Stilwell to feature student art

The Stilwell Student Art Exhibition is one of the most important art shows to students at the University of South Dakota, and it is currently taking place in Gallery 110 of the Warren M. Lee Center for Fine Arts.

Alison Erazmus, director of university art galleries said the show is a great opportunity for students and community members to come support local artists.

“It’s also just a good time to come by and support your friends in the show,” she said.

Submissions were entered last week in mediums ranging from pottery and painting to metalwork and sculpture.

“Art is not really limited to one thing these days, and it really does come down to materials and how creative a person is with their materials,” Erazmus said.

A visiting artist then judges the artwork. This year’s juror is Boston’s School of the Museum of Fine Arts’ painting professor, Ethan Murrow. The judging occurred Feb. 4 and the results will be displayed Feb. 8 during an awards ceremony from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

“He (Murrow) is completely removed from these people so he’s strictly evaluating the quality of the artwork,” Erazmus said.

Erazmus said usually about 200 pieces are submitted. There will be a best in show award, three honorable mentions, a faculty award and a special award that goes to a first-year or sophomore whose work got into the show.

“The Stillwell really is a representation of the quality of the art that is being made in the art department at USD,” Erazmus said.

The Stilwell has been a storied tradition at USD. Named after former USD Art Department Chair Wilbur Stilwell, the show has been an annual occurrence since the 1940s.

Junior painter Elise Buchmann’s art will be in the show this year. Her work was also displayed last year.

She said that while some of the upper classmen who have had their work shown repeatedly take the show for granted, but she thinks it’s important because it shows the community what local artists can do.

“If you do get in, it’s one more show you can say you were in, even if you’ve been in it before,” Buchmann said. “Every show is important, no matter how small. It looks fantastic on a resume.”

Erazmus said she has seen a lot of student art purchased at the show, which is also considered a “purchase award.”

“A lot of people on campus support the students here,” she said. “It’s going directly to the students and it’s a good way to show your support for the visual arts that are being produced on campus.”

Buchmann said students should attend the show to get a better idea of how relevant art can be at USD, instead of just sporting events.

“If you’re attending this school you should be aware of everything that is going on,” she said. “It is an opportunity to see what’s going on in the art scene.”