Giertz Gallery to Feature 57th Annual Juried Student Exhibition
Students taking art classes in the current academic year submitted work
The 57th Annual Juried Student Art and Design Exhibition will be featured at the Giertz Gallery at Parkland College beginning Monday, April 14.
Audiences will enjoy this impressive body of student work, which includes photography, painting, drawing, figure drawing, metals, three-dimensional design, two-dimensional design, color theory, graphic design, and ceramics. Parkland Art and Design faculty will select approximately 180 works from over 350 entries for this year's exhibit. Students taking art classes in the current academic year, beginning with summer 2024, submitted artwork.
"Our students are people from all walks of life engaging in the experience of creating and perceiving visual art," said art faculty member Matthew Watt, elaborating on the importance of the exhibition. "Some are just beginning to learn a new craft, and others have been at it for a while."
Watt added: "All of them are part of a community that forms in our studio classrooms every semester to reshape their raw experiences into something communicable and engaging. It is an essential part of the Art and Design program to hold this yearly student exhibition. Students, faculty and the larger community that attends are always a bit more elevated by it."
According to gallery director Lisa Costello, students planning on a profession in the arts begin their career path at Parkland College. She said this exhibition allows them to showcase their extensive talent, and the exploration processes they have experienced throughout their studies in art and design.
"It introduces them to professional practices they will encounter in their field, such as working with a gallery, preparing their work for exhibition, and engaging in the jurying process—all essential for an emerging artist," Costello said. "This is necessary for resume building and establishing themselves as practicing artists once they graduate in their career program or transfer to a four-year college."
During a reception on April 17, an awards ceremony will recognize students whose artwork shows remarkable distinction with announcements made for merit awards, purchase awards, monetary award certificates, and scholarship recipients.
Monetary awards include the Parkland President’s Award for Excellence in Two-Dimensional Artwork, Parkland President’s Award of Excellence in Three-Dimensional Artwork, the David M. and Shirley A. Jones Student Art Award, the Metals Award for Jewelry/Metalsmithing, the Arts, Media, and Social Sciences Chair Award, the Parkland Art and Design Faculty Award, the Chris Berti Award for Excellence in Ceramics, and the Blair Kling Memorial Art Award.
Additionally, Melissa's Gift Comrades in Art Award will be awarded, provided by the local artist group in memory of former Parkland art student Melissa Lynch. Parkland Art and Design scholarships include the Don Lake Art Scholarship, the Underwood-Alger Scholarship, the Robert Ralph Ford Memorial Art Scholarship, the Feldman Art Ceramics Scholarship, the Lykins Family Art Scholarship, and the Juanita Gammon Graphic Design Scholarship.
Merit awardees, certificate winners, and scholarship recipients retain possession of their work, while purchase awards become part of the Parkland College Student Art Collection.
The reception is scheduled on April 17 from 5:30–7:30 p.m. in the Giertz Gallery. Dr. Nancy Sutton will give welcoming remarks at the awards ceremony at 6:15 p.m. The exhibit is open until Saturday, May 10.
Spring gallery hours are Monday through Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Saturday, noon to 2 p.m.
Use the M6 parking lot on the north side of campus. Enter through Door X-7, turn left, and follow the ramps uphill to the highest point on the first floor to find the gallery.
Giertz Gallery acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council. All events in the accessible gallery are free and open to the public. Parkland College is a Section 504/ADA-compliant institution. For accommodation, call 217/353-2338 or email accessibilityservices@parkland.edu.
For more information on the exhibit, please call the gallery office at 217/351-2485 or visit parkland.edu/gallery.
[image: Cody Rummenie, "Fire Hydrant (Color Study)” 10 x 8 inches, acrylic on board, from Color Theory, 2024]