39th Annual Stilwell Student Awards Exhibition Highlights Emerging Talent

The University of South Dakota’s 39th Annual Stilwell Student Awards Exhibition showcased a diverse collection of artwork by students from within the Fine Arts Department. With 67 works, the exhibition served a way for student artists to display their creative and academic achievements.

“Every year the Stilwell is special. It reflects the incredible research created by Department of Art undergraduate and graduate students,” Director of University Galleries, Amy Fill said. “Students from outside disciplines are also invited to enter the exhibition as well. Works are required to have been created within the past 12 months.”

The exhibition included 35 students’ works, and features a wide range of art forms such as sculpture, photography and ceramics. Students were allowed to submit up to five original works, which were then juried for inclusion.

Works that are not selected through the juror’s selection process are displayed in the “Salon des Refuses,” an art history tradition that provides an alternative venue for rejected pieces.

For freshman Alex Schultz, participating in the exhibition was both exciting and intimidating.

“It was really nerve wracking for me to put art that I had made into the exhibition,” Schultz said. “It felt like nothing I had was really good enough, and I only ended up making one piece specifically for the exhibit, but I did submit five. “I was so scared, but I had professors and friends encouraging me, so I bit the bullet and it paid off.”

Schultz’s piece, titled “Devotion”, was ultimately not accepted into the exhibition, but the experience proved rewarding nonetheless.

“Having my work displayed in this exhibition is so important to me as a freshman in the art school, just because to me, it’s my first college gallery,” Schultz said.  “It’s almost like this leg up saying that I am good. Even though I doubt my own work sometimes, being in this gallery is very confidence boosting for me personally.” 

Graduate student Mariana Astete won “Best-in-Show” and exhibited five pieces that addressed themes of immigration and the mistreatment of immigrants historically. As an immigrant herself, from Santiago, Chile, Astete utilized the exhibition as an opportunity to highlight issues that are close to her heart.

“Winning Best in Show was a privilege, anyone could win because art is subjective,” Astete said. “It felt meaningful to know that work addressing immigration was being recognized in a positive light. It made the challenge of creating the pieces even more rewarding and it’s interesting looking forward to the Stillwell Exhibit as a milestone.” 

Beyond providing students with a platform for artistic expression, the Stilwell Exhibition plays an important role in their professional development.

“The exhibition provides professional development opportunities to learn about the process of preparing and entering works for an exhibition,” Fill said.

 “Talking with their peers and the public about their works in a formal gallery space, having their works juried and seen by professional artists, receiving awards for their achievements and beginning to build an exhibition record for their resume,” Fill said.