81st annual art show displays wide range of student work

On Feb. 19, the Atrium gallery will display the 88 student works that were accepted into the student art show. The show, which will run until March 16, is an opportunity for students to display their creativity and have a professional experience.

Art pieces in the show were created in the past year and cover a wide variety of types of art, from ceramics to video. Students typically work on an accepted piece for about a month. To give students a more professional experience, the university hires a juror to decide which pieces go into the show.

This year’s juror is Anthony Stellaccio, an artist and freelance scholar who has worked at the National Museum of African Art, the Lithuanian Art Museum and the Smithsonian. A juror is a practicing artist who will decide what work is accepted and distribute all the prizes for the show. 

There are a variety of monetary prizes for the show, with $500 for first place, $250 for second place, $150 for third place and a $100 award that goes to one piece in each category or type of art. 

The Muncie Art Student League, an organization founded by community members in 1886, sponsors three of the awards. The Dean’s Purchase Award is from Robert Kvam, the dean of the College of Fine Arts.

Kelly Miller, a design specialist in Ball State’s Digital Corps who has two works in the show, said being in the show is a positive experience.

“It's a great feeling seeing your work up in a gallery, and because it is a juried show, it really feels like an accomplishment," Miller said.

Being accepted into the show can be tough. This year, 49 pieces were not accepted into the show. 

Sean Chen is excited his work, "Fruit Cups," will be displayed in this year's show. The piece was created in response to an assignment to create a brand for the opposite gender.

“I chose to repackage bras. The packaging was inspired by a kid’s paper toy and how some people relate women’s breast size to a piece of fruit," he said. "I thought it was hilariously cute to create a bra packaging corresponded with the appropriate fruit size. A cups are kiwis, and B cups are oranges, ... etc.” 

Chen’s "Fruit Cups" is not the only gender-themed work at the show. One of Miller’s pieces, "Grizzly," responded to the same assignment, but this time for hipster men.

“I love when products have copy that feels kind of sarcastic and witty, so I started with that concept," Miller said. "People tend to poke fun at the 'bearded hipster,' and I thought that would be a fun demographic to use as a base. I ended up with an organic bath and body line called Grizzly." 

"Grizzly" consists of a “beard tonic,” an “all-in-one salve,” a soap and an advertisement.