55th Annual Juried Undergraduate Exhibition

John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center November 30, 2022

EXHIBITION: February 21 - March 24, 2023
RECEPTION: Thursday, March 2, 2023 from 5-7pm
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Person on curled in a fetal position wrapped in blue cloth. Person seems to have long brown hair, pale skin, sunburned shoulders, and a tattoo above the knee.

Madison (Darla) Lohwasser, Reduced, 2021, oil on canvas, 36 x 48 inches.

Image of a black person with a red tank top with a red and orange sky behind them.

Chance Holmes-Snowden, EXPERIMENTAL, 2022, photograph, 27.625 x 18.375 inches.

55th Annual Juried Undergraduate Exhibition: February 21 - March 24, 2023

Artist Submission for Consideration Deadline: January 24, 2023, at 11:59PM
Notification of Acceptance into Exhibition: February 3, 2023
Delivery of Accepted Work to WCU Fine Art Museum: February 8-10, 2023 (10AM - 4PM)

Western Carolina University’s Annual Juried Undergraduate Exhibition is one of the longest-running Catamount art traditions. This exhibition is an extraordinary opportunity for WCU undergraduate students to share their artwork with a larger public and to enhance their skills in presenting artwork in a professional gallery setting. Entries are reviewed by an outside art professional who selects the works for exhibition at the WCU Fine Art Museum. This year, the exhibition juror is Margaret Curtis, a feminist artist, and painter who has been creating work since the late 1980s.

Exhibiting Artists: Olivia Bartlett, Cassidy Burns, Matthew Cain, Amanda Clark, Bella Cugini, Erin Elsey, Elise Evans, Annette Gomez, Kinsley Gunter, Heather Hennessey, Chance Holmes-Snowden, Josh Jordan, Gillian Kaminski, Kit Kaufman, Henry Klesius, Kiara Leary, Abby Ledet, Madi Livingston, Madison (Darla) Lohwasser, Joshua Masters, Gloria Melo-Estrada, Naomi Michelle, Jessica Rial, Matt Stapley

About the juror - margaret curtis

Grey and Brown ink on paper image depicting a woman swarmed by flies

Margaret Curtis, Woman Swarmed by Flies (Small #3), 2019, ink on paper, 15 x 11 inches. Courtesy of the Artist and Tracey Morgan Gallery, Asheville, NC.

Margaret Curtis is a feminist artist whose multi-layered, narrative paintings address interpersonal and societal power dynamics. She is a 2021-2026 Joan Mitchell Foundation Fellow. Curtis received degrees from Duke University and The Atlanta College of Art. She has shown at the Brooklyn Museum, The Andy Warhol Museum, The Wexner Center, The Mint Museum, and the Asheville Art Museum, among others. Her work has been included in notable exhibitions from Bad Girls at the New Museum of Contemporary Art in 1993, to Start Talking at the North Carolina Museum of Art in 2022.

Reviews and features of Curtis’ work have appeared in Art Forum, Harper’s, The Oxford American, The New York Times, Art in America, Art News, Modern Painters, New Art Examiner, and other national publications. Her work is in permanent collections throughout the United States. She is the recipient of fellowships at both Yale and Duke University, as well as numerous residency awards. She is currently represented by Tracey Morgan Gallery.

Application Eligibility

Undergraduate students enrolled at Western Carolina University are eligible to submit artwork for consideration. “Undergraduate” is defined as any student enrolled in a 400-level course or below during the current academic year. Artwork must have been created during the students’ time at Western. Art majors and non-art majors are welcome to apply. Artwork previously exhibited in a Juried Undergraduate Exhibition at the WCU Fine Art Museum is not eligible for consideration. Artwork previously exhibited in a BFA Portfolio Exhibition may be submitted for the juror to review.

List of Awards for 55th Annual Juried Undergraduate Exhibition

Best in Show - Kinsley Gunter, Don’t play with the fire! You’re gonna pee the bed tonight
Chancellor’s Award - Madi Livingston, Shadows
BCFPA Dean’s Purchase Award - Kit Kaufman, Fruit of Our Labors
Museum Director’s Award - Amanda Clark, Two Pink Stripes
Diane Withrow Coyle Award in Drawing - Heather Hennessey, Still Life #1

Media Awards
2-D Media - Gillian Kaminski, You’re On My Heels
2-D Media - Chance Holmes-Snowden, EXPERIMENTAL
3-D Media - Gloria Melo-Estrada, Vulnerable
3-D Media - Naomi Michelle, RECLAIMation
Time-Based Media - Kiara Leary, Dinner Date
Design - Annette Gomez, Antechamber

Art Materials Awards
Art Materials Award #1 - Jessica Rial, Welcome Home
Art Materials Award #2 - Erin Elsey, Forever Fauve (Mme Matisse)
Art Materials Award #3 - Madison Lohwasser, Reduced
Art Materials Award #4 - Elise Evans, Pop-Up Leaves and Vines

Exhibition Sponsors

Image courtesy of Blick Art Materials.

Thank you to our sponsors for your continued support of our students and exhibitions! If you would like to learn more about Blick Art Materials, please visit the link.

Reception for the exhibition will be held on Thursday, March 2, 2023, from 5-7PM. Light refreshments and drinks will be served at BAC's Star Atrium.

Erin Elsey, Now My Projections Will Never Come True, 2022, digital photograph using face paint, Canon camera, photoshop, 10.5 x 18 inches.

Museum Hours
The WCU Fine Art Museum exhibitions and events are free and open to the public. Standard Museum hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10AM-4PM, and Thursday, 10AM-7PM. If you have any questions, please call (828)227-ARTS.

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