Samford University students were presented with art and design departmental awards on Monday, March 25, during the opening reception of the 2024 Juried Art Student Showcase. Students, faculty and members of the community came to view the pieces displayed. From the 160 submissions, only 40 were chosen to be presented in the gallery.
Each year, the student submissions are juried by an artist that was recently showcased in the Samford gallery. This year, the pieces were juried by professor of design at Bethel University, Jessica Henderson, whose work was previously in the gallery as part of the Deeply Placed exhibit.
The work chosen consisted of painted pieces, photography, mixed media, graphic design, architectural drawings, 3D digital renderings and sculptures.
“From sculpture to photography, animation, architecture, graphic design, painting, the students and Samford are diving deeply into various mediums, methods, and disciplines,” said Henderson.
Sophomore studio art major Halle Krebel’s mixed media work won a merit award.
Krebel said she spent around 48 hours total working through trial and error of cyanotype photography and SolarFast dye in her mixed media class. Both are ways of printing images onto a medium using UV light from the sun.
Inspired by the uniqueness of her Catholic faith and Mexican heritage at a Baptist university, Krebel said she wanted to “represent part of my faith through this art piece,” because she loves telling others about it.
Gallery coordinator and Assistant Professor of Art Lauren Evans organized the pieces for the show.
“As I was arranging the show, I could see connections between the works that she chose and feel that she did a really great job curating the work,” said Evans, explaining her excitement with Henderson’s choices for the show.
Please see a full list of awards presented throughout the evening listed below.
Academic Awards
- Mary Elizabeth Bodden
- Douglas Edward Coltharp
- Joli Elizabeth Dobbins
- Katherine Elizabeth Draper
- Emma Elizabeth Ferrante
- Claire Marie Goggin
- Jorja Beth Haddox
- Danna Faith Harpst
- Madelyn Rose Henderson
- Danielle Grace James
- Courtney Curran Jones
- Julia Joyce Kaminski
- Elijah Achel Mivedor
- Jessica Elizabeth Monk
- Riley Rose Mulrooney
- James Henry Novak
- Adaline Faith Pace
- Emily Michele Singleton
- Ethan Thomas Speights
- Adah Leigh Sprinkle
- John Carlton Summerville
- James W. Underwood
- Lori Allison Walker
- Madeline Grace Walters
CORDS Awards
ART AND DESIGN: FRESHMEN
- Jacob Barton
- Lily Chambers
- Kenzie Coates
- Emily Coburn
- Brooklyn Cutter
- Abigail DiPiazza
- Ruth Donald
- Erin Elliott
- Julia Holladay
- Emma Ledieff
- Paul Lovejoy
- Hope Presley
- Jayden Tate
ART AND DESIGN: SOPHOMORE
- Anna Baldwin
- Kathryn Lancaster
- Annalee LeDuff
- Maddox Pugmire
ART AND DESIGN: JUNIOR
- Jaden Arnold
- Dora Baca
- Anna Brown
- Esther Grimes
- Kate Hankins
- Lillian Henry
- Daley O’Brien
- Claire Phegley
- Samuel Rodriguez
- Claire Ellen Stokes
- Bella Taylor
- Leland Vickery
- Frances Weissend
ART AND DESIGN: SENIOR
- Cole Armistead
- Madison Barrett
- Cambrie Emerson
- Sarah Gentry
- Catie Harris
- Cassidy King
- Katelyn McCoy
- Grace Moresco
- Natalie Myers
- Madeline Schaeffer
- Chrissy Williamsen
- Nathan Windham
The new Student Spirit Award was given to Claire Ellen Stokes. This award is presented to an outstanding student who excels academically and in extracurricular activities, embodying an inspiring spirit that uplifts peers and faculty.
Scholarships
- Michael Heitzke Graphic Design/UX Senior Scholarship - Cole Armistead and Emily Singleton
- Heitzke Family Scholarship - Anna Baldwin
- Design for Good Scholarship - Anna Brown and Emma Ferrante
- Lowell Vann Scholarship - Lillian Henry
- Trevelyn Campbell Scholarship - Jessie Monk
- Mary Ann Culotta Memorial Scholarship - Kate Hankins
- Theresa S. Wildmon Art - Leland Vickery
Juried Exhibition Awards
Dean Beaumont presented the Dean’s Award to Dora Baca for her piece called Grown Home during the art show reception.
The guest juror of the art exhibition was artist Jessica Henderson. Professor Lauren Evans presented the juror’s selections, which included the students listed below.
- Merit Award (Studio Art) – Sacred Splendors Aura by Halle Krebel
- Merit Award (Graphic Design) – The Road Back to You by Emma Ferrante
- Merit Award (Game Design) – Cartoony Backpack by Leland Vickery
- Merit Award (Architecture and Interior Design) – Iridian Pediatric Clinic by Kinsley Wynja
- Third Place - Chrissy Williamsen - Awaiting
- Second Place - Scout Fleming - Yin Yang Chair
- First Place - Francie Weissend - “Natural” Beauty
Thank you to our generous sponsors, Mike and Mary Anne Freeman, who made this show possible. And congratulations to these talented students!