Artwork pictured above: left: Lily Dorian, “Abloom“; center top: Grayston Barron; center bottom: Justin Stubblefield, “Trudge“, Superior Achievement in Time Based Media; right: Sarah Kim, “Carried Away“, Best in Show.
The Mississippi Collegiate Art Competition, an annual statewide juried exhibition, featured works by four Millsaps College students this year. Hosted at Delta State University, artwork in the competition was selected by Jenny K. Haeger, professor of sculpture at the University of North Florida. Haeger chose 101 works out of the 892 submitted works from eight different schools.
Artwork by sophomore Sarah Kim, senior Justin Stubblefield, senior Grayston Barron, and junior Lily Dorian was selected for the exhibition. Beyond the recognition of being selected for the juried exhibition, Kim’s work “Carried Away” was awarded “Best in Show,” and Stubblefield’s hand drawn animation “Trudge” was awarded “Superior Achievement in Time Based Media.”
“Submitting to this exhibition was a requirement for the junior and senior seminar course, but we additionally opened the opportunity up to the rest of the art students and those taking studio art courses,” said Sue Carrie Drummond, assistant professor of art at Millsaps. “I believe it is really important for artists to get their work out into the world because if the artwork just stays in the studio, it dies. My hope is this competition whets students’ appetite to continue seeking venues for showcasing their pieces and also validates the work they are making.”
Born in South Korea and now living in Brandon, Kim is a sophomore majoring in studio art and business. “I was really surprised when I heard about the best of show award,” said Kim. “It was totally unexpected, and I was very honored to get chosen.”
Stubblefield’s entry, “Trudge,” is a looped animation of a male from the waist down, walking along a sidewalk. According to Stubblefield, “the piece represents the rather arduous yet mundane journey of the human experience.” After graduating from Millsaps with his degree in studio art with a concentration in digital arts, he intends to pursue a career in animation or graphic design. Stubblefield is originally from Sewanee, Tenn.
“I plan on incorporating art into my life after graduation in whatever way that may be,” said Dorian, a native of Alexandria, La. “Being a part of this exhibition has been incredibly rewarding as a way to validate my own artwork and creative practice.” Dorian is a studio art major and is minoring in psychology and museum studies. Her work is titled “Abloom.”
Originally produced in a printmaking course taught by Sue Carrie Drummond, assistant professor of art, Barron’s floored is a study for her senior body of work and marks Barron’s first entry into the Mississippi Collegiate Art Competition. “This was my first time applying for this competition, and I was pleased to see so many Millsaps students get accepted,” said Barron. Originally from Little Rock, Ark., Barron is majoring in studio art and art history, with a concentration in museum studies. She plans to work in a museum before pursuing her master’s degree in museum studies.
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