Access Denied

Access Denied is part one of a two-part exhibition by Pratt Fine Arts’ MFA program. The exhibition will be on display in the program’s new facilities at Dock 72 in the Brooklyn Navy Yard and features the work of graduating MFA artists across disciplines, including painting and drawing, sculpture, printmaking, and integrated practices.

MFA Thesis Exhibition, Part I: Access Denied,  curated by Dejá Belardo. Monday, March 31–Friday, April 11. Opening Monday, March 31, 6–8pm. Gallery hours: Monday through Friday, 12–6pm (EDT). Register to visit.

Exhibiting artists: Yilin Chen, Yeonji Chung, kate evans, Eric Geithner, Eliza Gooding, Claire Heidinger, Jay, Yeon Jeong, William Kim, Ingrid Yi-Chen Lu, Isabelle Friedrich McTwigan, Molly Miller, Alice Shi Minghui, Siha Park, K Rawald, Yedda Ye, Ayoung Yoo, and Wei Yuan

Art is often experienced as a visual language that helps the artist or viewer connect and reveal something about themselves. Through abstraction, symbolism, and material intervention, each of these artists makes deliberate choices about what they choose to reveal and what remains unseen. 

Access Denied  explores the multiple dimensions of opacity and access—both physical and conceptual—as artists navigate the delicate balance between revelation and concealment. Within this selection, works become vessels of hidden meaning, coded language, and emotional depth, inviting the viewer to decipher, question, or accept what is withheld. 

Some works function as barriers—offering glimpses yet refusing full disclosure—while others challenge the notion that understanding requires clarity. The exhibition becomes a dynamic interplay between artist and audience, where access is granted not through direct exposition, but through intuition, empathy, and layered interpretation. 

What happens when knowledge is fragmented, when emotions are encrypted, or when entry is restricted? Access Denied reminds us that meaning is not always given freely; sometimes, it must be sought, negotiated, or simply left in the realm of the unknown. —Dejá Belardo

Details for Part II: Inside/Out can be found below:

MFA Thesis Exhibition, Part II: Inside/Out,  curated by Dejá Belardo. Monday, April 28–Friday, May 9. Opening Monday, April 28, 6–8pm. Gallery hours: Monday through Friday, 12–6 pm (EDT). Register to visit.

Exhibiting artists: Dana-Marie Bullock, Monique Kevita Edwards, Danielle Gadus, Tony Griego, Herok, Rob Hill Art, HYUN, Ariadne Manuel, Shivani Mithbaokar, Yerang Moon, Mouet, Morgan Petitpas, Agnes Questionmark, Avery Schuster, and Leda Tsoutreli

Pratt Institute MFA Fine Arts
Pratt Institute’s interdisciplinary MFA program in Fine Arts provides advanced education for artists supported by a distinguished faculty, exceptional facilities, and a supportive community of peers. Driven by exploration and enriched by the abundance and inspiration of New York City, Pratt’s critically engaged faculty respond to each student’s practice, fostering their development within the diverse cultures and myriad practices of contemporary art-making. Faculty and students build close relationships through structured studio visits, seminars, and informal conversations. These relationships create a vital community and supportive network long after graduation. The rigorous and flexible curriculum offers wide latitude for exploration while fostering critical perspectives and a deeper understanding of the histories, issues, cultural, and transdisciplinary contexts that inform art practices today. 

Pratt Shows 2025
Pratt Shows are public exhibitions and presentations by Pratt Institute’s graduating classes. The shows celebrate student work leading up to Commencement in May, representing years of research, exploration, critical thinking, creative inquiry, problem-solving, growth, production, practice, and accomplishment.