Students from schools around Omaha submitted their art to the Student Art Show. Some were accepted, most rejected, but all around it came together as a complete success according to Ashton Page.
Art from any field could be displayed, including paintings, drawings, photographs and welded sculptures. A total of 21 pieces are currently on display in Skutt.
“We had 56 pieces submitted,” said Ashton Page, Arts & Sciences sophomore and current Student Art Coordinator for Skutt. “We brought in an outside judge, Weston Thomson, to help us out with the ratings.”
Weston is the education manager at the Kent Bellows Studio and was recommended to Page by Amy Nelson, an associate professor in the Fine and Performing Arts department.
Indeed, all one must do is take a glance at the second floor of the student center to see how much work went into making the show possible. Four distinct criteria directed the thoughts of the judges: composition, craftsmanship, technique and contrast.
With a total point scale of 40, a “best in show” was chosen. Murielle Lemon’s “Sarah at the Beach” achieved a perfect score. Although this piece is elegant, several students found other works that caught their eye. “I really appreciate abstract,” said Arts & Sciences sophomore Nate Slachetka as he stared at Mohammed Owihan’s “Eye of an Armor.” “I find that it challenges what we should think about what we perceive in our day-to-day lives.”
But not everything needs to be a challenge, said Arts & Sciences sophomore Kate Branstetter as she observed Betsy Wallace’s “Joe and Betsy.”
“It’s pretty and sentimental. I think it is really important that people realize it does not need to be complicated to be beautiful.”
Even with this show in tow, there is another on the horizon. The Lied Center is having its own art show starting April 25. Although these are both student shows, Page said he had a few concerns about the timing and what art would be placed in it.
“I wish we worked together, and we could share our art,” Page said. “Thankfully, Thomson already secured a spot for the top three of our showings. I feel like the people who didn’t get in here will submit to them.”