LBCC Artists Submit Work For Annual Juried Student Art Show
Visitors making their way up the stairs in the North Santiam Hall pass a life-like painting of a woman singing. Depicting a tenacious female, it catches their eyes immediately. She is a Colombian singer and songwriter named Kali Uchis.
The creator, Yasmeen Gonzalez, made this piece after seeing Uchis perform live. “I went, and I was front row, mid-center, right there in front of her. And it was an original picture I took of her,” said Gonzalez.
“The assignment was monochrome, so it’s just one color, that whole painting is of red color.”
Gonzalez’s LBCC art instructor was impressed by the piece and encouraged her to submit it to the Student Art Show that is held at the beginning of every Spring term.
The art show allows students at LBCC to enter a juried competition with the chance to show off their skills, receive feedback, and win awards. It also gives art students an opportunity to strengthen their resumes.
The exhibit takes place inside North Santiam Hall (NSH). Once artwork is submitted, a juror from outside of the college decides what pieces will go into the competition. The juror this year is Xuanyu Li, a civil engineering student at OSU, and a former student at LBCC.
“It is a great pleasure, and a great responsibility being the juror this year,” Li said.
When artwork is submitted, Li studies four different categories of criteria — Topic: does it have depth and meaning? Technique: how is the message conveyed? Diversity: are their cultural and ethnic influences? Meaning: what is the story behind the piece?
The display of artwork is sure to stir the imagination of visitors due to the diverse assortment of pieces.
One of many examples is “The Unique Strut,” created by Jesse Stark. The painting is located on the bottom floor NSH. It depicts three women in a contrasting order of physical features from slim, average, and fluffy. One may say it depicts beauty in every shape and size, others may say it’s just an intriguing piece.
Story by Audric Macone
