Part One: New rules of submission and judges-outsiders proposed
Editor’s Note: The review of the TCC Student Art Exhibition 2023 will be a four-part series. Several program entries will be profiled. This is the first review of the series.
A selected number of artistic works were on display at the TCC Student Art Exhibition 2023 in the Student Commons area at the Metro Campus on April 21. The judges identified the top artwork from 170 entries; a third of the submissions were included in the exhibit.
The process of submitting art for the contest has changed dramatically because of the pandemic. Everything was switched online. Students are responsible for submitting their works using the CaFE, or www.CallForEntry.org. The website is designed for professional artists to connect with organizers of art shows in the United States and Canada. The website has at least two dozen categories in art and literature, such as drawing, painting, sculpture, or poetry.
Registration on the CaFE website is free. Usually, an artist enters his or her name, and email, and creates a portfolio with artwork on the website. CaFE allows uploading images of artworks in photo, video, and voice formats. Then, an artist is ready to apply to up to 170 art competitions and contests annually. Some competitions require one to pay a fee for work submission; others are free. The subjects of the contests are very diverse, including environmental awareness, history, etc.
Another innovation for the TCC annual student art exhibition is that jurors are not TCC art teachers but professional artists outside of the college. This year, Mike Barclay, an artist and owner of “60 on Center” from Indianapolis, Ind., and Leticia R. Bajuyo, assistant professor of sculpture at the University of Oklahoma, judged the art of the TCC students. Barclay holds a master’s degree in museum studies and two bachelor’s degrees, one in Fine Arts and Graphic Design and the second degree in Art History and Classical Studies. Bajuyo is an interdisciplinary artist who creates drawings, sculptures, and installations.
The jurors selected Koda Miles’s sculpture “Rearing Eudemonia” as the “Best in Show.” The sculpture consists of unusual materials, such as worms, organic scraps, paper, dirt, pine, plexiglass, aluminum, and glass.