Annual Student Exhibition on display at Schick Art Gallery

Winners chosen in nine areas 

The annual Skidmore Student Exhibition, sponsored by the College's Department of Art and Art History, is on exhibit in the Schick Art Gallery through March 4, 2007. Admission is free and open to the public. 

The Best of Show Award went to Kristina Costa '09 for Untitled, a work measuring 80 inches square, made with wood and toy soldiers. Each toy soldier represents an American casualty in the War in Iraq; collectively they form a portrait of President Bush. Since the piece was installed in the gallery on Jan. 23, Kristina has added 85 soldiers, for a total of 3,140 soldiers as of Feb. 20, 2007.

Ian Berry, associate director and Malloy Curator of the Tang Teaching Museum, was guest juror for this year's exhibition. He selected 38 works from 148 pieces submitted.

All of the original works on display were created by Skidmore students in 2006 and include paintings, drawings, sculpture, metals, ceramics, textiles, prints, photographs, communication design, electronic/digital and video works, as well as mixed media.

Berry selected nine awards for outstanding work:

Best in Show Award, Schick Art Gallery Award
$300 gift certificate prize: Kristina Costa '09, Untitled, mixed media

Renee Van Dewater Memorial Award in painting
$250 prize: Mary Randolph Norton '07 , Poolside, oil on canvas

Renee Van Dewater Memorial Award in any media
$250 prize: Ashley Halsey '07, A Walk in Northwoods, oil on canvas

Soave Faire Award
$150 gift certificate: Risa Recio '07, Untitled, oil on canvas

Pro Arts Award
$50 gift certificate prize: Erika Sabel '07, Biomachinization I, oil on canvas

Case Gallery Award
$50 gift certificate prize: Debra Wenof '07, Not Today, photograph

Adirondack Trust Award
$50 savings bond prize: Sandra Cun '07, Thermoplastic Manipulated Corset, mixed media

Allerdice Building Supply Award
$25 gift certificate prize: Miles Debas '07, Winter Pastoral, oil on canvas

Image Photo; Digital Lab Award
$20 gift certificate prize: Megan Isaacs '07, Live Pop Live Pop, video & sound

Honorable Mention
Carly McGeever '10, Spaghetti Ball, spaghetti & chicken wire

The prizes are funded through donations made by friends of the gallery, campus organizations, and community businesses.

A specialist in contemporary art, Berry served as assistant curator at the Williams College Museum of Art before coming to Skidmore in 2000. His many exhibitions for the Tang Museum include "Living with Duchamp" (2003), "Twice Drawn" (2006), and the "Opener" series of focused solo projects that has featured artists such as Shahzia Sikander, Nayland Blake, Lee Boroson, Jim Hodges, and Nina Katchadourian.

Berry is also a frequent guest lecturer on museums and contemporary art practice and a regular essayist for exhibition catalogues. His recent publications include Kara Walker: Narratives of A Negress (Tang and MIT Press, 2003), Richard Pettibone: A Retrospective (Tang and Laguna, 2005), and America Starts Here: Kate Ericson and Mel Ziegler (Tang and MIT Press, 2006).

The Schick Art Gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 1 to 4:30 p.m. weekends. Admission is free.