Where: Bingham Gallery in the Fine Arts Building (A125)
When: 7 p.m. Monday

Sitting in graduate student Ron Thompson’s art studio in Hatch Hall is a tennis shoe submerged in Kool-Aid.

“The biggest challenge about being an artist is to come up with something fresh,” Thompson says. “You can have a strong message or concept, but if it’s not interesting to look at, who’s going to want to look at it?”

Thompson has worked with various mediums during the three-year process of creating his Master of Fine Arts thesis project, “My America.”

“I like to experiment,” Thompson says. “I know the fundamentals, so it’s nice to test myself as an artist. I have to be my own inventor.”

His theme of “My America” originates from 1940s artist John Biggers. Thompson interpreted the idea through his childhood heroes, such as Bill Cosby and Spike Lee.

He looked at how they positively influenced the black community and developed his own concept of American life.

“I believe having a hero, a mentor or someone to look up to is very important, especially to young kids,” Thompson says. “I think we have kind of lost that message about having positivity within the community. It’s kind of like we lost our heroes somewhere.”

A fellow graduate student in the art department, Eric Norby, admires the variety of Thompson’s work and his thinking process.

“(His works) deal in a really smart way with the notion of dual identity,” Norby says. “The stark imagery he uses of black icons, integrating languages of painting, really intrigues me. I think Ron’s work is really good at being both easy to look at and thought-provoking.”

Bethanie Collins is another graduate student working on her MFA, and is looking forward to Thompson’s exhibit.

“Through the years, I have seen him develop paintings, prints, drawings and ceramic work, but have not been able to see all of it together,” Collins says. “I am excited to see how his pieces speak to and enhance each other.”

Norby says you can expect more than a wine-and-cheese reception from Thompson, who plans to hire a disc jockey for the event.

“Some art shows or art galleries are so stuck up sometimes,” Thompson says. “People should come to enjoy artwork again. It’s all about community and family. Come out and have fun, and relax.”

“My America” will be showcased in Bingham Gallery until Nov. 7.