Student Annual 2021

Every year, School of Art majors, minors, and graduate students submit their best artwork to the Student Annual juried exhibition, which is curated by a guest juror. This year, the guest juror was Claudia Berlinski, Director of the McDonough Museum of Art at Youngstown State University. The show, which consists of 32 artworks selected from 161 entries in a variety of media, is on view through May 1, 2021 at the KSU Downtown Gallery, located at 141 E. Main St. in downtown Kent. 

The following students had their work selected for the Student Annual exhibition: Hailey Stummer, Maureen Chisholm, Chad Troyer, Hope Ashley, Griffin Allman, Kathryn Mae Pfeifer, Mario Arteaga, Allison Schloneger, Paige Nutter, Andrew Maltarich, Joe Herrera, Katie Butler, Emily Bartolone, Simon Tatum, David Kruk, Meagan Smith, Maria Camera-Smith, Ajdin Kulic, Sarah Esposito, Kate Rossello, Harris Rosenblum, Lou McAtee, Audrey Bishop, Ben Krampitz, Hynise Philpot, Courtney Shutt, BaileyAnne M. Ferance, Eva Polzer, Tara Segars, Kasey Kania, and Jennifer Masley. 

Undergraduate and graduate students won awards in several categories. Students who received awards were David Kruk (Best in Show Grad, pictured below), Maureen Chisholm (Best in Show Undergrad, pictured above, right), Kasey Kania (Honorable Mention, pictured above, center), Meagan Smith (Textiles Award, pictured above, left), and Kate Rossello (ARTshop Award, pictured below). The Best in Show Grad, Best in Show Undergrad, and Honorable Mention awards are sponsored by All Media Art Supply Co. 

Image
Found object sculpture by David Kruk
David Kruk, graduate student in Ceramics, was awarded Best in Show Grad for his mixed-media sculpture, "Forget Me Not." The piece was inspired by the leftover bits of different materials from past projects in his studio.

"I am interested in imbuing mundane objects with a more spectacular and contemplative quality and how different materials function as a kind of syntax in a larger system. This work came together intuitively, and I'm always intrigued by the debris of past projects residing in the studio. The title "Forget Me Not" was a way for me to empathize with those bits and pieces that can get swept up and tossed out,” David said of his piece. 

Maureen Chisholm, undergraduate Studio Art major, was awarded Best in Show Undergrad for her mixed-media assemblage, "We Ate What We Had." Kasey Kania, undergraduate major in Art History and Painting, received Honorable Mention for his painting, "Altered Beast." 

Meagan Smith, M.F.A. candidate in Textiles, received the Textiles Award for her digital weaving, "Gathering." The Textiles Award is sponsored by Professor Janice Lessman-Moss.

Image
A still from Kate Rossello's video A World Without Men. Depicts a person in the middle of a field with sky and clouds projected on the grass.
Undergraduate Studio Art major Kate Rossello won the ARTshop Award, sponsored by the School of Art’s ARTshop, for their video, "World Without Men."

“My idea behind the piece was to capture feelings of bliss and euphoria. I was channeling the ideas of perfection displayed in commercials and advertisements. These inaccurate depictions of life led me to the idea of making my own sort or commercial. In this video, I am not selling a product, but selling myself. I joked with professors about this being an ad for my dating profiles. Originally the green-screened background was a rainbow spiral, hypnotizing women to fall in love with me. That was a bit too much so I opted for the more subtle cloud time lapse. This video was shot via drone in a massive flower field by my dear friend John Wroblewski. I was basically trying to convey how at peace with myself and my surroundings I would be if I existed outside of a patriarchy,” said Kate of their piece. 

To find out more about the Student Annual and other exhibitions at Kent State's School of Art, visit the School of Art Galleries and Collection website at galleries.kent.edu.

UPDATED: Friday, March 29, 2024 09:23 AM
WRITTEN BY:
Grace Carter