Excitement filled the hallway outside the exhibition room, as Carolyn Grosh, curator of collections & exhibitions at the Fine Art Museum, stepped on stage to announce the award recipients.
The 57th annual juried exhibition organized by the Fine Arts Museum provides WCU students, no matter their major, the opportunity to be creative and showcase their work.
“Every year I see non-art majors apply and be selected for the exhibition, which is a testament to the creative spirit that exists in every discipline across our university community,” Grosch said. Of the 55 artist that submitted work 28 were chosen for the exhibition.
This year’s juror was Marie T. Cochran, former WCU School of Art faculty member and curator of the Affrilachian project.
Each year jurors pick 26 or 27 pieces for the exhibition, Cochran struggled to narrow them down picking 31 out of 182 pieces from the 55 artists that participated. As Cochran said choosing pieces for the exhibition was extremely difficult.
“There was so much diversity in content, subject matter, media, whether it was an installation piece, a photograph or a ceramic mug that didn’t have a statement but had beauty all by itself,” Cochran said.
The exhibit consisted of many pieces of work that centered around community. Among the works there was a sense of reflection of the past few months. From highlighting the hard work of the janitorial staff in the dorms or highlighting how the community came together in the aftermath of a disaster.
“Another element that came into the selection process—the present moment—there were some pieces that spoke to that, that were undeniable because they were powerful by themselves,” Cochran said.
The pieces submitted into this year’s exhibition spoke to the present moment of Hurricane Helene, one of those pieces from Valeria Ramos, a fine and performing art student with a studio concentration, called “Helena”. The exhibition is the second Ramos has been a part of.
Ramos’ work is a series that connects through hurricanes. Originally from Puerto Rico, an area that experiences hurricanes frequently, Ramos said that Hurricane Helene reminded her of home.
Combining both the experience of living through hurricanes in Puerto Rico and living through Hurricane Helene, Ramos wanted to highlight how everyone felt in the aftermath of Helene.
“I wanted to show that it’s possible, even if the darkness hour when you come together, everything is possible.” Ramos said.
Ramos showed up to the event on crutches as she was in a car wreck days prior. Originally not planning to come to the exhibit Ramos walked away with two awards, the 2D design award along with the Chancellor’s purchase award. Her “Helena” will be displayed in the H.F. Robinson Administration Building in the Chancellor Suite.
“This piece resonated with me because the way it captured the emotions following Helene. This piece was a thought-provoking reflection of that time across our region,” said Chancellor Keli Brown as she presented the award.
Julian Parker, an art major focusing in painting and graduating in the fall of 2027, received one of the two awards in 3D design for his ceramic piece titled “Aftermath.”
A four-piece ceramic set in a glass case that focuses on the psychological warfare individuals face in everyday life.
“I wanted to try my best to represent the display persona that we all do to live in society and how daily life and improper coping mechanisms can deteriorate it,” Parker explained.
Of the four pieces in the set, Parker focused on one piece highlighting how traumas can have drastic effects when not coping properly.
“If you don’t learn how to cope with the traumas you’ve had in your past you will drown and be lost,” said Parker. “The only way to recover from is to find yourself and persevere and face those challenges wholeheartedly.”
Sally Drumheller, a fine and performing art student with a studio concentration, piece “Female Freak” depicts a distorted naked woman lying on the floor of a room.
“It goes back to this memory idea. When you have a memory so far back into your brain and trying to figure out whether that was a reality or if it was a dream,” Drumheller said.
“Female Freak” is part of a series called “The Freaks” that depicts human-like characters through a distorted lens.
A total of 17 awards were given out. The exhibit closed on March 21.
