Student artwork is now being shown at the UW art museum as part of the 47th annual juried student exhibition.
An independent juror selected 55 pieces by 42 artists to be shown in the museum from Feb. 26- May 14. 42 awards were given to these works at the Feb. 25 reception and awards ceremony.
“It’s really fun and obviously really special to the students who are winning those awards,” Assistant Curator Michelle Sunset said.
This year’s juror was Natalia Ángeles Vieyra, a Maher Curatorial Fellow of American Art at the Harvard Art Museums.
the 55 pieces on display were selected by Vieyra out of 178 total submissions from 67 artists.
“It’s such an honor even to have anything submitted and taken and then to have any kind of award on top of it is just a huge honor,” Art Education Major Amanda Chism said.
As part of Chism’s curriculum in art education, she took field trips to the Laramie River and learned about the river ecosystem and its species.
“We were trying to do some research and find some interdisciplinary way of connecting art with what’s around us- in our life or maybe as a science teacher and how you can bring art and science together in your teaching,” Chism said.
The importance of mosquitoes as pollinators inspired Chism’s piece “I’m more than blood,” a paper sculpture of a mosquito and the river ecosystem.
Along with several scholarship awards, different departments purchased several pieces to be displayed in buildings across campus, including the Coe Library and the Union building.
“Before the show I spent a lot of time with departments across campus to get them in to view the artwork,” Sunset said.
Aside from being an opportunity for students to display their work, the juried exhibition is also an opportunity for students to learn about the submission process for similar events.
“Even for the application process, we use this website called CaFE which is what most professional art institutions use for submitting work,” Sunset said. “It’s a really great professional development opportunity for student artists to be submitting work in the manner that they will be throughout their careers.”
For Art Major Zoe Parks, this was a valuable opportunity.
“It’s really different and interesting; this is my first piece I’ve had in a museum setting,” Parks said.
Parks submitted a piece in collaboration with her 4-year-old daughter. Parks drew a baby portrait while her daughter drew the flowers adorning the piece.
For students whose work wasn’t selected, there will be a virtual “salon de refuses” organized by the Student Art League. Those works will be shared on social media accounts as well.
Following the exhibition, 20 of the works featured at the museum will be selected to travel to the Jackson center for the Arts summer exhibition.
