Abigail Stevenson
Each spring, Hiram’s Art and Design program hosts a Juried Student Art Show in the Gelbke Fine Arts Center Gallery. This year’s show is presented through a virtual space, where visitors can explore the exhibition in full, no matter their location.
Featuring the work of students from diverse art disciplines, including painting, installation, jewelry, photography, and video, the exhibition is open to the public and can be accessed through the College’s website at www.hiram.edu/artshow. Guests can also read the gallery director’s welcome, the juror’s statement, and sign the guest book.
The exhibition serves as an educational opportunity for students, challenging them to prepare a detailed selection of artwork, to price creations for sale, and to accept professional critique by a renowned artist. To aid in this education, pieces submitted to the show were required to be completed during the students’ time at Hiram College.
The 2021 winners include:
Alex and Tamara Brady Pendleton Best in Show Award: Kathryn Slates for a pair of paintings
Paul A. Rockford Award for Excellence: Michael Dietzen for a composite drawing
Ellen Jagow Award for Painting: Abby Semick for a pair of paintings
Abigail Flint Award for Photography: Janine Hartory for photography
Award for Design: Isabella Galecki for photography
Award for Outstanding Work by Freshman or Sophomore: Laura Alspaugh for video installation
Juror’s Mention: Jada Corbin for a composite drawing, Haylee Huffman for “Self Portrait,” Chelsey Orlando for “Bluffs,” and Danielle Tuttle for “I Wish It Was a Dream.”
This year’s juror is Zeerak Ahmed ’12. Ahmed is a multidisciplinary conceptual artist, curator, and educator. Her artistic practice focuses on experimental music and sound art. Ahmed received her B.A in Studio Art from Hiram College in 2012 and her MFA in Creative Practice with the Transart Institute (Plymouth University) in 2017. Through sound sculptures, installations and performance works, Ahmed has been exploring the emotive and expressive qualities of the elusive medium of sound, particularly the voice. She is currently investigating the sonic and intellectual histories of female folk music from South Asia.
