The San José State University (SJSU) Master of Fine Arts 2024-2025 cohort presents their Lift Off 2025 group exhibition at The Institute of Contemporary Art San José, curated by Zoe Latzer. The group exhibition, titled Who ‘am’ I, without you? will be displayed in a two-part exhibition, which opened on April 4, 2025, at ICA San José, with the second exhibition to follow in summer 2025.
In addition to their solo thesis exhibitions, SJSU MFA Candidates participate in a group exhibition and collaborate with MA Candidates in Art History and Visual Culture to create the annual Lift Off Catalogue. Hosted in 2025 at the ICA San José, the twelve students showcase a wide range of mediums, including painting, printmaking, drawing, sculpture, photography, digital art, and multidisciplinary installations.
Zoë Latzer, Curator and Director of Public Programs at ICA San José, presents a question from Judith Butler’s Precarious Life: The Powers of Mourning and Violence: Who ‘Am’ I Without You? as the title for the San José State University 2025 MFA exhibition. In the context of the Anthropocene and the sixth extinction—a time defined by both devastation and interconnection- the MFA graduates all explore and grapple with their understanding of being artists during a time of technological advancements and socio-political turmoil.
Part 1: April 4th, 2025 – June 8, 2025
Participating Artists: Andrew Marovich, Chelsea Stewart, Erin de Jauregui, Mary Morse, Samantha Saldana, and Timna Naim. (Click name to jump to profile and video below.)
Part 2: June 19, 2025 – August 24, 2025
Participating Artists: Mona Farrokhi, Michelle Frey, Lisa Heikka-Huber, Sam Swenor, Xiao Wu, Shea Windberg.
Follow SJSU’s MFA Cohort at: bit.ly/sjsuliftoff | liftoff.sjsu
Follow ICA SJ at: icasanjose.org
Andrew Marovich
Andrew Marovich is an MFA in Spatial Art whose work addresses questions of process, puzzles, and riddles. He is a skilled craftsman and mixes media, but always comes back to working with hand-done metalworking processes.
Follow Andrew’s work:
andrewmarovich.com
Instagram: critical_meltdown
Chelsea Stewart
Chelsea Stewart was born in 1997 in San Mateo County, CA. She lives in San Mateo and works in Palo Alto, CA. Stewart is currently attending San José State University while working towards her MFA in Spatial Arts. Stewart completed a residency in the Cubberley Artist Studio Program in Palo Alto, CA, and currently works as the Gallery Manager at the Pamela Walsh Gallery in downtown Palo Alto.
She was a 2022 Content Emerging Artist Awardee and featured in Content Magazine’s issue 14.3, “Perform,” published by SVCreates, as well as in issue 12.4.
Follow Chelsea’s work:
chelseaannestewart.com
Instagram: chelsea_anne_stewart
Erin de Jauregui
Erin de Jauregui is an MFA Candidate in Photography who focuses his work on time, place, and storytelling. His work takes the viewer on a journey to see the world through an unimaginable perspective. He will be showing photographs that challenge perceptions and tell innovative stories.
Follow Erin’s work:
dejauregui.com
Instagram: dejauregui
Mary Morse
Mary Morse is an MFA candidate in Spatial Arts at San José State University, working in various mediums while exploring texture, color, and memory in her work. Her interdisciplinary approach enables her to create work that is unique, introspective, and innovative. She is showcasing work that combines soft materials and rigid forms in felt, incorporating painting and metalwork into her installations.
Follow Mary’s work:
primarymorse.com
Instagram: primarymorse
Samantha Saldana
Samantha Saldana is a lens-based interdisciplinary artist whose scholarship explores community social justice issues, identity, family relationships, and intersectionality. Saldana is a graduate of the Visual and Public Art Department at California State University, Monterey Bay, and is currently an MFA candidate in the Photography Program at San Jose State University.
Saldana’s work engages accessibility to arts education, advocacy, and mentorship opportunities.
Follow Samantha’s work:
samantha-saldana.com
Instagram: s.a.m.831
Timna Naim
Timna Naim is an MFA candidate in Spatial Arts whose work is playful, tactical, and socially engaging. They work primarily in clay and utilize performance, social practice, and experimental glazing techniques to make the fantastical tangible. See their performance art, ceramics, sculpture, and installation at ICA San Jose.
Follow Timna’s work:
timnanaim.com
Instagram: fireclaywater
