Senior B.F.A. 2026 exhibitions set

04/21/2026

Maddy Gaffney’s oil paintings invite the viewer to spot figures where they would not normally exist: in landscapes, in the skies and as embodiments of fate.

Kat McCormick’s large-scale paintings and sculpture explore the effects of long-term mental illness.

Jacob Van Langeveld’s oil paintings document his interest in the banal, forgotten or overlooked places often encountered in the Central New York landscape.

The three SUNY Cortland seniors, all graduating Bachelor of Fine Arts candidates, will hold their required senior B.F.A. exhibitions from Friday, April 24, through Friday, May 15, in the university’s Dowd Gallery.

An opening reception for the Senior B.F.A. Exhibition featuring artist’s talks will take place at the gallery from 4 to 7 p.m. on April 24.

At SUNY Cortland, graduating candidates display their final collection of artworks supported by writing and oral presentations fulfilling the yearlong thesis requirement in their designated programs. Displayed works are evaluated by a B.F.A. committee composed of Art and Art History Department faculty members.

Also, this year, Jacqueline Brown will display her mixed media and interactive artwork for her Senior Honors Thesis Exhibition in Dowd Gallery through Tuesday, May 5, with an opening reception and artist’s talk in the gallery from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, May 1.

Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday with hours extended on Thursday until 7 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome. Admission to the exhibition and all programs are free and open to the public.

The B.F.A. Exhibition includes the following:

Maddy Gaffney

Gaffney’s exhibition, “Transfigure,” uses large-scale oil paintings to explore cycles and natural phenomenon by creating imagery that weaves myth, nature and transformation to reveal time as a living, shifting force.

Gaffney’s hometown is Rome, N.Y., but her formative years were spent in Baltimore. While at SUNY Cortland, she has studied under Professor Vaughn Randall. The vice president of the student-run club Art Exhibition Association (AEA), Gaffney’s work has been featured in the AEA’s Student Select exhibitions at Dowd Gallery. Her art was featured twice in the Best of SUNY Student Art at SUNY Plaza exhibitions in Albany, N.Y.

Kat McCormick

Transfer student McCormick, of Center Moriches, N.Y., will present “Purgatory,” a thesis exhibition including large-scale paintings and sculpture, in the gallery’s east wing.

“This collection of figurative work investigates the effects of long-term mental illness and reoccurring treatment on perspective and motivation,” McCormick said.

“Each piece is made in limited color with an emphasis on deep blue-green hues, a representation of feeling stuck in between cycles of healing and devolving.”

Inspired by expressionist art, McCormick’s self-portraits serve as a personal documentation of the thoughts and feelings that stem from attempting to overcome recurring maladies.

McCormick has most enjoyed working with peers and faculty in the advanced painting studio, the gallery and the woodshop.

McCormick’s work has appeared in Student Select shows from 2023 to 2026 and twice was displayed in Best of SUNY Student Art at SUNY Plaza exhibitions. The president of the AEA, McCormick has also served as an art history course student teacher.

Jacob Van Langeveld

Van Langeveld, of Philadelphia, will present “Side of the Road,” a series of paintings, in the gallery’s west wing.

Whereas Van Langeveld’s previous work tended toward a cartoon-like style taking influence from pop culture, street and graffiti art, in this recent body of work he turns his attention to realism and expressionism in order to capture the essence of what he sees as liminal spaces — and the things that fill them — in order to find meaning in the mundane.

“Like journal entries, these are the subjects that have entered into my vision and have been recorded in paint,” he said.

Heavy machinery and disregarded buildings are the focus of his colorful and expressive artistic investigations, with works produced both in the studio and outside.

“By painting the world around me, I form a special connection with it,” Van Langeveld said. “The things I paint are things I pass by every day, so they act like landmarks, holding a particular significance.”

The solo Honors Thesis Exhibition includes:

Jacqueline Brown

An emerging artist and aspiring art therapist from Spencer, N.Y.,Brown is a candidate to earn a bachelor of arts degree in studio art with a minor in psychology.

Brown’s work in her May 1 exhibition, titled “The Healing Canvas,” explores the intersection of the body, memory and emotional experience.

Working primarily in mixed media, she combines drawing, fiber and participatory elements to investigate themes of trauma, healing and personal transformation. Her practice emphasizes art as a tool for both individual reflection and community connection.

The exhibition brings together a body of mixed media work that examines vulnerability and recovery. Using stitched elements, textured surfaces and visceral red thread, Brown’s work visualizes emotional wounds and the process of repair.

“By translating internal experiences into physical form, these pieces demonstrate how art can externalize and transform feelings that are often difficult to articulate,” Brown said.

Central to “The Healing Canvas” has been an interactive, community-based component, where canvases were placed in public spaces during a high-stress period of the academic semester, inviting students and community members to draw and express their emotions directly onto the surface.

“These collaborative works serve as collective portraits of stress, resilience and shared experience,” Brown said.

By incorporating these public contributions into the gallery, Brown seeks to bridge individual and communal healing, highlighting art’s ability to foster empathy, dialogue and connection.

Visit the Dowd Gallery website or follow @dowdgallery on Instagram for detailed information about future artists, speakers and events.

For more information or to schedule a visit, contact gallery director Scott Oldfield ’06 at 607-753-4216.

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