Creative Spotlight: LB students win art awards in the annual Juried Student Art Show

Student artist and Student Gallery Coordinator Jennie Link patiently waits to accept her award for her photography piece titled ”Bejeweled.”

The passion of student-artists flooded two stories of North Santiam Hall with artwork and creativity.

On May 3 at noon, about 50 students, artists, faculty, and art lovers flooded the halls to partake in the annual Spring Juried Student Art Show. Snacks and Perrier lined a table in the corner while inviting faces mingled and gazed at artwork. The show is an inclusive and welcoming space that takes place annually for student artists from LB.

Anne Magratten, art faculty and mentor for the student gallery coordinators, began the show with words of encouragement for both the student-artists and faculty that worked tirelessly to create a successful outcome.

“The work that is in the show is the result of artists who are willing to push themselves both technically and conceptually to their limits and that’s what makes me honored to be here,” said Magratten. “So today is a celebration of generosity. We have artists who have shared their work [and] we have donors who have recognized the need for funding.”

Student-artists and Gallery Coordinators Jennie Link and Cory Self worked relentlessly,  meticulously hanging and placing pieces of artwork all throughout the halls.

“This show, in particular, is the result of hours and hours of hard work on the part of our student gallery coordinators,” said Magratten.

Link won the Visual Communications Award for her photography piece titled “Bejeweled.”

“It was a good turnout. There was a lot of pieces,” said Link. “As a gallery coordinator this year it’s always really awesome to set up every show. This one was really cool because it’s all about students at LB specifically and it’s one that me and Cory can enter.”

First-time student-artist Sha Lindsey won with two pieces that she submitted and has now switched her major from English to Art. Lindsey won the Art Aesthetics Purchase Award for her piece titled “Hero,” a graphite illustration on a wooden plank of an unnamed water protector on Sacred Stone Camp, a location in Cannon Ball, North Dakota that has brought the Oceti Sakowin and allies together to defend the Missouri River against the Dakota Access Pipeline.

“I saw it and I was just blown away by it so I wanted to meditate on her by taking a lot of time to create her in another medium so I fell in love with her,” said Lindsey, “I just love her so much and she’s a hero so that’s why I created that piece.”

A team of faculty members and some outside donors looked through the pieces to decide the winners of the awards. The Art and Aesthetics Committee selected “Hero” by Lindsey for purchase, which means that the piece will stay with the school on display indefinitely.

“I’m really happy that so many people will be able to see the message that she is presenting to the world because water is life,” said Lindsey.

Art Faculty and Mentor for the Student Gallery Coordinator Anne Magratten hands out award certificates to students artists.

The second award that Lindsey won was The Juror’s Choice award for her mixed media piece titled, “Untitled Creature.” The artwork has over 2000 hand-pinned rainbow sequences placed along the belly of the creature, among other hand-placed mixed media, and is currently for sale.

Students who have taken some sort of art class at LB within the past two years can apply by filling out a simple application form and dropping the pieces off to the art office in NSH. If students missed out on the spring show, they can send a sample of their work to artgallery@lbcc.edu.

The art department invites all new and current students and is welcoming to all mediums. Magratten recently lifted the ban on video work, so in the future she is hoping to accept and include time-based artwork.

“It’s really inclusive and it’s lovely,” said Lindsey. “I have had a lot of struggle with confidence in creating artwork and there are a lot of things I’ve made over the years that are in the trash can and I think that this is very affirming, and supportive, and encouraging and less things will go in the trash can now.”

Story and photos by Samantha Guy