Guest juror gives art awards to HC students
Matt Plett earns “Best of Show” at 12^th Annual Student Art Show

FOR RELEASE March 28, 2002

HUNTINGTON, IN—The twelfth annual Student Art Show at Huntington College is currently on display at the Robert E. Wilson Gallery in the Merillat Centre for the Arts. The show will run until April 5, 2002. 

Bob Howell, Professor of Art at Louisiana College in Pineville, La., served as guest juror, choosing which pieces would be shown and judging each piece in different categories. 

“Jurying this show was extremely difficult because I felt that there were very few, if any, pieces entered that were not of high enough quality to remain in the show,” said Howell. “I found that no one area of medium was dominant in quality, but that quality was high across the spectrum of media, styles of work, and in both 2-D and 3-D areas. It was a pleasure to view work of such consistent high quality.”

Receiving Best of Show was Matt Plett from Rensselaer, Ind., for his oil painting, “Get Over It.” Hannah Fairchild of Huntington, Ind., placed first overall for her ceramic, “La Couleur Del’Ocean.” “Foreshortening: Positive and Negative,” a drawing by Kristin Smurdon from Valparaiso, Ind., finished second overall, and “Fender Strat,” a wire sculpture by Josh Middleton of Kingwood, Texas, finished third overall.

Other students receiving outstanding achievement honors in various categories included:

Area                      Award Recipient                                          Title of work

2-D Design            Nate Vandlen (Dimondale, Mich.)             “Snap Shot”

3-D Design            Josh Middleton                                            “Les Paul”

Ceramics                Janna Cordes (Roann, Ind.)                        “Treasure of Memories”

Ceramics                Johanna Hoffman (Huntington, Ind.)        “Reflection of Tea”

Computer Illustration                Kristin Smurdon                      “Before & After”

Computer Illustration                Matt Plett                                 “Headphones”

Drawing                 Brian Reynolds (Bourbonnais, Ill.)             “Cord”

Drawing                 Nate Vandlen                                                 “The Storm”

Graphic Design     Jennifer Gallant (Van Buren, Ohio)             “Self-Portrait”

Illustration            Amanda Garde (Huntington, Ind.)               “A Dream Home”

Painting                 Amanda Garde                                                “Protection”

Painting                 Nate Reed (Harrisburg, Pa.)                          “Soundly Unsupportive”

Photography        James Hogg (Webberville, Mich.)                “Blue” “Red”

Printmaking          Nicole Woods (Greenville, Ohio)                   “Focus”

Sculpture              Amy Griffin (Huntington, Ind.)                       “Change and Growth”