TAMPA, Fla.- The University of South Florida School of Art and Art History presents USF’s First National BFA/BA Juried Exhibition, March 19-30, USF Tampa campus at the William & Nancy Oliver Gallery and at the Centre Gallery in the Marshall Center.

The First National BFA/BA Juried Exhibition is sponsored and curated by MFA Org., a student organization at USF. The organization sent out a national call to any undergraduate BFA/BA student interested in participating.

“Over 170 students responded to the call,” said Adam Kitzerow, president of MFA Org. “The BFA/BA Juried Exhibition is unique for the Tampa Bay area, and we look forward to it becoming an annual event. It benefits art and art history students here at USF and across the nation.”

USF’s MFA Org. brings together student work from over 40 universities, from which 35 works were selected to compete under the respected criticism of guest juror and well known art critic Dave Hickey. Hickey will select three of four winners, which will be announced at an award ceremony at the USF Contemporary Art Museum, 7 p.m. on March 23. MFA Org. students will select the fourth award recipient.

“The First National BFA/BA Juried Exhibition gives students the rare opportunity to be critiqued by internationally renowned academic and art critic Dave Hickey,” said Wally Wilson director of the School of Art and Art History. “Guest artists like Hickey enhance the School of Art and Art History’s quality of education and provide students with additional perspective into the art world.”

Dave Hickey, recipient of the MacArthur “Genius” award, and internationally acclaimed art critic will also give a lecture on February 22 at 7p.m. in FAH 101, entitled “The Age of the Art Fair.” This event is free and open to the public.

Hickey has written for ArtForum, Art in America, Harper’s, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, and numerous others. He is a curator (Ultralounge at CAM in 2000) and was an art dealer. His writings have notably been published in two collections, “The Invisible Dragon” and “Air Guitar.” Currently, Hickey teaches in the creative writing program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Hickey has also been the subject of personal profiles in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, U.S. News and World Report, and Texas Monthly.

For additional information call 813-974-2360 or visit www.art.usf.edu.

Centre Gallery
Phyllis P. Marshall Center
University of South Florida
4202 East Fowler Avenue
CTR 246
Tampa, FL 33620