USU MFA Students to Exhibit Ceramic Work at Tippetts & Eccles Galleries

LOGAN, Utah — The two graduating MFA students in the Department of Art + Design at USU will present their work in an upcoming MFA Thesis Exhibition, showcasing years of dedicated refinement and mastery of skills, ideas and perspectives. The exhibition will be on display April 21-25 in the Tippetts & Eccles Galleries.

Throughout their program, MFA students Karina Mago and Paige Harper have worked with their committee and other artists to develop advanced techniques, expand concepts, discuss critical issues and emerge with a vision and direction for their work.

Karina Mago explores themes of collectivity and emotional resonance through ceramic sculptures.

“I’ve been pursuing this kind of idea of the crowd,” Mago said. “I’m really focusing on making these figures out of ceramic that are in all sorts of really dynamic poses to convey the sensation of a group of people experiencing all the emotions you can experience together.”

Mago’s work is fired using traditional wood kilns — labor-intensive firings that last up to 45 hours.

“Part of the reason why I love wood firing is because it’s a very new methodology,” she says. “It also requires the help of other people to make it happen.”

Mago brings a deeply personal lens to her work, shaped by her experience of finding a sense of home through community rather than a fixed location.

“I hope that visitors get to feel the joy that I feel making this work. A lot of my work is rooted in the fact that I was a Venezuelan immigrant,” Mago said. “It’s taken me a lot of years to realize that home is not particularly one location, but the people you surround yourself with.”

Paige Harper’s ceramic vessels celebrate the quiet power of everyday objects and the moments of connection they help facilitate.

“The act of gathering around a table with good company, sharing stories and food, creates lasting memories,” Harper said. “The vessels I create facilitate these very moments.”

Harper employs both wheel-throwing and hand-building techniques, emphasizing textural interplay and thoughtful construction. Her pieces are fired using both wood and electric kilns, allowing her to explore contrasts in surface and atmosphere.

“The textures I create with various tools play a significant role in both the visual and tactile qualities of my vessels,” Harper said. “These marks, whether subtle or more pronounced, influence how the surface interacts with light, touch, glaze and slip contributing to a dynamic and sensory experience for the viewer.”

Harper’s attention to detail extends beyond the vessels themselves and into the way they’re presented within the exhibition space.

“I aim to create a dialogue between the vessels and the space, encouraging a deeper understanding of how form, texture and presentation come together to create a cohesive narrative,” Harper said.

The MFA students’ work will be displayed from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Tippetts & Eccles Galleries. The MFA Thesis Exhibition is free and open to the public. For more information, visit online.