57th Annual Juried Undergraduate Exhibition

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.

This exhibition includes awards in several media categories, including two awards in 2-D Media, two awards in 3-D Media, one award in Design, and one award in Time-Based Media, as well as an overall Best in Show. Recipients of awards will receive their award payment via gift card, check, or direct deposit to the bank account set up through the University. The method of the award payment will depend on the award received.

Marie T. Cochran received degrees from the University of Georgia (BFA) and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (MFA). She is a self-described cultural pollinator. As an artist, curator, educator, curator and artist, Cochran creates projects and artwork that address a sense of place and community. Her work is often grounded in interdisciplinary dialogues focused on social justice and cultural equity. She has exhibited

extensively throughout the Southeast and nationally. Throughout her 30 year career, she has taught at colleges in Georgia, New Jersey, Maryland, and North Carolina. Cochran is a former WCU School of Art faculty member. Most recently she was a 2020-2022 Lehman Brady Visiting Professor at the Duke University’s Center for Documentary Studies and the UNC’s American Studies Program. Cochran is the founding curator of the Affrilachian Artist Project, which celebrates the intersection of cultures in Appalachia and nurtures a network of individuals and organizations committed to the sustainability of a diverse region. 

List of artists coming soon.