Gallery • 4 Photos

The 57th Annual Student Art and Design Exhibition is taking place right now at MCC!

Carefully placed pigments on an array of ceramics, sculptures, and paper line the walls of the creative hub at MCC: the Arts and Music Building. This year marks the 57^th Annual Student Art and Design Exhibition MCC has seen, showcasing the top-tier student creative talent. Of that creative talent, Louise Hopson, a Muskegon artist, and owner of Art Cats Gallery judged the students’ pieces. The following students received Honorable Mentions: Krystle King, Abriana Burns, Naomi Straight, and Josie Dorman. In third place is Abriel Ginman; second place is Ariel Williams; and in first place, Delaney Cronk. Jasmine Morse has been awarded the President’s Purchase Prize.

The inspiration for her 1^st place piece hit Cronk in a seemingly ordinary place: the kitchen. When her art instructor, Keith Downie, showed his still life pieces in class, suddenly even everyday objects became art. “We had the choice to paint anything we wanted, so I went around my kitchen, found random items, and painted them,” Cronk said. “It was one of my favorite things to paint this year.” When awarded first place, Cronk said, “This is one of my biggest accomplishments in art and I am very proud of this painting.” She accredits her success to her professors going on to say, “I’m also very thankful for all of my professors this year, they have taught me so much and made me a better artist.”

Abriel Ginman, third place with her ceramic teapot titled, Black Box Tea Pot, commented on her experience winning 3^rd place, “When I found out I placed into the top three in the art show I was extremely surprised and excited,” Ginman exclaimed. “I knew I had pieces in the show, but I never expected to win anything. There were a lot of great artworks so winning was for sure an unexpected surprise.” For Ginman, inspiration came not from objects, but from her future career plans. “My art piece mostly came from my plans to become a computer engineer. I have always been interested in computers and how they work.”

Since the exhibit takes up an entire building, staff and students have worked together to make the exhibit possible. Among the staff are Keith Downie, Leeann Frame, and Corene Kufta. Downie expressed his gratitude towards Noami Watts, an art student at MCC and is also a part of the work-study program for the Arts Department. “Naomi was instrumental in getting the artworks installed and labeled. Thank you, Naomi!” Downie exclaimed. Downie noted this year’s exhibit is unique due to its location. “Typically, this annual event is displayed in the Overbrook Gallery.” Downie added, “As an accommodation to COVID life, one of the art faculty suggested installing the work right in our building rather than in the gallery.” According to Downie, this setup worked so well, the Art and Music Building may be the new gallery location.

These artworks and more are currently displayed in the Arts and Music Building on the MCC campus until the Fall and the exhibition is open for the public to enjoy. Bring a warm beverage or a date to peruse MCC student artwork from as far back as 1969.

“Art to me is a way to express yourself,” Ginman said, “There’s really no right or wrong way to do it, and you can create anything you want out of nothing. Every piece that an artist creates is unique and you can see pieces of them in their art.”