Mulvane exhibits student artwork

“Creative Portrait: Cupcake,” a digital photography piece by Jessica Hogberg, is one of the 47 works in the Mulvane student show. Hogberg also has work displayed in her senior BFA exhibition at the Art Building. 

Printmaking, painting, ceramics, drawing, photography, sculpture, mixed media and porcelain demonstrate only some of the variety of media featured in the 2013 Washburn Art Department Student Exhibit. These 47 works by 30 different Washburn student artists are currently featured at the Mulvane Art Museum.

This is the 20th year that the student exhibits have been held the way they are today – jurored. Although more than the 47 works in the exhibit were submitted, up to four works from each student, it’s a prestigious thing to be selected for even one work. It is extremely rare for all four to be selected. Despite the rarity, there are three students that have had three out of four works accepted into the exhibit.

Submitting work and being accepted into the exhibit isn’t where the process ends, however. Those accepted in the exhibit then attend a workshop and eventually install their own work. Not only is it an honor to be accepted into the work, but also a learning opportunity.

“The juror doesn’t know the student or professor’s names, just the title, medium, size and year created,” said Michael Allen, Mulvane Art Museum preparator. “He selects the work, based on the work.”

This year’s juror is Dylan J. Beck, assistant professor and ceramics area chairman at Kansas State University.

“This exhibition represents what is hopefully one of the first of many exhibition opportunities in Washburn art students’ burgeoning careers in the arts,” according to Beck’s juror’s statement. “And I cannot think of a finer exhibition space to highlight the exceptional talents of such fine promising artists.”

Allen explains that a show like this one, with a large variety in media, shows the skills of students. Allen goes on to say that students seem well knowledged about multiple media, instead of one focus in particular, such as more photography or sculpture than other works. The balance speaks volumes and shows the overall strength of the exhibit.

The student show will remain displayed at the museum until June 9.

Other exhibits displayed at the Mulvane include “Small Deaths, Hand-Colored Photographs by Kate Breakey” and “William L. Haney Rediscovered.”

The Mulvane Art Museum is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, as well as 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

For more information visit www.washburn/edu/mulvane or email [email protected].