Ouachita Stories

Ouachita Baptist University’s Department of Art and Design is inviting all OBU students to submit artwork to the 2010 Juried Student Exhibit. All Ouachita students are eligible and encouraged to enter pieces in three categories: photography, graphic design and studio art (paintings, drawings, ceramics, etc). Best in Show will be awarded as well as first, second, third and honorable mention in each category.

The juror this year is Delores Justus, owner of the Justus Gallery in Hot Springs. She is a painter and graphic designer and will be awarding first, second, third and honorable mention in each of the three categories.

“My intent with this exhibition is to provide our students with the opportunity to exhibit their work in an actual jurored show and expose them to professional criticism outside of the department,” said David Bieloh, chair of OBU’s department of Art and Design and assistant professor of graphic design. “We want to give visual art majors exposure to judging now, prior to graduation.”

This is the second annual Juried Student Exhibit. Last year the competition received approximately 80 entries, and the juror, Carey Roberson, associate professor of photography at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, chose 25 as finalists to hang in the gallery.

“We’re hoping for a similar turnout this year,” Bieloh said. “Every year we want the competition to grow.”

The competition is open to all OBU students, regardless of major. The cost is $5 per entry, and submissions can be turned in no later than 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 31. Work may be dropped off in Moses-Provine room 205. Submissions do not need to be framed initially. If work is selected for the show, winners will have two weeks to frame their pieces and prepare them for the exhibition.

Justus holds a bachelor of arts degree in fine arts from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and her work has been featured in solo, group and juried exhibitions nationally. She is a contributor to the book 200 Great Painting Ideas (Northlight Books) and Artist’s Magazine, and has been featured in other various publications. She opened Justus Fine Art Gallery in Hot Springs, Ark., in 2004 and, as an accomplished graphic designer and writer, also owns and operates Justus Design & Marketing.

For more information about Justus, visit www.justusfineart.com. For more information about the show, contact David Bieloh at [email protected] or (870) 245-5565.

By Julie Hagar