Juried exhibition gives artists real-life practice

Michelle McDaniel once watched her mom’s boyfriend give her mom a big box of peppermints. He said that his reason for giving McDaniel’s mom the gift was just because he thought she needed them. Now, McDaniel uses that memory as inspiration in her artwork.
Art inspiration can come from anywhere, and students whose work is being shown in the 15th Annual ULM Juried Art Exhibition at the Bry Art Gallery have proved no different.
Selected student pieces will be exhibited until May, and award winners will be announced today at 5 p.m. For students like McDaniel who have multiple pieces being judged, their chances of winning are higher.
“I was very excited because I wasn’t expecting to get something in,” said McDaniel, a junior art major with a concentration in graphic design. “I was hoping to get at least one in, but to have two. I was pretty stoked.”
One of McDaniel’s pieces entitled “Auctioneer” is a drawing of peppermints. She named it after her mom’s boyfriend who is an auctioneer.
The exhibition makes for a busy and exciting time of year for the art department. Professors get to sit back and watch other people go through and evaluate their students’ work. For the students, it’s a very professional setting that gives them the real-world experience right here on campus.
“I think we have excellent student work,” said Glenda Swan, assistant professor of art. “Unfortunately, there are not enough times when we get to display it. I think people would be astonished at the excellence and professionalism they have even before graduating.”
Not all of the students have pieces that advance to the exhibition, like first-year entry Sarah Powell.
“Mine wasn’t as strong as everybody,” said Powell, a senior expecting to graduate in the fall. “But, this is a real big thing.”
The juried art exhibit promotes professionalism. Students can take their submitted works and add them to résumés, which will help them land jobs after graduating. The process the students have to go through and the way their works were selected is how artists submit their work in the professional world.
Swan added, “It’s good practice for our students to get used to submitting work for display.”
Assistant Professor of Art Dara Engler said there were fewer entries than usual in the competition but noted that the group of artists who did submit was strong.
Several people from the community stopped by to peek at the works. Professor Gary Ratcliff, head of art department, said the community does a good job supporting the students.
“It’s always good to see the quality of the work that’s submitted for the show,” Ratcliff said. “And, it’s a good opportunity for the community to see the quality of the work our students are doing, which reflects the quality of instruction they get in the classroom and studio.”
McDaniel’s mom’s boyfriend doesn’t know he inspired her to do a piece, especially one that it is being exhibited and judged.
McDaniel said her mom always asks her if she has told him. But, McDaniel always says, “no.”
McDaniel said, “I want him to see it for himself, so then I can tell him, ‘By the way, it’s about you.’”