Where We Ended Up: 2026 MFA Thesis Exhibition
Contemporary Gallery, NMSU Art Museum
English | Espanol
Contact: Eva Gabriella Flynn, Education and Outreach Coordinator, University Art Museum at NMSU, artmuseum@nmsu.edu, 575-646-2185
Opening: May 1, 2026
Exhibition Dates: May 1- 16, 2026
Las Cruces, NM– The University Art Museum (UAM) proudly presents Where We Ended Up: 2026 MFA Thesis Exhibition, featuring artworks by NMSU Department of Art MFA Candidates, Arch Jones and Ezekiel Martey. This exhibition opens on May 1, 2026, with an opening reception from 5:30 - 7:30 pm and will be on display through May 16, 2026. This two-person exhibition showcases the culmination of both artists’ individual research and development during their time in the Department of Art’s graduate program. Where We Ended Up: 2026 MFA Thesis Exhibition features a variety of media and processes from ceramics and paintings, to found objects and immersive installation.
About the Artists:
Arch Jones is an interdisciplinary artist working primarily in painting and installation. Jones uses immersive storytelling to engage with the fears and discomfort white Americans have projected upon BIPOC individuals by employing a framework that manipulates the scientific jargon commonly utilized in anthropology. Originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Jones holds a B.A. in Art from St. Cloud State University. Jones is a former high school art teacher, and has exhibited his work across the country, including California, Colorado, Minnesota, and New Mexico. He has been invited and attended workshops at the Highpoint Center for Printmaking and the Anderson Ranch Art Center. He received the President’s Award at the 2024 Juried Student Show at NMSU. The same year, he attended an artist residency at the Fish Factory in Stöðvarfjörður, Iceland. Currently residing in New Mexico, Arch is completing his MFA program in Fine Art at NMSU, and will be attending the Apapacho Residency program in Mexico City in summer 2026.
Ezekiel Martey is a Ghanaian interdisciplinary artist working across sculpture, installation, jewelry, and metalsmithing. Born and raised in Ghana, Martey earned his BA from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology before moving to the United States for graduate study. His practice is shaped by personal experience and shared histories of labor, waiting, and adaptation, paying attention to the unseen pressures that settle in before and after migration. Martey has exhibited his work nationally and internationally and has received awards and institutional recognition, including an Honorable Mention from the Society of North American Goldsmiths in 2025. He is currently based in New Mexico, completing his MFA in Jewelry & Metalsmithing at New Mexico State University.
Museum Information:
Where We Ended Up: 2026 MFA Thesis Exhibition is on display from May 1- May 16, 2026, in the UAM Contemporary Art Gallery. Please join us for a public opening reception on Friday, May 1, 2026 from 5:30 - 7:30 pm. Visit uam.nmsu.edu for a complete calendar of museum programming. Admission to all programming is free and open to the public. The UAM is located at 1308 E. University Avenue and is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 am - 4 pm.
Image Credits:
Left: Arch Jones, Waking Nightmare I, 2026, 4' x 3', Acrylic and oil pastel. Courtesy of the artist.
Right: Ezekiel Martey, Through the System, 2026, Shipping pallet, Kente cloth. Image credit: Andrew Williams.
Links to high-resolution Images:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mT2IZ2PqrLtG5vM8mHqiTIZ0hiN5aZ2QT7o5oYDQmTE/edit?usp=drive_link
For more information on exhibitions, visit Upcoming Exhibitions
