More than 360 individual works of art by adult artists from across the United States were submitted for the Valdosta State University Dedo Maranville Fine Arts Gallery’s Valdosta National 2019. The all-media juried competition and exhibition opens at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 22, with a reception and awards ceremony.  
 
For the 31st annual showcase of contemporary visual art, Michael McFalls, Valdosta National 2019 judge, selected 45 works by 29 artists from 21 states to be featured and to compete for $1,500 in awards. The selection process was highly competitive.
 
Julie Bowland, Dedo Maranville Fine Arts Gallery director and Department of Art and Design professor, said the Valdosta National 2019 exhibited artworks “show a variety of media and artistic visions, ranging from intimate graphite plein air realistic landscapes to large abstract paintings to detailed, intricate printmaking. All display a mastery of technique, as well as a contemporary aesthetic.
 
“There are some surprises, including a painting on a broken skateboard and large sculptures that provoke the viewer to question some of the materials. The show is united by strong conceptual concerns and implied narrative undercurrents.”
 
Valdosta National 2019 will run through Friday, Feb. 8, and is open to the public.
 
McFalls is a professor in the Department of Art and the director of Pasaquan at Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia, where he earned the 2011 College of the Arts Teaching Award and the 2009 College of Arts and Letters Faculty Research Award. He previously served as program coordinator and assistant professor of art at the University of Maine in Farmington, Maine, and recently completed a six-month Fulbright Fellowship at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. He completed residencies in Australia, New York, and California, and has earned a number of grants, including funding for his artist research and the 2017 Georgia Council for the Arts grant and 2016 Georgia Department of Economic Development grant for Pasaquan. His work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions and collaborative projects across the United States and internationally. In addition to being a practicing artist, he is an avid presenter and creative leader. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, Ohio, and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of California in Davis, California. He is a member of the Board of Governors for the LaGrange Art Museum in LaGrange, Georgia, the Pasaquan Preservation Society in Buena Vista, Georgia, as well as the American Association of University Professors, College Art Association, Foundations in Art: Theory and Education, and Southeastern College Art Conference.

The Dedo Maranville Fine Arts Gallery is located on the first floor of VSU’s 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 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Fridays. Admission is free of charge.