From April 15 to May 3, the art department will be presenting the Juried Art Exhibit in the Te Paske Gallery as a way to showcase art created by Northwestern students. This annual end-of-the-year show will feature a wide variety of mediums, including paintings, prints, ceramics and sculptures.
This show is special because any student was allowed to enter; being an art major was not required. Students from all backgrounds and majors took advantage of this opportunity, and 68 pieces were submitted.
This year’s juror is a professor in the English department, Prof. Samuel Martin. While he does not teach art at NW, he minored in art during his time at college and brings a unique perspective to the judging process.
As the juror, Martin has the job of selecting which art will be included in the exhibit. There are no specific guidelines for this. Each year the juror chooses the number of pieces they will accept and has the freedom to judge according to their own criteria.
Because such diverse types of artwork have been submitted, this required Martin to think carefully about his criteria.
“I tried not to judge one medium better than the other but instead judge pieces of kind against each other.”
Martin completed his judging on Wednesday, April 10. The pieces included in the show have been chosen, as well as the first, second and third place selections. The show will be up for about two weeks, and then on Wednesday, May 1, a reception will be held at 7 p.m. in the art gallery.
This serves as sort of a celebration of the artwork and the students’ hard work, and Martin will talk about what guided his selections. The top three winners will be announced. These students will be recognized and awarded with a prize.
Martin encourages students to view the exhibit while it is open from April 14 through May 3.
“This gives students a chance to come see their friends’ artwork in all different mediums,” Martin said.
Emily Stokes, assistant professor of art, has played an important role in coordinating this year’s show. She shares that the purpose of the Juried Art Exhibit is to “give students a platform to showcase what they’re doing.”
