Annual Juried Student Art Exhibition

Every spring, the Art Department hosts a juried exhibition of student art work. All Austin College students may submit work for possible inclusion, as long as it was made during the current academic year. To submit, students hang their labeled art work up in any studion in the Forster Art Complex. The faculty work together to choose the best and most interesting work from every class.

Along with the art exhibition, the department also awards the Jane Nelson Materials Awards for excellence in art as part of the annual student show. These are cash prizes give to students in order to recognize them for outstanding achievement during the school year. The number and amount of individual awards varies annually. Students may apply to be considered for an award by submitting an artist's statement in addtion to submitting work to the show.

Exact application dates change annually; students will be notified by email and posters in the Art Complex.

The Fine Print:

 Student Show Application Guidelines:

Who: All Austin College students are eligible to submit artwork for consideration. You do not have to apply for a Material Award to participate in the Annual Student Show.

What: Present work completed in any A.C. art course from the current academic year. All work should be exhibition ready (ex. Photos should be matted or framed, canvases should be stretched). Clearly and securely label all art works with a title card that includes your name and the title of the piece, if there is one.

Where: Display your work in any available space in the Forster Art Complex. This includes the walls of the classrooms. If you are not currenly enrolled in an art class but were last semester, you can still hang work for consideration in one of the classrooms, or in a hallway area. Check with the a faculty or staff member if there is a question about the location of your entry.

When: All work must be on display by 11AM on the given date (exact dates change annually) and should remain in place until 6 pm that day. Works that are selected for the art exhibit will be marked with red tags and/or will be taken to the gallery during that time frame. Other works should be removed by 9am the following day.

Note: All work that is accepted for the student exhibit will be archived by the Art Department and may be used for future posters or other promotional purposes.

 Material Awards Application Guidelines:

Who: Applicants are not limited to art majors but must be continuing art students who intend to take studio courses in the next academic year. Past recipients may reapply annually.

What: In order to apply for a Nelson Materials Award, you must
1) submit work for consideration for the Annual Student Show (see above), and
2) submit a brief written statement addressing your interests and current involvement in the visual arts.
The artist statement you draft will serve as an introduction to you and your work and should be no longer than one page. Please title: "yourname_nelsonapp". The number of annual awards and the amount of individual awards varies annually according to the decisions of the selection panel.

Statements should be emailed to Heidi Rushing by 12 noon the day prior to jurying (exact dates change annually). This ensures that all members of the panel have a chance to review the applications before jurying the show.

If you have any questions email hrushing@austincollege.edu