Juried Student Exhibition winners announced

The Annual Juried Student Exhibition (March 18 - April 14) features selected work from students taking courses in art and design at York College. Award winners from this year's show are:

Juror's Choice (Best in Show): "Ellicott City, Md." by Rita King (pictured)

First Place: "Untitled" by Tatyana Nadtochey

Second Place: "Insatiable Thirst" by Ethan Gallardo

Third Place: "Hiding and seeking Simultaneously" by Jess Rudd

Honorable Mention:  "William Burrows" by Charlie Barton

Honorable Mention: "33 Million and Counting" by Lisa Daniels

Honorable Mention: "Gender Rolls" by Jasmine Perfect

Honorable Mention: "Writhing Tree Baby" by Stevii Paden

Honorable Mention: "Tools of the Trade" by Taylor Whitney

Juror's statement: The range, proficiency and volume of work presented for the Juried Student exhibition was very impressive, and made the selection process a genuine pleasure to be engaged in. I was immediately struck by the energy and commitment of work being produced by students in the department, but ultimately had to make difficult choices about what not only to include and exclude, but also to identify the exhibition award winners. Rita King’s painting "Ellicott City, Md." clearly distinguished itself with its scale and ambition. The bold vibrancy and confident execution of this painting dominated the room and made it an obvious selection for the juror’s choice award. While Tatyana Nadtochey presented several strong examples, I selected her beautifully detailed work "Untitled," executed in drypoint and pencil for first place award. This work demonstrates a quiet reflection on its subject, in addition to an attention to handling that really draws the spectator in. The second place award goes to "Insatiable Thirst" by Ethan Gallardo, who like Tatyana, presented several strong works. This playful and inventive mixed media construction presents a comic, almost theatrical nighttime scene, complete with its own source of illumination. My third place award goes to "Hiding and seeking Simultaneously" by Jess Rudd, a work that demonstrates some wonderfully fluid passages of drawing and painting in combination with a strong muted palette. In addition to the prize winners, there were several other notable works in the exhibition that I also wanted to acknowledge: "Tools of the Trade" by Taylor Whitney, "Writhing Tree Baby" by Stevii Paden, "Gender Rolls" by Jasmine Perfect, "33 Million and Counting" by Lisa Daniels, and "William Burrows" by Charlie Barton. In each instance these works were strong examples of playful invention and creativity, and evidenced the artist’s unique vision and individuality. Overall I was significantly impressed by the quality of work presented, and wish to offer my congratulations to all those included in the final exhibition. – Dawn Gavin

This year’s juror is Scotland native Dawn Gavin (www.dawngavin.com), named one of the “Ten Best Baltimore Artists of 2008” by the Baltimore Arts Examiner. Gavin has exhibited her work nationally and internationally, as well as at Auburn University, Goucher College, and Texas Woman’s University. Her work utilizes a wide range of media including drawing, printmaking, collage, video, and installation. She uses maps and related materials to explore boundaries, identity and displacement. Gavin is a professor of art at the University of Maryland, College Park. She has written for Ireland’s Circa Arts Magazine and was a contributing editor for Scotland’s Transcript: A Journal of Visual Culture.