Student Select 2024 lists winners

04/22/2024

Student Select 2024, an annual, juried exhibition featuring artwork created by 50 SUNY Cortland art students, opened on Monday and runs through Friday, May 3, in the Dowd Fine Arts Center’s Dowd Gallery.

The exhibition is free and open to the public.

Carla Stetson, a contemporary artist and educator in the Ithaca, N.Y., region, was invited to be this year’s juror by the student-run Art Exhibition Association, which organized and sponsored the exhibition.

“I selected pieces that I believe will make a strong student exhibition showcasing works from all media areas,” Stetson said.

Winners were announced for best in show, second prize, third prize and honorable mentions on April 17 during an opening reception and awards ceremony in the Dowd Gallery. The ceremony featured the student artists, faculty and staff from the Art and Art History Department and Stetson.

Stetson, whose work was displayed in the recent “Eye Witness” exhibition, made her final selection of work on April 9. She chose for the exhibition 76 pieces made by 50 student artists out of 97 submissions. Their names are listed at the end of the article.

“This year’s exhibition explores the depths of the Art and Art History Department’s studio course diversity with a range of work from foundational courses through specializations,” Stetson said. “Visitors will experience a varied display of drawing, sculpture, ceramics, digital, print media, fibers, painting and more.

“Besides the first, second and third place winners, I selected three worthy honorable mentions. These award-winning works stood out for many reasons, most importantly a brave and innovative use of materials combined with an original, often very personal, conceptual basis. They were poignant, sometimes humorous and each winning entry demonstrated exceptional technical skill.”

After careful deliberation, Stetson selected three students as winners of the Student Select 2024 exhibition. Three Honorable Mentions also were awarded.

First Prize went to Chloe Loewenguth for the 2024 wax and cotton wick piece titled “Neglecting Myself.”

Virginia Alvisi was awarded Second Prize for the 2024 digital animation piece titled “Overthinker.”

Sophie Marin took Third Prize for “Ritual of the Flower Moon,” a 2023 pen and ink piece.

For Honorable Mention, three students were recognized:

Ella Gorrell for “Ick,” a 2023 color pencil, marker and pen work
Megan Ludgate for “My Period Piece,” a 2023 piece made of fiber and hand-dyed cotton tampons
Meghan Wardell for “Under Attack,” a 2024 work made of hand-dyed mixed media fibers.

Additionally at the opening reception, Dana Garrison, a graduating BFA studio art major with a concentration in painting, delivered her BFA thesis defense on her body of work, “In the Weeds.”

Garrison also was introduced as this year's winner of the Muriel and Newell Keegan Prize for Excellence in Art, established in 2020 by alum Kevin N. Keegan ’76 and his wife, Linda DeRuvo-Keegan to honor Kevin’s parents. The award, formally announced at this year’s Honors Convocation on April 20, is given to the most outstanding senior student enrolled in any Art and Art History Department major.

Garrison’s BFA exhibition “In the Weeds” is on display in the west wing of the Dowd Gallery. Scott Oldfield, gallery interim director, described “In the Weeds” as a journey through the artist’s relationship with herself and the individuals surrounding her.

“Each piece provides a window into the intricate tapestry of emotions, experiences and connections that have shaped her existence,” Oldfield noted.

“Through a dynamic use of color, form and symbolism, the artist delves into the complexities of human interaction, exploring themes of love, loss and resilience,” Oldfield said.

“In our lives, we can find comfort in comparison,” Garrison said of her mainly mixed media work, which allows her to create layers that push and pull each other, symbolizing fluctuations in the human condition.

“A bad day can be compared to a bump in the road which wears itself out over time. A first touch with someone we come to love can be fireworks. Comparison helps us make sense of feelings that may be hard for us to experience: a juxtaposition of our emotions and experience to the known and accepted. Growing up surrounded by nature, from my grandfather’s garden to the dense forest behind my childhood home, I use symbols of nature as proxies for my personal experiences and emotions.”

BFA candidate Dana Garrison's "In the Weeds" piece

During finals week, the gallery will remain open with a pared-down exhibition as students remove their work and faculty picks are relocated for display at Memorial Library.

The gallery in Dowd Center is located on the corner of Graham Avenue and Prospect Terrace. The Dowd Gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays; and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursdays. Walk-ins are welcome. The exhibition is closed on Saturdays.

For more information, an appointment, a tour, or additional images, contact Oldfield at 607-753-4216. Visit the SUNY Cortland Dowd Gallerywebsite for details about exhibiting artists, other programs, safety protocols and group visits.

Participants in this year’s Student Select also include:

Jade VanZile

Angie Tillapaugh

Madison Hanford

Allison Perna

Danielle Lewis

Gabz Danyew

Devon Blackwood

Lee Clasby

Zoe Vaughn

Dina Palaguachi