April 11, 2017
Best of Show winners for the 14th annual Northwestern Oklahoma State University Art Society (NAS) Art Show on campus were announced at the beginning of the Winners Show at the Runnymede Hotel Friday during the First Friday Artwalk.
The student Best of Show winner taking home $75 and a special purple ribbon is Brieanna McClure, Alva sophomore, for a painting in the Figure/Portraiture category titled “Final.” This same painting was voted as the People’s Choice winner by those who attended the Winners Show Friday. She earned a special red and black ribbon and $50 prize for this honor. McClure is a biology major minoring in visual arts.
The non-student Best of Show winner is Northwestern employee and NAS sponsor Angelia Case. The academic projects assistant and media specialist won for a pencil drawing titled “Hear No, Speak No, See No?” in the Works on Paper – The Figure/Portraiture category, which earned her a purple ribbon.
The on-campus People’s Choice winner is Priscilla Avalos, Hooker senior majoring in chemistry, for a landscape painting titled “Shadows of Sunset.” She won $50 and a purple ribbon for this honor.
Amanda Metcalf, Enid junior majoring in instrumental music, serves the Art Society as its president, and couldn’t be happier for the individuals whose art won Best of Show and People’s Choice honors.
“What great choices,” Metcalf said. “Angelia’s drawing was fantastic. She captured what she wanted and brought it to us. With Brieanna’s painting, she brought a different aspect to our show. Her different painting technique was very nice. The People’s Choice winner (Avalos) on campus - wow. Her sunset painting was beautiful, and the People’s Choice winner at the Runnymede had to be a tough selection for those voting from among all the winning pieces from the campus show.”
Metcalf said in her three years helping with the art show she has witnessed the quality and diversity getting better each year.
Kyle Larson, assistant professor of art and director of the visual arts program at Northwestern, congratulated all who entered and exhibited work in the show, and praised the Art Society members for continuing to showcase the artwork that the campus community creates. He’s especially proud of the success of McClure, who is a student of his in the visual arts program.
“Brieanna McClure’s painting ‘Final’ is a piece that went far above and beyond what her ‘final’ assignment in the Fundamentals of Two-Dimensional Art required,” Larson said. “She utilized what she learned in the Beginning Painting course -- as seen in the veracity of her brush strokes and turbulent mark making -- and developed a painting that is full of movement, atmosphere and contemplative vignettes. Her dedication to her studio practice -- and a week of camping out in the studio and painting non-stop -- paid off nicely.”
A complete list of winners from the campus show is available at www.nwosu.edu/nas-art-show-winners.
Artwork that has not been picked up is available in Fine Arts room 211.
Upon the closing of this year’s show, Art Society members now start planning for their 15th annual show next year. Metcalf said she looks forward to increasing the number of entries submitted, and Larson is excited to see the NAS on-campus show continue to grow.
“It's clear that we will soon need a larger exhibition space to hold this show, which is a great problem to have,” Larson said.
For additional information about the art show or the Art Society, visit the NAS website at www.nwosu.edu/art, join the club’s Facebook group or fan page, contact Metcalf at ammetcalf55@rangers.nwosu.edu or Case at arcase@nwosu.edu or (580) 327-8577. For more information on classes within the visual arts program, please contact Larson at (580) 327-8108 or krlarson@nwosu.edu.
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Brieanna McClure’s painting titled “Final” won her Best of Show in the Northwestern Art Society campus art show, as well as People’s Choice at the Winners Show at the Runnymede Hotel during the First Friday Artwalk.
Priscilla Avalos’s painting titled “Shadows of Sunset” won the People’s Choice award after voting took place during 14th annual NWOSU Art Society on-campus art show in the J.W. Martin Library through the month of March.