April 14 – 20
Closing Reception: Friday, April 18, 5-8pm
Location: Backspace Gallery, Art Lofts, 111 N Frances St, Madison, WI
Please join us for Mariah Moneda’s Thesis Exhibition in the Backspace Gallery on Friday, April 18th, 2025, for a community organized meal, from 5pm to 8pm with dinner service starting promptly at 5:30pm.
Magmula sa Lupa pulls from the blurry line between cultural connection, roughly translated to “from the earth”, “of the earth”, or “of this land”, references my feelings of place and placelessness to the Philippines, my birthplace in the South West, and to Madison, Wisconsin, while ruminating on what my family legacy has shared with me through their own migration and what I’ve chosen to keep and share with those around me today. Memories of family dinners and celebratory meals like Kamayan, hosted on a bed of banana leaves, serve as the foundation for community and gathering.
In kind, I’ve collaborated with local business, Origin Breads and owner Kirk Smock to create a unique to Madison, Pandesal, and working with two Filipino organizations: PAMANA (Philippine American Association of Madison and Surrounding Areas) and FASO (Filipino American Student Organization) to prepare culturally relevant foods to share with the audience as a living metaphor for Kapwa, in addition, but not limited to, to sourcing banana leaves from the greenhouse spaces of the Olbrich Botanical Garden, UW-Madison’s Department of Botany, and Department of Horticulture, as a testament to how the right kind of care can aid in the survival of a non-native species. This community gathering is an effort to immerse the audience in an experience unique to our current socio-cultural landscape to create an environment that hopes to linger.
Kain-Na! Let’s Eat!
The Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibitions season continues with Mariah Moneda’s exhibit Magmula sa Lupa—From the Earth. The MFA Thesis Exhibitions mark the culmination of a three-year degree program that emphasizes development of a rigorous studio art practice under the supervision of a faculty guidance committee. Exploring an interdisciplinary approach to art making, as well as coursework in art history and related fields, artists cultivate professional practices that facilitate a sustainable career in the arts. Join us in celebrating our Class of 2025 UW-Madison Graduate professionals!