Over the next few months we are offering a glimpse into the creative process of the Art Department’s graduating master of fine arts candidates, who are presenting their final thesis exhibitions throughout the spring semester. These exhibitions represent the culmination of years of dedicated study and artistic exploration, showcasing our students’ diverse talents and innovative approaches to art-making.

An interdisciplinary artist specializing in graphic and interactive design, Tamara McLean’s work resides at the intersection of past and present, using large-scale environmental design installations and new media to connect people to their places of habit. By creating immersive experiences, she fosters informed contemporary dialogue and encourages viewers to explore and reflect on historical and cultural contexts.

McLean’s final thesis exhibition, “Resilient Threads,” will be on view at UW–Madison’s Art Lofts Gallery from Jan. 27-31. A reception, which is free and open to the public, will take place on Thursday, Jan. 30, from 5-7 p.m.

We asked McLean to share some insights about her exhibition. Following is an edited Q&A:

What inspired you to create this exhibition? “Resilient Threads” explores the everyday, unpaid labor that defines domestic life’s intimate but often overlooked rhythms. This labor, represented through unmade beds, untidy sheets, and images of mundane messes, underscores household work’s cyclical and invisible nature — a perpetual task undertaken with no clear end, never fully “completed.”