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2022 Juried Fine Art Student Exhibition showcases Auburn arts student work

Work from students in the Department of Art & Art History in the College of Liberal Arts at Auburn University is now on display in Biggin Gallery. The 2022 Juried Fine Art Student Exhibition opened Monday with a talk by the distinguished juror, an awards ceremony and a reception to unveil almost four dozen artworks selected for the show.

The 2022 distinguished visiting juror was Jonathan Frederick Walz, an expert on American modernism and the current director of curatorial affairs and curator of American art at The Columbus Museum in Columbus, Ga. Walz has more than two decades of experience in art curation and has worked around the nation at prestigious art galleries.

Walz said he chose prize winners based on what stood out most in the exhibition and hopes this experience encourages students to receive more feedback on their work.

“Any time you can show your work and get feedback is a good time,” Walz said. “At the end of the day, I chose the work that I kept coming back to. It kept me interested, it was really complex somehow, or it took me to a place I’d never been.”

The artworks were eligible for several awards, including the Dean’s Choice Purchase Award, in which the College of Liberal Arts dean selects a student work to hang in their Tichenor Hall office.

Interim Dean Ana Franco-Watkins chose two pieces: Molly Werk’s “Delicate Shadows” and Sydney Linley’s “Ephemeral.”

“It’s such a great experience to be a dean and to be able to celebrate creative work from the faculty who guide and mentor to the students who elevate and culminate all these works,” Franco-Watkins said. “It was a really challenging decision because there’s so many great works that reflect so many different aspects. So, in choosing, I really focused on the space that I’m in and then how the art would reflect in the space.”

Fine arts junior Molly Werk’s sculpture “Delicate Shadows” is a steel installation of two cranes, designed with stained glass patterns, that hang from the ceiling and cast intricate shadows.

“The point of the piece is to transform not just the piece itself, but the space around it, so I wanted to create something you could shine light on and create a beautiful shadow,” Werk said. “It’s this idea of growth and changing. Shadows change throughout the day and the cranes spin in the air, so the composition changes throughout time.”

Werk also won a Student Achievement Award from the Department of Art & Art History for her work. She said this exhibition elevates her artistic practice to a new level.

“It’s exciting because it makes me feel like my art is going beyond just school or homework,” Werk said. “I’m really honored because I’ve had to work really hard and spend a lot of late nights in the studio, and now it’s getting out into the world more and I feel more ready to take my art farther than just school. And that’s where we all want to go.”

The fine art student exhibition will be displayed in the Biggin Gallery through Thursday, March 31. Auburn students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members are invited to view the exhibition in support of Auburn’s talented art students.

“The annual Juried Student Fine Art Exhibition is one of the highlights of Biggin Gallery’s calendar,” Joyce de Vries, chair of the Department of Art & Art History, said. “It’s a great moment to see what our students are producing and to celebrate their excellent work. The many artworks on display demonstrate the breadth of our students’ creativity—from drawing and collage made in foundations courses through photography, painting, sculpture, ceramics, animation and printmaking from upper-level studios.”

For more information about the 2022 Juried Fine Art Student Exhibition, visit here.

Tags: Art and Art History