Art students unveil competitive works at Baum

UCA?s Baum Gallery was packed, Tuesday, as art students and spectators flooded in to find out the winners of the 2004 Annual Student Competitive Art Exhibition.

A total of 111 of the 176 artworks submitted for the competition were selected for display. A wide array of artwork is on display including ceramic sculptures, photography, mixed media installations and paintings.

Erin Branham, curator of education for the Arkansas Arts Center, juried the competition and presented eight students with awards.

Receiving honorable mention awards were Rebecca Brown, ?Metamorphosis;? Hayden Henningsen, ?Collaborative Control;? Edward Kowalski, ?Me, Myself and I;? and Michelle Underwood, ?Tornado.?

Three students were awarded prizes for excellence: Lilly Campbell, ?Beauty;? Catherine Gilbert, ?Night, Day;? and Katherine St. John, ?The Deep Moan.?

The grand prize was awarded to Scott Turks for his oil on canvas titled ?Boxed Butterfly.?

Branham?s judging criteria was based on the original themes of concept, craftsmanship, technique and style, but she also judged the works based on whether each piece?s meaning could sustain multiple interpretations.

She said, ?It?s important for artists to realize that once a work leaves you hands, it?s no longer your to interpret. It?s risky for artists to put it out there and trust it on its own.?

The exhibit will be available for viewing and sales through Thursday, Mach 18. For more information, contact Baum Gallery at 450-5793.