Midwest goodbye" is a term used to describe a prolonged exit. More often than not, it refers to the way a dinner guest announces his or her departure but lingers in the doorway to chat for another hour. For Millersville University student Oscar McDonah, this was the perfect phrase to describe the multimedia artist's senior exhibition, which opened on Feb. 19.

"A Midwestern goodbye is an interaction where someone is trying to leave but they never really get to that point, and they have something else to say," McDonah said. "I wanted to have the show be a grand thing, and I knew it would be fulfilling for myself. But I realized how early in the semester it would be, meaning I'd still be here for three months afterwards." McDonah was born in Toledo, Ohio, becoming familiar with Midwesterners' signature farewell after spending time with family members in Wisconsin.

"Midwest Goodbyes // Other Forms of Dry Humor" is an exhibition that breaks rules and intends to flip viewers' expectations upside down. The title, in addition to serving as a callback to the artist's origins in the Midwest, refers to the specific form of comedy McDonah likes to incorporate into artwork. The showcase primarily features large sculptural installations that McDonah uses to challenge the barrier between the viewer and the piece. McDonah designed the exhibition to be an ode to absurdity, and many of the pieces depict an imagined space that undermines the audience's expectations with exaggerated motifs and clashing themes. One sculpture resembles a kitchen, but McDonah challenges its context by painting the entire room hot pink. Other pieces in the showcase portray domestic settings with industrial materials, which McDonah arranged in the gallery to create an environment that feels interactive.

"To me, it's about self-imposed rules. There's something really obsessive but also really funny to me about that," McDonah said. "I like doing things that are slightly bizarre and inherently silly, whether that's incorporating very saturated colors or associating my pieces with circuses, which are in themselves funny."

In addition to unconventional placement and opposing subjects, McDonah incorporated live music and a lighting display during the opening night of "Midwest Goodbyes." The evening featured a performance from Baltimore-based composer Alex Silva, who played a set on a carousel-esque stage while McDonah operated a lighting display. Over the last few years, McDonah has worked as a lighting and sound engineer for shows at local music venues and in the basement of McDonah's Millersville residence. In 2023, McDonah hosted Philadelphia artist They Are Gutting A Body of Water and designed a visual display to accompany the performance. "Whether it's appropriate for the space or not, music and art go hand-in-hand," said McDonah. "I felt it was important to include because that's a creative process that's important to me."

To view more of the artist's work, search for "Oscar McDonah" on Facebook or Instagram.