RADFORD – Dozens and dozens of eager viewers filled the Art Museum on Tyler, on Wednesday, Feb. 1, for the opening reception of Radford University’s Super Duper Juried Student Art Show.
Guests were treated to 89 works of art – paintings, drawings, photography, sculpture and more, all created entirely by students, 53 artists in all – and the show remains on display through its Feb. 18 closing.
“I am very pleased with the number of entries submitted by students and also with the variety of art,” said Steve Arbury, the museum’s director and a professor of art history. “It truly is a wonderfully eclectic show.”
At the center of the event was the announcement of more than a dozen cash prizes, presented to the creators of 14 of the works on exhibit and selected by artist, educator, and juror Nikki Pynn.
“Making art is so important to all of us. It’s how we create our society,” Pynn told the crowd before she presented the awards.
“Getting over the nervousness of putting yourself forward is a pretty big step in itself,” she advised the fledgling, hopeful artists. “And you’re going to have to do it again; you have to do it again; you have to do it again. And every time you do it, you’re going to learn a little bit more about yourself and what’s working.”
The centerpiece prize, the Purchase Award, went to Sam Harbin for “Shi as Bacchus,” a large charcoal and chalk work on toned paper. Harbin received $750 and will see his piece made part of the museum’s collection.
Harley Reynolds was presented the Andrew W. Ross Photography Award for the photo “Untitled.” That honor comes with a $300 cash prize, and Reynolds’ image will also be entered into the museum’s holdings as well.
In her remarks, Pynn offered encouragement to the artists who did not receive awards, and she praised them for their creations and for their courage to exhibit them.
“You need to always enter and not be afraid to do it, because when you enter, you’re going to learn something,” she said. “If you don’t receive recognition, don’t worry. That’s not saying, ‘Sell your brushes.’ It means ‘think some more, look into what you’re doing.”’
Other winners were Undergraduate Award of Excellence ($300) Kayla Scott – “The Passage” – oil on canvas; Graduate Award of Excellence ($300) Mariah Nolen – “I’m Fine” (diptych) – photography; Undergraduate Award of Distinction ($150) Hannah Odum – “The Beekeeper” – oil on canvas; Graduate Award of Distinction ($150) Chris Bradbury – “Backyard Trees” – oil on paper; Merit Awards ($75) Brandy Bembry – “Sanctuary” – ceramic; Mark Crittenden – “Indecision” – oil on canvas; Amanda Kelly – “Unprecedented Times” – 1:12 scale miniature, mixed media;Harold Martin – “Masculinity” – digital photography; Sydne Moseley – “Volcanic Resilience I” – acrylic on canvas; Tatem Shaffer – “Baldie” – graphite and colored pencil; Alaina Walton – “Near Life Experience” – oil pastel; and Hannah Williams – “Cherokee Owl” – poster.
All the works in Radford University’s Super Duper Juried Student Art Show are on display through Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023, at the Art Museum on Tyler, at 214 Tyler Ave.
Neal Harvey
Radford University