April 18, 2008 — Two Aunspaugh Fellows from the University of Virginia's McIntire Department of Art, Maya Mackrandilal and Michael Thurston, will show their work at Off Grounds Gallery from Wednesday, April 30, through Saturday, May 3, with a closing reception on Friday, May 2, from 6  to 8 p.m.

The Aunspaugh Fellowship is awarded to six studio art majors at the end of their final year. They then remain with the department for a fifth year as gallery assistants, studio assistants and teaching assistants as they focus on their artwork and work toward a final show.

Mackrandilal, the child of an Indo-Guyanese mother and Belgian father, has lived in Northern Virginia, Iowa and Ivory Coast, and currently resides in Charlottesville. Her work addresses issues of migration, hybridity and identity through explorations of personal histories. Her current project is a room-scale installation that includes interactive sculptures, artist books, cast bronze and photo/video documentation of performance work.

Thurston, originally from the Tidewater area, now divides his time between
Charlottesville and Virginia Beach. His current work includes paintings, video installation and digital prints that draw on the colors, textures and rhythms associated with the coastal ecosystem.

Off Grounds Gallery is located at 300 West Main Street. The entrance to the building is on Ridge Street. Gallery hours are Wednesday and Thursday, from 4 to 6 p.m.; Friday during the opening; and Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m,; or by appointment (contact Maya Mackrandilal at mayamorphosis@gmail.com).