SEMO students recognized at Annual Juried Student Exhibition

The Department of Art & Design hosted the Annual Juried Student Exhibition featuring a wide variety of art pieces created by SEMO students.

Pieces ranged from oil on canvas to sculptures created with steel and metal pieces.

Professor and chair of the Department of Art and Design Nancy Palmeri, organized the event.

Initially, there were over 190 pieces submitted for this exhibition. According to Palmeri, Ben Pierce, a designer and artist in the St. Louis area, was the juror for this event. Pierce decided which pieces were accepted, as well as the awards given at the event.

Third place winning piece, "Self-Love" by SEMO Student, Savannah Gourley.Photo by Alexis Nadler

The piece was created within the Sculpture II course taught by professor Chris Wubbena. Materials used to create this piece include styrofoam, drywall spackling, organic materials, and plastic. Gourley was not present for the Annual Juried Student Exhibition.

The award for second place went to Junior BFA Art major Kate Cooper for her piece entitled Sadness, Solace and Memory.

2nd place winning piece, "Sadness, Solace, and Memory" by Junior BFA Art major, Kate Cooper.Photo by Alexis Nadler

“I’m really inspired by the environment and nature in a lot of ways. Being a part of an ag[ricultural] family of generations, like my mother and grandmother, and seeing strong women on rural types of land is really inspiring,” Cooper said.

Cooper’s piece was created within the course Drawing 3: Portraits as Stereotypes, taught by Associate Professor of Art Joshua Newth. Materials such as charcoal on paper and wood panels were used to create this piece.

The award for first place went to Senior BFA Art major Haley Brotherton for her piece entitled X Factor (Pearl, 2022).

“[The original idea] came from the movie Pearl that came out two years ago. This was the last shot of the movie and the face she was making. It is just so disturbingly perfect, so I knew that I wanted to do this” Brotherton said.

Brotherton’s piece was created in the course Painting V, taught by Professor Justin Miller. This piece was created using oil on canvas.

“This is probably my favorite painting I have ever done,” Brotherton said.

The next student exhibition will be the Senior BFA Exhibition showcasing graduating seniors’ best work. Pieces can be viewed beginning April 26. through May 11. The reception is May 3. from 4-8 p.m.