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Students display work in annual judged art show
Record number 125 students submit art to be judged, 73 have work chosen for display
Kiehle Gallery is playing host to the 36th annual Student Juried Art Exhibition, and the walls and the floor are covered in art of many different styles and messages. Some are serious, others humorous, others a deep plunge into thought and time.
This year there are 104 pieces to view, more than the usual 50 or so of past years.
"To me it's the largest student show I've seen," said Joe Aitken, art department chair. "Usually it's around 50 works."
Students, ranging from freshman to graduate students, contributed their work. Aitken estimates that there were at least 125 students who submitted work, only 73 students had their piece(s) chosen.
This year the judge was a local to Minnesota. He was Stewart Turnquist, the curator of Minnesota Artist Exhibition Program at the Minnesota Institute of Art. He single-handdly chose each piece.
"Recent investigations into the biological roots of music have led researchers to discover two origins: territory and sex," Turnquist stated in a handout for viewers at the gallery. "As I viewed artworks submitted by SCSU students, I wondered is it possible that visual art parallels music? Many of you will be relieved to know that I could discern neither of those categories amongst your artworks."
Along the walls are paintings, sculptures, photography, assemblage, pottery, printings and multi-element designs. Works from fine art, to graphic design, photography and sculpture all sit waiting for the inspection of passersby. Pieces from realism, to abstraction and impressionism call out in full glory.
Best of Show is by Valerie Snobeck, entitled "Thimbles are for Crying." It is a silver platter with about two dozen silver thimbles stacked like delicate tea-cakes awaiting consumption.
Second place belongs to Rilee Haiman: "He Came Home Last Night�" In this piece there is a large ornate frame with a canvas of all black. At the top peaks out a bright pink half circle and at the bottom are a few flowers, dipped in a plaster sort of casing painted brown, adhered to the canvas.
First place went to Brandon Anderson, "Halt." Third Place went to Mike Stodolka, "Invisible Couch." Honorable Mentions went to Holly Warzecha, "Self Portrait" and Darien Johnson, "Conscience."
Some pieces are very serious, like Daigo Chinda's "Untitled I." It is a painting of two Middle Eastern soldiers fighting, a scene very familiar to many eyes as of late.
Some pieces very simple, others very ornate and intricate. There's something for everyone.
"There are a lot of styles, eclectic styles, different styles," Aitken said. "Modernism, figuration. The pendulum swings both ways. Very inclusive."
In the piece "Queen Sammy" by Megan Ballengee, there is a huge pillow type wall hanging. On the outside is a huge fish dressed as a queen, like on a playing deck of cards. Several different elements are used, creating a 3-D visual effect.
In the painting by Joel Lokken, "For Most of the Week We Were Ozzy and Harriet," is a three part panel of a scene from "Fight Club." The two characters fighting and some soap.
"You get a sense of what's strong and what's interesting," Aitken said. "What's challenging. What challenged the juror challenged the student."
As students wander around and take in their peer's work, you can hear the gasps, the oohs, and the aahs. Each person drawing in what they perceive. A sight that reaches out to everyone in some way.
"These are the ideas that have been tested through time," Aitken said.
"These are the artworks I found the most interesting," Turnquist said. "These are the objects the future will compete to possess."
Nissa Billmyer can be reached at: [email protected]
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