As you walk through Mabee Fine Arts Center and the Hammons Gallery, you might notice signs that say, “Student Juried Art Show,” along with hand-made pieces by our own students.
The Student Juried Art Show, which began Jan. 20, will run until Feb. 7, with a reception on Saturday, Feb. 1, at 7:30 pm in the Hammons Gallery.
“All students and faculty are invited to the awards ceremony. It is a dress event with light refreshments following the awards,” said Summer Bruch, assistant professor of visual arts and faculty advisor of the event.
“A juried competition is special because only the best works submitted will be chosen for the show,” Bruch said. “The juror [judge] is a qualified art professional or sometimes a panel of professional artists. They award the prizes. The juror this year was Davis Stoddard, professor of graphic design at Henderson State University. You may have seen some of his handmade paper art at our local Arkadelphia Arts Center.”
This year’s first prize winner was sophomore studio art major, Treslyn Shipley.
“I made a piece titled ‘Miss Charlotte’ and it’s actually scratch art,” Shipley said. “It’s a white piece of paper painted over with black and you scratch away the black to reveal the white underneath, so it’s like a reverse drawing.”
Scratch art is a timely process, but produces unique results.
“It was a process over time,” Shipley said, when asked how long it took her to create her piece. “But, it was really fun to do and I want to do another one in the future. Because of the way the scratch art works, there’s no room for mistakes, so I just kind of had to go with it and work with the mistakes that were made and it turned out pretty well. I’m proud of the way it looks now.”
However, not all students who entered the competition have their art displayed.
“Entering juried competitions is an important step in the process of becoming a professional artist,” said Bruch. “It is an honor to be chosen to be in the show. Students put that honor on their professional resumes. Only the best of the best are asked to display their work by the juror. That may seem harsh, but it’s how the real world works and we are preparing students for the real world.”
Most of the students who entered are studio art majors, like Shipley, or graphic art majors. Students paid $5 per entry to be in the show.
“It’s just a really great way for us to showcase some of the work that we have made that we’re proud of,” Shipley said. “I’m honored to be in it, but there’s so many fabulous artists that are also showcased as well.”
By: Hannah Pearce
