Mississippi University for Women”s Department of Art and Design will host the annual Mississippi Collegiate Art Exhibition Feb. 16 through March 17. This is the first year the competition will be hosted on the MUW campus.
Two hundred artwork pieces were chosen for this year”s show. Of those, 57 were submitted by MUW students, the largest entry among the Mississippi universities to be featured in the competition.
The exhibit will be on display in the department”s Eugenia Summer Gallery from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, with a reception on Saturday, Feb. 19, from 2-4 p.m. Winners of the competition will be announced at the reception.
Assistant Professor Alex Stelioes-Wills, gallery director, said, “The Collegiate Art Competition has had a long tradition in Mississippi. … So it”s a big honor to host (this year”s show) and also show off our new gallery, which is probably one of the largest in the state.”
Stelioes-Wills also added he is proud of the way MUW is being represented in the show this year and of the students” hard work.
Martin Arnold retired from a career as a mechanical designer to take up art and pursue a teaching certificate. He graduated from MUW in 2009 and is currently in a graduate program at the University of Mississippi. He has the most pieces of any grad student statewide in the exhibit, according to MUW.
“The Collegiate Art Competition always gets an enthusiastic response from this state”s college level students, not only because it provides us with an opportunity to complete against our peers, but also because it lets us see what other schools are focusing upon and achieving,” he said.
The Collegiate Art Competition began in the 1970s as part of the Mississippi State Fair.
The public is encouraged to attend and view the exhibit and reception.
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