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Teens working in the visual arts have a new reason to work a bit harder. Changing up the format, the 10th annual Student Artist Invitational at the Southampton Cultural Center (SCC) has added a competitive edge to the yearly exhibition, with professional artists and gallery owners recruited as judges.
Inclusion in the show was not guaranteed this year to all who proffered entries. The result is an exhibition in which only those artworks from East End students that won over the jurors made the grade and onto the walls. And the winner of Best in Show now gets a solo show at the SCC.
The results are currently on view at the Levitas Center for the Arts at the SCC, and the Student Artist Invitational remains on view through February 7. There are 55 works of art in the exhibition, out of a little over 100 pieces submitted and reviewed by a panel of judges.
Awards were given out for Best in Show and Best in Painting, Drawing, Photography and Computer Art. Honorable mentions were given in all categories. Best in Show winner Kaitlyn Ferris of Riverhead High School will have a solo show at SCC in May. See www.southamptonculturalcenter.org for a complete list of winners and images of their artwork.
The judges were Karen Boltax of the Boltax Gallery on Shelter Island, Laura Grenning of the Grenning Gallery in Sag Harbor, photographer Marilyn Stevenson and artist/art instructor James Daga Albinson. The show was curated and organized by Ann Lombardo, a Water Mill artist and Southampton Artists Association (SAA) member.
In recent years, the Student Artist Invitational became a challenge for the SAA to handle. After last year’s show, SAA board members voted to discontinue the student show since it falls outside of the organization’s mission to provide exhibition opportunities for its members, Ms. Lombardo said. The student art show was founded by Southampton artist James Wightman, a retired Southampton School District art teacher, SAA member and former SAA board president.
After the board decision was reached, Ms. Lombardo and a few high school art teachers met with SCC director Kirsten Lonnie, who agreed to give the art show a new start. The invitational was fine-tuned and redesigned to be competitive. Group projects aren’t allowed, and students have the option to submit their work for consideration by the art world professionals serving as jurors through their school or directly online through the SCC website.
“The SCC embraces the idea of supporting and challenging young talent and to encourage their artistic growth,” Ms. Lonnie wrote in an e-mail. “When the format of the Student Artist Invitational took a leap to a new level by making it a juried show and thus, a true invitational, we did not hesitate to offer to sponsor and host the exhibit. It has been very rewarding to see the students rise to the challenge and to witness the amount of talent represented in the exhibit.”
The exhibition date was set earlier in the year so students could include acceptance into the show in their college applications. Letters for college were written by the show’s organizers as requested.
All the artwork was submitted online, giving students the chance to experience what it’s like to seek gallery representation or a spot in a group show.
“We wanted the invitational to be distinguished from other student art shows,” said Ms. Lombardo. “The show is meant to put out the work of the best of the best of focused high school students. What the students get is the experience of being part of a real juried show.”
The participating students were pleased that the show has been kept alive, based on responses during last Saturday’s opening. All students interviewed agreed the show was a strong one. The teenagers were pleased to be part of the show and to see what their peers have been up to.
“There are a lot of pieces here that were done by friends that really shows what they can do,” said Sara Salaway of the Ross School. She received an Honorable Mention in Photography for her piece, “Aluna in a Boat.”
“Everything is so diverse,” she said. “It’s great to see other kids’ work.”
Patrick Fallon of East Hampton High School said, “Most of us do it for fun and don’t show anyone ... This is a chance for kids to show what they’ve got. They have good talent with what they do and this is a chance to put it out there.” Mr. Fallon shared Best in Photography with Ula Gradowsky of Riverhead High School. Last year, he received an Honorable Mention in Photography.
Nearly all students interviewed sought advice from their friends or art teachers on the best piece to submit. In the end, it came down to selecting pieces with the strongest composition, arresting image or a piece that was typical of the artist’s style, the students said.
Viewing the show generated discussions about art, the subjectiveness of viewer preferences and an examination of their own creative processes. It also led to inspiration.
Mattituck High School students Colin Keil and Ashley Goeller both said they felt motivated to create new works after viewing the show.
“I have a lot of ideas from the show,” Mr. Keil said. “It’s interesting to see how some kids approached things. It made me think about different things I hadn’t thought of before.”
The 10th annual Student Artist Invitational will remain on view through February 7 at the Levitas Center for the Arts at the Southampton Cultural Center, 25 Pond Lane, Southampton. Artwork by the winners in different categories can be viewed online at www.southamptonculturalcenter.org.
on Jan 12, 2010