Student Juried Art Exhibition on display March 27 – April 9 in the Jane P. Batten Student Center.
By Melissa Fowler '09
"All entries must have been completed after high school. Work needs to be display ready. It needs to be prepared in a professional manner in terms of framing and craftsmanship. No loose paper, no damaged work and no wet paint," said John Rudel, assistant professor of art at Virginia Wesleyan College and curator of the 2008 Student Juried Art Exhibition.
For some students, the Student Juried Art Exhibition will be their first taste of showing off their artwork in a professional manner.
This is the first exhibition of this kind since Rudel began teaching at the College in 2005. According to Rudel, the Art Department decided to sponsor this event in order to create a feeling of community among creative individuals.
"The idea is intended to highlight creative work across the Virginia Wesleyan campus and also to create a sense of community among those creative individuals we have on campus," he said.
Not only will students get a feeling of what it is like to have their artwork shown professionally, they will also have a chance to win awards. A people's choice award will be given to one deserving artist. Those who attend the exhibition will have the opportunity to vote on the people's choice award.
Rudel says he hopes the Student Juried Art Exhibition becomes an annual event. He believes that it gives students a chance to see how their artwork measures up to the artwork of their peers.
"Pedagogically it gives students a chance to measure themselves against their peers and evaluate their work in a wider context than they might normally," he said.
Senior Scott Roberts, an art major from Centennial, Colo., agrees with Rudel. Over the course of the semester, he has created almost 10 pieces of mixed-media art, two of which will be on display at the exhibition.
"The Juried Art Exhibition will allow for some school-wide exposure of my artwork and also allow me to see the artwork of the rest of the Virginia Wesleyan community," said Roberts.
Roberts said his artwork, which includes acrylic painting, ceramic sculpture, glass etching and wood working, is inspired by other artists; combining his association with their work with his own emotions and feelings. "I use my education and historical references to create compositions involving human separation and exploration of the natural environment," he said.
For Roberts, it's not so much the competition that drives him, but the chance to get a better understanding of art and how the classes he has taken have helped him get to the point where he is now.
"I am not sure if I want to work as a professional artist but I hope that art will contribute to at least part of my income so this Juried Exhibition is helping to push me in the right direction," he said.
The Student Juried Art Exhibition will be on display from March 27 through April 9 in the Jane P. Batten Student Center, Room 32. An opening reception with light refreshments will be held March 27 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. with an awards presentation. Any student who is enrolled at Virginia Wesleyan is eligible to participate.
For more information, contact John Rudel at 757.455.3257 or jrudel@vwc.edu.
03.12.08