Abilene Resident Presents UT Tyler Graduate Thesis Art Exhibition Oct. 20 – 31

October 17, 2025 | Hannah Buchanan

Public reception with artist talk will be Oct. 23 at Fine Arts Complex

Artwork by Makenzie Bierma of Abilene, a graduate fine arts degree candidate at The University of Texas at Tyler, will be featured in a thesis exhibition beginning Monday, Oct. 20, at the UT Tyler Fine Arts Complex Gallery.

The UT Tyler Department of Art and Art History will hold a public reception at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23, at the complex. The show, “All of the Little Things,” continues through Friday, Oct. 31. Gallery hours are 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, contact Michelle Taff, UT Tyler gallery, community outreach and education coordinator, at mtaff@uttyler.edu or 903.566.7237.

Bierma is a ceramic and fiber artist who utilizes realistic ceramic objects alongside intricate embroidered works to invoke meaning for the viewer. Her works speak to memory, lessons and struggles that are both personal to the artist and shared among many.

She began her career as an artist member at the Center of Contemporary Arts in Abilene and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in art education from McMurray University. Bierma plans to graduate with a UT Tyler Master of Arts in fine arts this December.

With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT Tyler offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 11,500 students. Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.