At First Sight
2026 Thesis Exhibitions
Gallery receptions:
Friday, April 10, 5–8 p.m.
and Friday, April 24, 5–8 p.m.
Students:
Alex Steffen, Illustration
Bo Cross, Illustration
Clair Sinsley, Painting & Drawing
Daniel Kelly, Painting & Drawing
Jude Dean Punter, Painting & Drawing
Kennede Oninku, Sculpture
Rae Brady, Illustration
Gallery Hours:
Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–8 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
All events are free and open to the public.
For more information, visit www.artacademy.edu/events
As graduation season nears, student are prepping for year-end exams and projects. At the Art Academy of Cincinnati (AAC) that means exhibitions.
The 2026 Thesis Exhibitions, installed throughout AAC’s campus galleries, offer a layered view into the practices shaping a new generation of artists and designers.
“The thesis exhibitions are an opportunity for students to present their work in a professional gallery setting, marking their transition from student artist to emerging professional,” says Sarah Stolar, executive director of academic affairs and academic dean at AAC. “Over the course of at least two years, students have been developing the work they present, resulting in projects grounded in sustained investigation of concepts that are meaningful to them.”
This year’s titled group exhibitions – “Kaleidoscope,” “Phantasmagoria,” “Overhead Underbelly,” and “All Roads Lead Here” –emerge as distinct but interconnected frameworks, shaped by the artists themselves. Together, they transform AAC’s galleries – including Pearlman, McClure, Chidlaw, SITE1212, and the Clean Cube – into an expansive, multi-site presentation of contemporary practice.
“This group of students has exceeded all expectations,” says Stolar. “They are not only technically skilled, but more importantly, they are pushing boundaries, asking critical questions, and challenging the norm, which is everything a strong, relevant, and important artist should be doing.”
The exhibitions foreground material exploration, narrative, and process, revealing a wide range of approaches that move fluidly between disciplines.
“The thesis exhibitions and corresponding papers are a vital culmination of AAC’s educational experience,” says Stolar. “While this is an expected component of graduate programs, at AAC the thesis experience stands as a defining example of the rigor of our BFA program. Preparing for the exhibition is a direct continuation of this education, as students learn how to professionally mount, light, and market their work. They take on every aspect of the process from the ground up, with guidance from faculty and staff, gaining hands-on experience that prepares them for the expectations and realities of being a professional artist.”
Working across painting and drawing, illustration, sculpture, photography, digital arts animation, design, print media and creative writing, students present fully realized bodies of work developed through sustained studio inquiry.
“As an alum of the BFA program, class of 2000, I remember the excitement building as we prepared for our thesis exhibition,” says Stolar. “It was a special time that marked a kind of ‘coming of age’ as artists. I know firsthand how meaningful this moment is for our students and how important it is for them to make their voices heard in order to stand out in a sea of contemporary artists.”