MIDPOINT 2017 SHOWCASES WORK BY SECOND-YEAR MFA CANDIDATES
IN THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF ART
2017 Exhibition Features New and Recent Work by
Bekí Basch, Hugh Condrey Bryant, and Jessica van Brakle
Opening Reception Free and Open to the Public Wednesday, March 29, 6–8 pm

The Stamp Gallery presents Midpoint 2017, an annual exhibition featuring
work by artists in the second year of MFA candidacy in the Department of Art at the University of
Maryland, College Park. Midpoint 2017 includes work by Bekí Basch, Hugh Condrey Bryant, and
Jessica van Brakle. The three artists have collectively curated the exhibition, selecting among
their own recent work and producing new artworks in dialogue with the Stamp Gallery’s distinctive
space. Midpoint 2017 is on view March 29 through May 22, 2017. An opening reception, free and
open to the public, will take place on Wednesday, March 29, 6–8 pm.


ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Bekí Basch (b. 1987 New Brunswick, New Jersey) received a BFA in Interdisciplinary Sculpture
from MICA in 2009 and is now an MFA candidate at the University of Maryland, College Park. She
has worked for both galleries and professional working artists, in the US and abroad. Largely
inspired by powerful artists of the past and present as well as by her local artist peers, she has
shown works in Baltimore and also in Ireland. Bekí primarily works in a project-based practice,
where each cumulative exploration of narrative and object expands over time to realize the scope
of its effect. She is fascinated by history, relationships, and interconnectivity. Beki currently
resides in Baltimore and is looking forward to a solo show at Current Space in May.
www.bekibasch.com

Hugh Condrey Bryant originally hails from Greensboro, North Carolina. He graduated from the
University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2012 and received two BFAs, one in sculpture and
the other in theatrical set design. Before coming to Maryland he held the position of site manager
and facilities coordinator for Franconia Sculpture Park in Shafer, Minnesota. There he worked with
many different artists from around the world to install their large-scale outdoor sculptures. His
work has been exhibited at Franconia Sculpture Park; Casket Arts in Minneapolis, MN; Stevens
Point Sculpture Park in Stevens Point, WI; and the Salisbury Sculpture Show in Salisbury, NC. He
has also been the recipient of several awards and fellowships including the McKnight Individual
Artist Grant and Emerging Artist Fellowship at Salem Art Works in Salem, NY. His work primarily
centers around the use of concrete and steel—materials associated with trade labor traditionally
performed by men—to challenge contemporary ideas of masculinity through transforming those
materials and altering how they are perceived. hughcondreybryant.com

Jessica van Brakle was born in Bethesda, Maryland and received her BA in Fine Arts in 2007
from the Corcoran College of Art & Design. She has exhibited extensively throughout the
Washington metropolitan area, been included in art fairs such as Scope Miami and (e)merge Art
Fair, and participated in the Artist Residency Program at the Arlington Arts Center from 2011
through 2015. Van Brakle is a previous recipient of the Individual Artist Grant for Painting from the
Maryland State Arts Council, has received grants from the DC Commission on the Arts and
Humanities, and was selected in 2010 for a two-year fellowship with Hamiltonian Gallery in
Washington, DC. Her work is included in the collection of the U.S. Consulate Dubai as well as in
many corporate collections such as the headquarters of PNC, Hilton Worldwide, and Capital One
Digital Headquarters. Utilizing drawing, painting, and cut paper collage, her artwork is inspired by
history, sci-fi, ecology, and identity. Threaded throughout are the relationships and
correspondences between the progress of man and the power of nature—a commentary on
hierarchies found in society. jessicavanbrakle.com

ABOUT THE STAMP GALLERY
Located on the first floor of the Adele H. Stamp Student Union—Center for Campus Life at the
University of Maryland, College Park, the Stamp Gallery is dedicated to exhibiting contemporary
art, especially the work of emerging and mid-career artists. The Stamp Gallery supports
contemporary art that is challenging, academically engaging, and attuned to broad community
and social issues. Through meaningful exhibitions and programming, the Gallery offers outside-of -the-classroom experiential learning opportunities. It functions as a laboratory where emerging
artists and curators experiment and work through their ideas. The Gallery’s programming aims to
emphasize the importance of process to contemporary artistic practice and to provide a forum for
dialogue.

FREE and open to the public: Mondays–Thursdays: 10 am–8 pm; Fridays: 10 am–6 pm;
Saturdays: 11 am–5 pm; Sundays: Closed. More information: thestamp.umd.edu/gallery