Celebrating Artistic Creativity Across Campus

The 2015 Annual Juried Student Art Exhibition on Wilson’s campus opened to the public on March 12 at 5:00 p.m. The opening ceremony took place in the Bogigian Gallery of Lortz Hall, the fine arts building on campus. The juror for this year’s exhibition was Amy T. Dreves, a regional artist and art educator at Gettysburg Area High School.

Amanda Jewell '16 waders around the art exhibits  Photo provided by Danniele Fulmer

Amanda Jewell ’16 waders around the art exhibitsPhoto provided by Danniele Fulmer

Juried art exhibitions have been taking place on Wilson’s campus for many years. The exhibition is special because it is open to all Wilson College students, regardless of major or interests. Additionally, there are a number of cash prizes awarded to deserving artists based on the juror’s selections. The artists were encouraged to provide prices for the sale of their respective work, with no extra charge for commission, which allowed for a great opportunity for the student artists.

The opening ceremony for the Juried Student Exhibition took place on March 12 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. At the ceremony, the winners were announced and the gallery was opened for community appraisal of the selected works. There was a buzz in the air as students, faculty and community members filtered through the fresh exhibition.

This year’s winners included Lesley Eichelberger (first prize ), Leah Edwards (second prize) and Alexis Ankro (third prize). Honorable mentions from the show included: Jessika Dockery, Neena Gurung, Jenna Kauffman, Robin Kane, Alexis Foor and Allison Engle. There was a wide variety of participation among students, as well as media represented at the show. Works not selected for the main exhibition were displayed in the Salon de Refuses.

The exhibition is an important event for students and the greater Wilson College community. From a student perspective, Christiana Bredbenner ’16, offered, “This is my second time submitting work to the student exhibition, and the three pieces I entered were chosen to be displayed in the exhibition… I think that the student exhibition is important because I strongly believe that the arts have a place in student education, and the exhibition is a great way to recognize and promote the arts.”

Wilson’s faculty is also invested in the art exhibition. When asked about the importance of the event, Philip Lindsey , Head of Humanities Division, Director of the Bogigian Gallery and Associate Professor of Fine Arts, commented on the celebration of scholarship in our community. “Just being involved makes a student more well-rounded, and it adds to the richness of opportunity to celebrate scholarship, the work and creativity.”

As a whole, this year’s student art exhibition has been a great success. The exhibition will continue through April 17, leaving plenty of opportunity for the Wilson community to admire the artwork of students across campus before the show closes out.

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