Art and Design Showcase

Photos by Billie Throm

Article by Madeline Teeter

NEWBERG, Ore. – George Fox University’s (GFU) annual art and design student showcase is currently on display in Minthorn Gallery and Lindgren Gallery. The showcase displays work created by students within the last year and will remain on display until April 10.

“Everyone could submit up to three pieces from the past year,” said Tim Timmerman, professor of art and design. Students were welcome to submit pieces they made in or out of class, the only requirement being that they had taken at least one art course at GFU.

Students are allowed to put their art up for sale, although many choose not to.

“Over 175 pieces were entered in the competition and 67 works selected for exhibition,” Timmerman said. 

Getting into the gallery is highly competitive. Chosen pieces compete for various prizes such as best in show, president’s choice and the best in specific artistic fields.

The award winners were announced during the gallery opening, which was held on March 16. The judges were two GFU alumni: illustrator and designer McKenzie Young and photographer and graphic designer Mick Hangland-Skill. Given their fields of expertise, each judge had unique insights into the art.

Kathryn Russell, a sophomore studio arts major, won best in show for her piece “The Nightingale and the Mockingbird.” Russell created the piece in her intermediate sculpture class.

“I’m very happy because the hard work paid off,” Russell said. “It was loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen’s ‘The Nightingale’ while I added the mockingbird, which is native to California, where I’m from.” The bird imagery connects to the idea of freedom not only in the flight of the birds but in the mockingbird’s ability to sing many songs.

“I definitely want to move forward with and continue in this direction,” Russell said, “and I’d like to thank Tim because he helped guide me.”

The president’s choice award went to “Eucharist Set," a collaborative work between Russell and James Walsh. They had a class project to create works for Red Hills Church.

“We each made multiple goblets and candle holders and selected the best ones,” Russell said. Both Walsh and Russell worked on the platter which can be seen in the gallery.

Grace VanPelt, a freshman elementary education major, won best in photography with her photograph “Melva.” 

“I was honestly very shocked that I won best in photography,” VanPelt said. “Before the gallery pictures were chosen, I remember telling my friends: ‘I hope that just one picture gets in because that would be very cool.’”

“My photograph “Melva” was for a class assignment…to go over to Friendsview and take pictures of the residents,” VanPelt said. “Melville was the resident I was assigned and I ended up falling in love with her personality. I took 12 pictures of her and of that roll of film, this one was my favorite picture overall.”

VanPelt has a second photograph featured in the show, “A Walk Through The Redwoods.” 

“My goal is to go to all of the national parks and when I had the opportunity to go down to the redwoods this spring and photograph them I was ecstatic,” VanPelt said. “I knew that I wanted to try to submit this picture…because it just held so much meaning to me.”

“Overall, I was so happy that my pictures got into the gallery,” VanPelt said. “This is the first time I’ve ever had pictures in a gallery and it means the world that somebody values your work because so much time, effort and thought goes into it.”

Best in drawing, painting and prints was awarded to Grace Adam, a junior studio art major, for her painting “It is not how I remember.” The work portrays a landscape with sheep where blocks have been moved out of place, distorting the scene.

“It connects to how we use photos as a means of memory and how that’s not quite the same,” Adam said. “You default to that memory through the photo, even though your phone shifts it. The jumbled panels show the corruption of technology.”

Adam’s other piece in the gallery, “Where’d all the time go?” also provides commentary on technology. “It has to do with phone addiction, balancing that with academics and the idea that time marches on even if you aren’t aware of it,” Adam said. The piece is also a self-portrait, which she said was inspired by Rembrandt’s style.

Seeing her work in the gallery was a rewarding experience for Adam. “I pour a lot of work into my paintings and it was nice to see others interested in them,” Adam said. “Being able to see the work you create in a gallery is a great first step as an artist.”

In visiting the galleries, one can see students’ hard work on display. Setting up the gallery also required high effort and time commitment, which was handled by Timmerman and Breanna Newburn. The galleries are free and open to all, showcasing a variety of talent from GFU’s students.