2026 VCUarts MFA Thesis Exhibition, Round 1

The 2026 VCUarts MFA Thesis Exhibition will premiere cutting-edge works from twenty-eight emerging artists and designers, representing the Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts departments of Craft/Material Studies, Graphic Design, Kinetic Imaging, Painting + Printmaking, Photography + Film, and Sculpture + Extended Media.

Presented over two rounds at the Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU’s Markel Center, the thesis exhibition is the culmination of two years of intensive research and practice, showcasing the creativity, dynamism, exploration, and invention that make VCUarts one of the nation’s leading schools of art and design.