Listen Here
By Mara Waire
wairem@findlay.edu
The annual University of Findlay Student Art & Design Exhibition Awards will be held on Thursday, April 16, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at The Dudley & Mary Larks Lea Gallery in the Gardner Fine Arts Pavilion.
The event begins with a reception and continues with the Awards Ceremony at 7:30 p.m. The exhibit will remain on display in the gallery until April 23 and is open to students, staff, and the greater Findlay community.
Students outside the art programs are encouraged to submit work as well, giving all students at the university the opportunity to be acknowledged for their talents regardless of their major. This exhibition gives students from all majors and years an opportunity to showcase their talents across various art media, including photography, graphic design, drawing, painting, mixed media, ceramics, printmaking, and introductory-level work.
In addition to those categories, a new category has been added this year: interactive art, which mainly consists of kinetic type and animation.
Not all submitted pieces are showcased in the exhibition, as they must first pass the judging process. Students are required to submit their work with a limit of five submissions per category.
Sophomore Monica Crawford, an organizational communications major, submitted four pieces, and one was selected for the show.
“As a student outside the art program, it feels great to have my work selected for the show,” said Crawford. “I like that the art show is open to all students! If it were not, I would not have had the amazing opportunity to showcase my work. Although it appears to be a simple piece, the painting process took many hours due to all the intricate details,” she added.
This year, roughly 250 pieces were submitted for judging by the art department faculty, and 83 pieces from approximately 46 students were selected for the show. In addition to the 83 pieces in the show, 13 pieces have been selected for display in the campus coffee shop, Jasmines, and will remain on display through April 23.
Associate Professor of Art Valerie Escobedo played a key role in preparing the show, teaching many of the contestants, serving on the judging staff, and assisting with setting up the art for the gallery. Senior Juleigha Collier and Terrynen Coleman, an intern from BGSU, assisted with gallery setup.
“I am pleased with how professional their work looks in the gallery,” said Escobedo.
This year’s show introduces a new event for the art show: “Capstone Movie Night,” where communications students will be presenting their work. Senior Journalism/Digital Media majors will present their capstone projects in the Pfeiffer Lecture Hall at 8:00 p.m.
Senior Ricky Mast will present an original short film featuring UF students, What We Kept. Senior Andrea Hoffman will present her broadcast journalism reporter reel. A professional demo reel is a key component in hiring multimedia journalists, as it showcases their on-air talent, editing style, and choices.
“My reel is composed of clips I have compiled over the last three years in the Journalism/Digital Media program and working for UFTV,” said Hoffman.
While these capstone presentations are not part of the art show, they are a wonderful opportunity for students across departments to showcase their talents and represent the breadth of creative work happening at Findlay.
The exhibition is free and open to the public. All are encouraged to attend the reception on April 16 or stop by the Dudley & Mary Larks Lea Gallery to view the selected works before April 23.
