April 13 - May 2, 2015
- Reception: April 16, 6-8 p.m., gallery lounge
- Live music by the Parkland Guitar Ensemble
- Awards ceremony at 7 p.m.
Audiences will enjoy an impressive body of student work in photography, painting, drawing, metals, sculpture, three-dimensional design, two-dimensional design, color theory, and ceramics. Parkland Art and Design faculty will select approximately 200 works from among 400+ entries for this year's exhibit. Students taking art classes in the current academic year, beginning with summer 2014, were eligible to submit artwork.
“It’s a great opportunity for students to begin the process of exhibiting their work,” said Peggy Shaw, Art faculty in digital and darkroom photography and video. Shaw is one among many Parkland faculty and students who look forward to this event each spring. “This exhibition allows the Art Department to show off the diverse talents of our students to the rest of the community.”
As students planning on a profession in the arts begin their career path at Parkland, this exhibition allows them to showcase their extensive talent as well as the exploration processes they have experienced throughout their studies in Art and Design, according to gallery director Lisa Costello.
“It introduces them to professional practices they will encounter in their field as well, such as working with a gallery, preparing their work for exhibition, and engaging in the jurying process that is essential for an emerging artist,” Costello said. “This is a necessary component for resume building and establishing themselves as practicing artists once they graduate or transfer to a four-year college.”
During the April 16 reception, an awards ceremony at 7 p.m. will recognize students whose artwork shows remarkable distinction. Student artists will receive monetary awards including The Parkland President Award, The David M. and Shirley A. Jones Student Art Award, The Metals Award for Jewelry/Metalsmithing, The Fine and Applied Arts Chair Award, the Parkland Art and Design Faculty Award, The Blair Kling Memorial Art Award, and The Library Purchase Award. In addition to these awards, there will also be an Art Coop Award for Sustained Studio Excellence, which allows students to purchase art supplies.
Parkland Art and Design students are eligible to earn scholarships, which are also announced during the reception; these include the Don Lake Art Scholarship, the Underwood-Alger Scholarship, and the Robert Ralph Ford Memorial Art Scholarship. Finally, the winner of the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts Scholarship will be announced.
Merit awardees, scholarship recipients, and certificate winners retain possession of their work, while purchase awards become part of the Parkland College Student Art Collection.