CCU holds first juried student art show in collaboration with Seacoast Artists Guild
The recently-opened exhibit runs through Friday, Dec. 10, in CCU’s Rebecca Randall Bryan Art Gallery, located in the Thomas W. and Robin W. Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts. At the opening, before a standing-room-only crowd, the top four winners were announced: Callie Chestnut, Best in Show for her brass piece, Knifelace; Jason Orcutt, first place for his screenprint, Imprinted; Timothy Mitten, second place for his digital photograph, Pane; and Micaela Freile, third place for her mixed media, Untitled.
More than 120 student artists from a variety of CCU visual arts departments submitted works for the show, ranging from paintings to drawings to sculpture to mixed media, and a faculty committee culled the body to 36 pieces for the exhibit. External juror April Dauscha, who received her MFA in fiber from Virginia Commonwealth University and has developed a fiber arts program at the Fine Arts Center in Greenville, S.C., selected the winners.
“It was great to have students from across all the majors and levels of the University participate in the show,” said James Arendt, associate professor in the Department of Visual Arts and gallery director. “It really showcased the breadth and quality of the works they do throughout their education.”
In addition to the scholarship prizes, representatives from the Seacoast Artist Guild offered other professional opportunities to the student artists. Chestnut’s work will be on display in a month-long exhibit at Seacoast Artists Gallery in The Market Common, and all students are offered guild membership for free, meaning they will be eligible to participate in biannual Seacoast Artists Guild shows.
Nick Mariano, guild member, said he expects the collaboration between the guild and CCU students to continue.
“It’s a great way for students and artists in the guild to connect,” said Mariano.