The Valdosta State University Department of Art and Design will present its 20th annual Juried Student Art Competition March 19 through April 6 in the Dedo Maranville Fine Arts Gallery. Admission is free of charge and open to the public.
 
A campus-wide invitation to participate in the 2018 Juried Student Art Competition was issued earlier this year to all currently enrolled VSU students. Regardless of their major area of study, students were encouraged to share their artistic talents by submitting a maximum of four two-dimensional and/or three-dimensional works, including graphic design, illustration (digital and traditional), interior design (presentation boards, illustrations, models, and so on), computer animation, drawing, printmaking (lithography, etching, silkscreen, relief, collographs, etc.), painting, aqueous media, jewelry, photography (digital and darkroom), ceramics, small metals, sculpture, and mixed media.
 
Julie Bowland, Dedo Maranville Fine Arts Gallery director and professor of art, said that 57 students submitted more than 160 works of art for the competition and exhibition.
 
Rich Curtis, the 2018 Juried Student Art Competition juror and an assistant professor of art at Thomas University in Thomasville, reviewed the submissions and selected 61 pieces to be featured in the exhibition and to compete for one of several prizes — $200 for first place, $125 for second place, $100 for third place, $75 for fourth place, and five honorable mention awards.
 
The winners will be announced during an opening reception from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Monday, March 19, in the Dedo Maranville Fine Arts Gallery.
 
“The participating student artists exhibit a wonderful range of diverse media, styles, and artistic outlooks in this annual showcase of emerging talent,” Bowland said. “Interior design, graphic illustration, photography, drawing, painting, ceramics, sculpture, and mixed media are all included in this exciting multi-media exhibition. This is one of the most eagerly awaited exhibitions, as any and all VSU students are eligible to compete and show their art.”
 
The 2018 Juried Student Art Competition is sponsored by VSU’s Harley Langdale Jr. College of Business Administration.
 
The Dedo Maranville Fine Arts Gallery is located on the first floor of the VSU Fine Arts Building, at the intersection of Brookwood Drive and Oak Street. It is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday.