This Saturday, March 22, marks the opening of the 25th annual Student Juried Art Exhibition. Submissions were accepted from all Houghton students, provided that the works submitted had been completed within the last year. It will feature a wide variety of artwork including ceramics, printmaking, drawing, book art, and other forms of media, totaling nearly eighty pieces. The expansive selection of work makes it ideal as a sampling of what the art community at Houghton has to offer. “It’s a show we look forward to every year, both for the celebration of creativity among our student body and the recognition of the visual art, design and media programs,” said Jillian Sokso, chair for the department of art and director of the Ortlip Gallery.
Each student can submit up to five pieces for the show, though only three are placed in the exhibition. This year, all submissions were subject to a jury process by artist Ian McMahon. McMahon is the co-founder and co-director of The Belfry, an artist-run exhibition venue located in Hornell, and his work in sculpture has been shown both nationally and internationally. Many Houghton art majors are already familiar with him and his work, having spoken previously during a Fine Arts Seminar and given critiques.
Amanda Irwin, assistant to the gallery and a junior Art and English double major, says that the great majority of work to be done leading up to the opening had concerned dismantling the previous gallery exhibition. In contrast with a visiting artist who would have specific parameters on how their work was to be displayed, this show requires a certain amount of responsibility and organizational skills from the gallery assistants and Sokso. “Jillian will go and look at all of our pieces and arrange them… and us as the gallery assistants go and hang everything and do the technical aspect of it. Later on we also do lighting ourselves.” Irwin assists alongside Alex Hood, Jordan Smith, and Lydia Wilson.
A number of awards will be designated during the event, also determined by McMahon. These awards include those such as the Ben Moss Award (3rd Place), the Alumni Award (2nd Place), and the Paul Maxwell Memorial Award (1st Place), along with the Ortlip Award for Best in Show, with cash prizes for each. Additionally, there will be a personal selection bid for two pieces of artwork by the College President and the First Gentleman, respectively.
The student show provides an opportunity for the college to acquire Houghton student artwork to display on campus. “We usually have a large turnout for this show,” says Irwin, “just because it’s student work, so it’s really fun to see if you got in and what they got or if your friends did, that sort of thing.” Jillian Sokso also comments on the contemporary nature of many of the pieces. “The Student Juried Exhibition is an exciting showcase of what is happening in the visual arts,” she says. The entire exhibition will be available for viewing in the gallery until April 18th.