Juried art exhibit gives students chance to show work

Home Culture Juried art exhibit gives students chance to show work

Featuring works from just about every area of the Hillsdale College Art Department, the Student-juried Art Show is open now in the Daughtry Art Gallery in the Sage Center for the Arts. The show includes sculpture, pastels, master copies, graphic design, and more.
The exhibit had its grand opening Dec. 3 with the announcement of the awards by the faculty and student-voted favorites, and will remain open until Jan. 10, the beginning of the Spring semester. Around 35 students participated this year, entering a total of around 100 pieces into the show this year. Many of the students are neither art majors nor art minors, but merely students interested in developing new or unpolished skills.
“Lots of people are just interested in dabbling in the mediums for fun or from curiosity,” said senior Julia Kilgore, one of the student gallery workers. “There are a fair number of students who are not actual art majors in the studio classes and in the show.”
Participation is open to the entire art department, but many classes require enrolled students to enter.
“Anyone who is in an art class may participate, and I think all of the studio classes require participation at some level,” Professor of Art Barbara Bushey said. “All my art history students are must to make master copies, and I encourage them to put the good ones in the show.”
While the pinnacle of most art majors’ collegiate careers converge in the senior art show at the end of their senior year, the student-juried and guest-juried exhibits allow for other students to display their work in the gallery.
“I always look forward to the show because I get to see what everyone else it up to,” senior Jasmine Noman said. “I like to see the other mediums –– that might be why I loved the pastels at the show so much. They don’t do them that often, and I love to see them.”
Professors and students alike enjoy seeing what the rest of the department has been working on. The student juried aspect allows for students to recognize one another’s abilities and the professors note the pieces they consider most extraordinary.
“I always like seeing the different ways of perception, and I encourage students, even very beginners, to think about their composition,” Lecturer in Art Katharine Taylor said, “to see the greater vision and understanding of the piece that comes through.”
The Student-Juried show is one of a few annual exhibits put on by the art department, as well as the annual guest-juried show, occasional visiting artists, and senior art shows.
“I’m not an art major, but I’ve taken 20-30 hours of studio classes. I love the department and really love the professors: they’re a bit crazy and great,” Noman said. “I love the department and seeing and being in these art shows.”